49 pages 1 hour read

James Baldwin

Sonny's Blues

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1957

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. How is the narrator related to Sonny?

2. What subject does the narrator teach?

3. Who is Isabel?

4. How did Gracie die?

5. To which drug does Sonny have an addiction?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What news is the narrator reading about at the beginning of the story?

2. What does Sonny’s friend ask the narrator for right before Sonny gets on the subway?

3. What does the narrator’s mother ask of him before she dies?

4. What is the narrator’s main concern regarding Sonny’s desire to be a musician?

5. What does the narrator finally realize about Sonny’s relationship with music?

Paired Resource

Heroin DrugFacts

  • This resource from the National Institute on Drug Abuse provides information regarding the effects of heroin, overdose treatment information, and how heroin addiction is treated.
  • What does this article reveal about the theme of The Struggles of Heroin Addiction? Based on what you read, what can you infer about Sonny and his use of heroin?

Keep Your Brain Young with Music

  • This article from Johns Hopkins Medicine details the various benefits of listening to music.

Related Titles

By James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Another Country

James Baldwin

Another Country

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

A Talk to Teachers

James Baldwin

A Talk to Teachers

James Baldwin

Plot Summary

logo

Blues for Mister Charlie

James Baldwin

Blues for Mister Charlie

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Giovanni's Room

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Going To Meet The Man

James Baldwin

Going To Meet The Man

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin

I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

James Baldwin

If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Nobody Knows My Name

James Baldwin

Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

No Name in the Street

James Baldwin

No Name in the Street

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin

Stranger in the Village

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

The Amen Corner

James Baldwin

The Amen Corner

James Baldwin

Study Guide

logo

The Rockpile

James Baldwin

The Rockpile

James Baldwin