Sonny's Blues

James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," is a very insightful story about the personal effects from drug use and recovery. This story gives a very interesting perspective of a brother trying to figure out his brother's psychological state after he goes to prison on drug charges. Over the course of the story we see how music keeps Sonny stable and allows him to express his pain and fear more safely and easily. To see this kind of personal development presented so well is rare to find. The level with which Baldwin delves into the person, rather than the entire "situation," as you see in a lot of anti-drug literature draws parallels to one of my favorite television shows, "The Wire." Just as "Sonny's Blues," explored the pain and suffering of a recovering user, "The Wire," looked at how drugs and crime in Baltimore affected specific individuals from all walks of life. I find this kind of personal perspective on such a taboo topic to be fascinating and I wish there was more literature like "Sonny's Blues."

Submitted by Anthony Cirurso