ITF Read: If Beale Street Could Talk (1974 novel)

James Baldwin puts Black love front and center in a romance set in Harlem and struggling to persist against systematic oppression, false accusations, and personal tragedy. In episode 142, join Luke & James as they educate themselves with a story written over 45 years ago, yet seems somehow ripped from the headlines of today. Topics include: Love as a force for change, Baldwin's issue with religion, the problem of white innocence, empathy through art, Baldwin's voice in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, the efficacy of a first-person narrator, how false confessions happen, and the ways that our bodies can define our identities. Join us next week for the film directed by Barry Jenkins starring Kiki Layne, Stephen James, and Regina King. James Baldwin's Pin Drop speech "How James Baldwin's Writings About Love Evolve" by Dagmawi Woubshet Become a Patron & unlock exclusive content: www.patreon.com/inktofilm     Follow Ink to Film on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Home Base: inktofilm.com Ink to Film Book Club on Goodreads Intro/outro music: Ross Bugden