Play Book Tag discussion

If Beale Street Could Talk was written half a century ago, and it seems that things haven't changed as much as we'd like to think. Fonny is a black man who was arrested for rape by a bad cop who knew he didn't do it. He struggles in jail awaiting trial, while his girlfriend and family members go to great lengths to try to help him. We learn more about the criminal justice system through the experiences of one of his friends. The story is sad, but not hopeless, and it is also very romantic. The relationship between Fonny and Tish was very sweet, but they had to grow up fast. The romance was well written. It added some relief from the despair in the book, but also raised the stakes, especially when they discovered she was pregnant. This is only the second James Baldwin book I read. Compared to Another Country, the characters in Beale Street are more relatable, there is more love (of all types), and the plot is less complex. I'm glad I read it.

I also read An American Marriage this month, which had a similar scenario with a young black man convicted of a crime he didn't commit. The story is more current, and the wife is far more independent and interesting. It goes in some very interesting directions and I would definitely recommend it.