If Beale Street Could Talk is an incredibly important and harrowing work about the strife of family and the struggle of being Black in America. Baldwin's writing is perfect, with Tish's narration feeling as though someone is really talking to the reader, explaining their life story. The story is both saddening yet striking in a way that pushes the reader to want to change the world in which we live. While the book was released in 1974, the issues which Baldwin addresses are, sadly, still extremely relevant in the current day. I would recommend this to anyone to read.