Skip to main content

September Reading---If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

By

 


Monday, Sept. 27   3:45 ZOOM mtg.
Moderator: Susan Woodhams



"A major work of Black American fiction." –The New Republic

Told 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.

Comments

  1. John DeGrandisSeptember 30, 2021 at 4:37 AM

    Overall, I think that this novel would be a high interest option for upper classmen. The themes of the hypocrisy of religion, familial love and acceptance and the inequalities of the criminal justice system make this novel relevant to our population. In addition, the love story between Tish and Fonny will keep students' attention as they enjoy the recollections Tish has about their relationship. As a literary technique, Tish's non-chronological back and forth will help students understand how the author has structured the plot to maximize their attention. If I were teaching upper classmen I would definitely employ this novel!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

December and January Meeting Monday, January 29

By
DECEMBER    The Sherlockian by Graham Moore   Moderator, Brad Craddock JANUARY         My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallant   Moderator, Shelley Davis Hurtling from present day New York to Victorian London,  The Sherlockian  weaves the history of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into an inspired and entertaining double mystery that proves to be anything but "elementary." In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning-crowds sported black armbands in grief-and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin. Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. Afte
4 comments
Read more

January Read , 2024----The Night I Spent with Aubrey Fisher by Christopher M. Tantillo.

By
 Monday, 1/29/2024 The Night I Spent with Aubrey Fisher  by Christopher M. Tantillo. Moderated by Erica Smith A boy determined to die. A girl determined to save his life. After the death of his little brother, Grayson's guilt spirals his life into chaos; it's all his fault. He wants to rewind that night back. To erase the pain he's caused. So he's decided; in twenty-four hours, he'll kill himself. Then mysterious and reckless Aubrey shows up with a proposition: a "literally insane" all-night adventure that will show him the beauty in the mundane. Grayson doesn't know why the foster girl with the piercings, crimson locks, and fishnet leggings is helping, especially when he finds out she harbors dark secrets of her own. Yet as they spend his last night learning to let go of pain, Grayson may have a new choice to make. But can he ever really be happy again? Told in a heartfelt yet poignant style interspersed with quirky humor,  The Night I Spent with Aubr
3 comments
Read more

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple

By
Meeting:  March 30 2:45  A 238 Moderator: Marcy Gamzon A brilliant novel and instant New York Times bestseller from the author of  Where'd You Go, Bernadette , about a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, forced to abandon her small ambitions and awake to a strange, new future. Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action, life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office -- but not Eleanor -- that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family
11 comments
Read more