In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. 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 is 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.
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“James Baldwin convincingly writes from the perspective of a teenaged girl, and narrator Bahni Turpin’s delivery heightens the raw power of his storytelling…Turpin brings nineteen-year-old Tish to life, capturing all her pain and hope with edginess and unflagging energy. In actuality, Turpin offers two distinctly separate performances—that of the story’s narrator and that of the protagonist. Although both roles are tied together through Baldwin’s use of first-person narration, Turpin differentiates between the narrative and the character’s dialogue and actions through a masterful variety of tones and inflections. The result lifts Tish from the static page and brings her into the room.”
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