Alameda County
Bar Association

ACBA Book Review: If Beale Street Could Talk 
ACBA Book Club

Every month, a group of ACBA members gathers to discuss this month’s reading selection.  We alternate between fiction and non-fiction, and try to choose books that have at least something to do with the law.  We really do talk about the books – also, of course, we drink wine, eat cookies, and get to know each other. 

If Beale Street Could Talk  by James Baldwin:  This book is beautifully written, and a joy to read – even if it is depressing.  The story of a young man wrongly arrested and charged with rape, the book is set in Harlem in the early 1970’s and is a loving evocation of that particular place in time.  It is also a tremendously moving love story, and a condemnation of the injustices in our criminal justice system every day.  None of us have yet seen the movie, and having relished the writing in this book, we are a little nervous to.  But we will definitely be reading more of James Baldwin!

Next meeting:  May 6, Monday, at 5:30 pm at the ACBA, and the book is Doing Justice by Preet Bharara.  Wine and cookies are always served. Contact Tiela Chalmers (tiela@acbanet.org) for more information and to RSVP.