I’m thrilled I got to begin my personal curriculum journey of reading all of James Baldwin and Toni Morrison’s books with this one! From reading the first page of Go Tell it on the Mountain, I knew that Baldwin’s debut novel was going to be a memorable experience. 
What I loved most about the novel is Baldwin’s description of the performance of religion. Religion is a massive part of the novel (the title itself is the title of a hymn, and many of the characters have biblical names, such as John, Gabriel, and Esther), and when Baldwin wrote about the experiences of the characters on the threshing floor it felt like you were there with them. I also loved reading about John’s disconnect from those praying. 
John’s POV in my opinion felt the strongest, which makes sense given that this novel is heavily based on Baldwin’s own experiences in the church growing up. Baldwin wrote about John grappling with salvation and his complicated feelings around his sexuality (specifically with regards to his connection with Elisha) exquisitely.
Where I mainly struggled with Go Tell it on the Mountain was in its density. I strongly recommend having some Bible knowledge coming into the book because it would enrich your reading experience. I am not a religious person and thus parts of the book were lost on me. The last third with John’s revelatory experience as well as the ending I also became lost in the reading experience. It was hard to parse what was real from what wasn’t (and maybe that was Baldwin’s intention), but I prefer my stories to be a bit more grounded. In addition, the ending was very ambiguous considering everything he puts the reader through, which I was a bit dissatisfied by, but again, maybe that was his intention.
I also would like to point out that there was another coming-of-age debut novel centered around the Pentecostal faith and queer experience that I kept comparing this novel to, and that was Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson. I found that book to more align with my tastes, but if you are a huge fan of Go Tell it on the Mountain or are looking for more religious coming-of-age novels, I highly recommend reading Oranges are Not the Only Fruit.
Overall, I am glad to have had the experience of reading Go Tell it on the Mountain in addition to analyzing it more (I highly recommend the Zero to Well Read podcast episode on this book) and I’m so excited to keep going on my personal curriculum journey!