If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, 197 pages.

I read this when the movie came out in early 2019 and then again with our book group when UMSL chose it as their Common Read. We read it, we showed the movie version, there were speakers about the book and about the author at UMSL and at Wash U. Our book group liked it quite a bit. There are very strong characters and the plight of the main characters is upsetting and told in such a way that the novel flows quickly. Fonny and Tish have embarked on a shared life together after having been friends their whole lives. There is a bit of drama from each of their families, but the focus quickly shifts to a racist police officer in the neighborhood who is intent upon ruining Fonny's life. A great novel.