James Baldwin: Sonny’s Blues
“Sonny’s Blues” is a short story by James Baldwin, published in 1957 in Partisan Review. Set in Harlem in the mid-20th century, the story begins when a professor learns that his younger brother, Sonny, has been arrested for selling and using heroin. This news triggers a profound reflection on their shared childhood, family tensions, and the harsh conditions of the neighborhood where they grew up. As he tries to reconnect with Sonny, the narrator is confronted with suffering, isolation, and the redemptive power of music as a form of expression and resistance.