James Baldwin
Information about the author and his work is available at https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Baldwin
Get personal with James Baldwin
Baldwin was a cousin and close friend of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison. Upon his death, Morrison wrote a eulogy for Baldwin that appeared in The New York Times. In the eulogy, entitled "Life in His Language," Morrison credits Baldwin as being her literary inspiration and the person who showed her the true potential of writing.
Other Books by James Baldwin
Videos
Did you know?
In 2018 If Beale Street Could Talk was made into a movie starring KiKi Layne, Stephan James and Regina King.
Discussion Questions
Book Discussion Questions provided by The Hartford Public Library:
1. If you were asked to describe this book, what words would you use?
2. What do you think is the most important idea in this book?
3. Does If Beale Street Could Talk make you angry?
4. This book was published in 1974. Does it feel old-fashioned to you in some ways, or does it feel accurate for today?
5. When this book was published, some black leaders and activists said that author James Baldwin was showing hatred for black people. Do you feel that the author, who was African American, showed hatred for black people and black society?
6. Were you shocked by parts of this book? If you were shocked, which parts shocked you?
7. Who do you see as the hero or heroes of this book? Who shows courage?
8. Beale Street shows a black man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Do you see similarities in today’s America? Does this book help us understand why so many African American men are imprisoned?
9. Who do you feel is the most vulnerable person in this book?
10. Which character or characters are the most changed by what happens in this book?
11. Why do you think Fonny’s father Frank killed himself?
12. People often say, “Love conquers all.” Do you feel hopeful for Tish and Fonny at the end of the book? Will their love conquer their hardships?
13. The title of a novel is a deliberate and important choice that any author must make. The title of a novel can give the reader clues about the theme, subject or context of the story. What might be the significance of Baldwin's title?
14. Fonny and Tish are the protagonists of the novel. Discuss the characters in If Beale Street Could Talk in relation to whether or not they help or hinder the main characters.
15. Do you agree with this statement?: "The women characters in If Beale Street Could Talk are portrayed either as saints or villains." Why or why not? Give evidence to support your opinion based on quotes from the novel.
Reserve a copy
If Beale Street Could Talk by ISBN: 9780525566120Publication Date: 2018-10-30Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.
Read A-Likes
An American Marriage by ISBN: 9781616208776Publication Date: 2018-02-06Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by ISBN: 9781501126062Publication Date: 2017-09-05Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn't lack in fathers to study, chief among them his Black grandfather, Pop; his absent White father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent White grandfather, Big Joseph, who won't acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his dead uncle, Given, who died as a teenager. His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister's lives.She wants to be a better mother but can't put her children above her own needs. When Michael is released from prison, Leonie drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary.
The Women of Brewster Place by ISBN: 9780140066906Publication Date: 1983-06-30Gloria Naylor weaves together the stories of seven women living in Brewster Place, a bleak-inner city sanctuary, creative a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of black women in America. Vulnerable and resilient, openhanded and openhearted, these women forge their lives in a place that in turn threatens and protects - a common prison and a shared home.
