If Beale Street Could Talk

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1, Pages 3-75

Reading Check

1. How were Tish and Fonny christened?

2. Why does Tish take the bus home from visiting Fonny?

3. According to Tish, what does “trouble” mean?

4. Where did Tish’s parents first meet?

5. Who does Sharon think is keeping Tish and Fonny from being married?

6. Who were “the nicest people that [Tish] had met in all New York?”

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare and contrast the settings where Tish announces her pregnancy to Fonny and Sharon. What are Fonny’s and Sharon’s reactions?

2. Summarize Tish’s feelings about New York City. What does she attribute her happy memories to?

3. Briefly summarize the beginning of Tish and Fonny’s friendship.

4. As Tish lies in her bed, she overhears her family talking about Fonny and the lawyer. What does this conversation reveal about her family’s relationship with Fonny?

5. In her recollection of her first intimate moment with Fonny, Tish notes several realizations she has throughout the course of the day. Describe at least two of these realizations.

6. At the end of this section, the Rivers family invites the Hunt family to dinner to share the news of Tish’s pregnancy. How do the Hunts respond? How does the Hunts’ response compare with the Rivers’ response?

Paired Resource

“If Beale Street Could Talk”

• The Progressive Magazine’s 2018 review of both Baldwin’s book as well as the film adaptation
• What do you learn about the significance of Baldwin’s title from the article?

“W. C. Handy: Beale Street Blues”

• The New York Festival of Song’s article of the 1917’s namesake for the novel
• How does Baldwin’s allusion to the above song speak to the larger theme of African American Music as a Representation of African American Culture and Identity?

Part 1, Pages 75-135

Reading Check

1. Why does Fonny want to speak with Tish’s family after their first intimate night together?

2. Whose testimony does Mr. Hayward think is most influential to Mrs. Rogers?

3. For which crime was Danny arrested?

4. What type of work does Tish consider starting, depending on Fonny’s time in jail?

5. What secret evidence does Sis have against Officer Bell?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Summarize what Fonny tells Tish the first night they share an intimate moment.

2. Describe the conversation between Fonny and Danny at the loft. What are some of the difficulties that Fonny shares with his friend?

3. What is Mrs. Rogers’s background? How does this relate to the progress of the charges against Fonny?

4. Summarize how the families deal with the increased legal expenses related to Fonny’s case.

5. Where is Sharon traveling to and why? Describe what items she is bringing with her.

Paired Resource

“America’s Broken Criminal Legal System Contributes to Wealth Inequality”

• The Center for American Progress’s 2022 article on the direct link between the possession of a criminal record and lack of access to wealth
• Based on the text as well as the above resource, how is Fonny’s case an example of the issues related to American Racism, Class, and the Carceral State?

Part 1, Pages 135-174

Reading Check

1. Where does Fonny take Tish “on credit”?

2. When does Tish believe her baby was conceived?

3. Which city is Sharon reminded of when she lands at her new destination?

4. What similarity do Fonny and Pietro have?

5. What background noise does Sharon hear while speaking to the woman in the favella?

6. Which of Officer Bell’s facial features does Tish notice most of all?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Briefly describe the altercation Tish has while shopping at the market. Who comes to her defense? What is the outcome?

2. Describe Sharon’s first moments at the airport. How does she respond to the situation?

3. Where does Sharon go after the hotel? Summarize the purpose of her visit. What memories does she have at her new location?

4. Describe what Tish notices as her pregnancy advances. How does this affect her work and daily activities?

5. Summarize Sharon’s visit at the favella. To whom does she speak? What is the outcome of the discussion?

Paired Resource

“How James Baldwin’s Writings About Love Evolved”

• A 2019 article analyzing both Baldwin’s work as well as the film adaptation of the novel
• How does the novel portray the concept of The Nature of Black Love?

Part 2, Pages 177-197

Reading Check

1. Which activity brings temporary relief to Fonny while he is inside his cell?

2. Why does Tish believe the lineup was flawed?

3. What question does “the baby” ask?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe Fonny’s dream in the beginning of Part 2.

2. What news does Sharon bring about the updates to Fonny’s case? What are the alternatives, and are they feasible?

Recommended Next Reads 

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

• Baldwin’s 1953 semi-autobiographical novel is about a young boy in Harlem struggling with his sexuality, family, and religion.
• Go Tell It on the Mountain on SuperSummary

Dutchman by Amiri Baraka

• The Black Arts Movement founder Amiri Baraka’s play, which centers on a young African American man who is violently attacked by a white woman on the subway, explores the theme of Racism, Class, and the Carceral State.
• Dutchman on SuperSummary