90 pages 3 hours read

James Baldwin

If Beale Street Could Talk

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1974

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Introduction

If Beale Street Could Talk

  • Genre: Fiction; literary fiction
  • Originally Published: 1974
  • Reading Level/Interest: College/adult
  • Structure/Length: 2 parts; approx. 197 pages; approx. 7 hours, 7 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: Nineteen-year-old Tish falls in love with childhood friend Fonny, and they make plans to marry. But when Fonny is falsely accused of a crime and imprisoned, they experience a range of emotions as their families race to clear his name.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racism; false imprisonment; police bias; sexually explicit scenes; sexist remarks and portrayals

James Baldwin, Author

  • Bio: August 2, 1924-December 1, 1987; noted Black essayist, novelist, playwright, and poet; writing regularly explores masculinity, sexuality, race, and class that intersect with the civil rights movement and gay liberation movement; never knew his biological father; had a difficult relationship with his stepfather; became a preacher at Fireside Pentecostal Assembly after discovering he was attracted to men; spent years in menial jobs trying to support his family; moved to Paris in 1948 to escape American prejudice against Black people; wrote and published his first novel in Paris; returned to New York in 1957 to participate in the civil rights movement; lived in France for most of his later life; died from stomach cancer in 1987; awarded fellowships, body-of-work awards, and honorary degrees throughout his career
  • Other Works: Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953); Giovanni’s Room (1956); Another Country (1962); Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone (1968); Just Above My Head (1979)

Related Titles

By James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Another Country

James Baldwin

Another Country

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

A Talk to Teachers

James Baldwin

A Talk to Teachers

James Baldwin

Plot Summary

logo

Blues for Mister Charlie

James Baldwin

Blues for Mister Charlie

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Going To Meet The Man

James Baldwin

Going To Meet The Man

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin

I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

James Baldwin

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Nobody Knows My Name

James Baldwin

Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

No Name in the Street

James Baldwin

No Name in the Street

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin

Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

The Amen Corner

James Baldwin

The Amen Corner

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

The Rockpile

James Baldwin

The Rockpile

James Baldwin