English Comp II: James Baldwin: Sonny's Blues

Sonny's Blues is a very well written story about the relationship of two brothers. The story opens with the narrator reading in the newspaper of his brother Sonny's arrest for the crime of possessing heroin. The narrator has an encounter with a friend of Sonny's who also is an addict. Later in the story, the narrator flashbacks to a conversation that takes place between him and his mother. After telling the narrator about his uncle, the mother then asks the narrator to watch over Sonny and be there for him. Sonny moves in with his brother's wife's family, but eventually runs away and joins the navy. After this, he comes home, which is when he gets busted for possession. When Sonny is released from rehab/prison, he continues to work at developing his skill as a piano player. He succeeds, and at the end of the story manages to get a gig playing blues at a club. It seems that Sonny's Blues transformed from drug addiction to the actual blues music itself by the end of the story. This is a good read which I would recommend to anyone.