If Beale Street Could Talk - Summary

Summary

This book is about a 19-year-old girl named Tish, whose real name is Clementine. She is in love with a 22-year-old sculptor named Fonny, whose real name is Alonzo. They become engaged and then, she becomes impregnated. However, he is falsely accused of raping a Puerto Rican woman, Victoria Rogers. He was set up by a racist police man (Officer Bell) and he soon goes to jail. This unfortunately halts their engagement.

Ms. Rogers left the United States to go back to Puerto Rico and Tish's mother Sharon travels there to find evidence that will set Fonny free, which pushes them all through New York and San Juan. Baldwin narrates through Tish’s point of view as well as Fonny's. The tone of the story is both sad and sweet. This content is very explicit with mature scenes. This book describes what a strong family the Rivers family is and how they stuck together until the end of everything. Although Fonny's own mother and sisters did not bother to save him, the Rivers family takes him in as their own. They work extra hours so that they could make the money to pay the lawyer and to try to pay for Fonny's bail if he gets out on bail. In the end, Fonny's father commits suicide. Furthermore, the baby is finally born. Throughout the whole story the author shows what a powerful family is and the troubles they went through.

Works by James Baldwin
Novels
  • Go Tell It on the Mountain
  • Giovanni's Room
  • Another Country
  • Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone
  • If Beale Street Could Talk
  • Just Above My Head
Plays
  • The Amen Corner
  • Blues for Mister Charlie
Short story collections
  • Going to Meet the Man
    • "The Rockpile"
    • "The Outing"
    • "The Man Child"
    • "Previous Condition"
    • "Sonny's Blues"
    • "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon"
    • "Come Out the Wilderness"
    • "Going to Meet the Man"
Poetry collection
  • Jimmy's Blues
Essay collections
  • Notes of a Native Son
  • The Fire Next Time
  • No Name in the Street
  • The Devil Finds Work
  • The Evidence of Things Not Seen
  • The Price of the Ticket
Collaborations
  • Nothing personal
  • A Rap on Race
  • One day when I was lost
  • A Dialogue
  • Little Man Little Man: A Story of Childhood

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