0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image

    Blues for Mister Charlie

    A Play

    Part of Vintage International

    Author James Baldwin
    Ebook
    Knopf | Vintage
    On sale Sep 17, 2013 | 144 Pages | 9780804149747
    Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    See Additional Formats
    An award-winning play from one of America’s most brilliant writers about a murder in a small Southern town, loosely based on the 1955 killing of Emmett Till. • "A play with fires of fury in its belly, tears of anguish in its eyes, a roar of protest in its throat." —The New York Times

    James Baldwin turns a murder and its aftermath into an inquest in which even the most well-intentioned whites are implicated—and in which even a killer receives his share of compassion. 

    In a small Southern town, a white man murders a black man, then throws his body in the weeds. With this act of violence, James Baldwin launches an unsparing and at times agonizing probe of the wounds of race.

    For where once a white storekeeper could have shot a "boy" like Richard Henry with impunity, times have changed. And centuries of brutality and fear, patronage and contempt, are about to erupt in a moment of truth as devastating as a shotgun blast.
    James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time were bestsellers that made him an influential figure in the growing civil rights movement. Baldwin spent much of his life in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in France in 1987, a year after being made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor. View titles by James Baldwin
    "A play with fires of fury in its belly, tears of anguish in its eyes, a roar of protest in its throat." —The New York Times

    "Explosive, eloquent, honest.... To read it is devastating." —San Francisco Chronicle

    About

    An award-winning play from one of America’s most brilliant writers about a murder in a small Southern town, loosely based on the 1955 killing of Emmett Till. • "A play with fires of fury in its belly, tears of anguish in its eyes, a roar of protest in its throat." —The New York Times

    James Baldwin turns a murder and its aftermath into an inquest in which even the most well-intentioned whites are implicated—and in which even a killer receives his share of compassion. 

    In a small Southern town, a white man murders a black man, then throws his body in the weeds. With this act of violence, James Baldwin launches an unsparing and at times agonizing probe of the wounds of race.

    For where once a white storekeeper could have shot a "boy" like Richard Henry with impunity, times have changed. And centuries of brutality and fear, patronage and contempt, are about to erupt in a moment of truth as devastating as a shotgun blast.

    Author

    James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time were bestsellers that made him an influential figure in the growing civil rights movement. Baldwin spent much of his life in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in France in 1987, a year after being made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor. View titles by James Baldwin

    Praise

    "A play with fires of fury in its belly, tears of anguish in its eyes, a roar of protest in its throat." —The New York Times

    "Explosive, eloquent, honest.... To read it is devastating." —San Francisco Chronicle

    Additional formats

    Other books in this series

    Other Books by this Author

    Related Articles

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources
    General

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month and educators are increasingly aware that integrating social-emotional learning into the curriculum is critical if we want students to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Download the thematic educator guides on Teaching About Anxiety and Mindfulness and Teaching About Student Wellness. Explore our specially curated collections on

    Read more

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

    General
    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Book Covers: 9780593731703 MY DOCUMENTS (RH) 9780593804872 A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF (Knopf) 9780593298381 WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM (Penguin) 9781603095747 IT RHYMES WITH TAKEI (IDW)
    Asian American History Literature Sociology

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. AANHPI Creators – Middle School titles AANHPI Creators – High School titles .

    Read more

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Asian American History Literature Sociology

    Penguin Random House Secondary Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)