"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin is the story of a young jazz artist (Sonny) from Harlem, New York, who becomes addicted to heroin, is caught for using and selling drugs and returns to his youth neighborhood after his release from prison. He goes to live with his more accomplished brother (the narrator of the story) and his brother's family. The two brothers reconnect after an exceptionally tense couple of weeks during which they both try to manage their mutual resentment. Drugs are a central element of the story, but on the other hand it's about family, music and trying to win life's battles. Harlem was Baldwin's primary residence and he was born there in 1924. As a teenager he worked as a Pentecostal minister, influenced by his father. However, as he became more experienced, he distanced himself from the impact of the congregation. He got himself a loft in the artisan district of Greenwich Village, New York and then, in 1948, somewhat because of the alienation he felt as a gay, black man in the United States, he moved to Paris. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Baldwin's abstract notoriety blossomed with his first semi-personal novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, released in 1953. He is best known for his works dealing with the experience of being a dark man in America before of the civil rights movement. When 'Sonny's Blues' was published in 1957, Baldwin was already known on the academic scene. The story appeared in Partisan Review, one of the most popular American journals of the time. Baldwin distributed it again in 1965 in his collection of short stories titled Going for Meet the Man. The story alone garnered many positive considerations, but experts had completely different thoughts regarding the subject of the story. Baldwin had gained notoriety by expounding on African-American causes, so was the story about race? Some ideas like that. Or would you say it's about music? Or even the dangers deriving from the use of drugs? Or on the other hand humanity in general? Examiners have seen most of this in history. In any case, whatever topic the experts focused on, most agreed that "Sonny's Blues" was a truly important piece of writing. The most significant topics in Sonny's life are music and resistance. His sadness comes from the physical and passionate agony he has endured over the years as a vagrant and medicine addict in a poor African-American neighborhood. Without this torment, Sonny would have no material for his music and would not be able to create works. For the narrator, the most significant topic of the story could probably be bad luck. His life has been fraught with disaster: the disappearance of his parents, his disgust with war, the loss of his two-year-old daughter to polio, and the unhappiness of seeing his brother's life fall apart. This misery seeps into his narrative voice, making the tone of the story one of agony and dissatisfaction. Race and bigotry are key topics in “Sonny’s Blues.” The narrator and Sonny talk about two ways unique to African American men: one, training and decency; the other, crime, drug abuse and prison. Baldwin uses his characters to represent the damage that fundamental prejudice has had on the African American community. The narrator explains that the blues, which are essentially accounts of anguish and reclamation, are not particularly unique, but that they allow the actor and his group of spectators to interface with – and that association and understanding are the main,.