"Many reviewers in the mainstream press described Baldwin's new novel as sexually deviant" (671). Baldwin has exposed the racial and sexual polarization of American society. Baldwin was nervous before the publication of this novel because he knows that he would no longer be able to hide the fact of his own homosexuality from his family, and he feared their rejection. .
In addition, the article "Balwin's Sissy Heroics," Marlon B Ross explores the themes of sexual orientation and black queer identity in the nonfiction of author James Baldwin. The author reflects on racial gendering and the sexually violent consequences of white supremacy as depicted in the memoir "No Name in the Street" (637).The idea of the sissy is a symbol of homosexual subversion. Ross states that "Baldwin found in homosexuality a clear path of desire" (634).
In the article "Introduction: James Baldwin And Influence " by Brooke Horvath. Brooke discusses various articles published within the issue including one on James Baldwin's queer utility, one on the influence of Carson McCullers to James Baldwin. "Eileen Barrett examines a different source of influence on Baldwin, arguing that McCullers possessed an ability to convey intersections of gender and race" (206). Otherwise, Baldwin was influenced by poet T. S. Eliot. He admitted that "the difficulty of escaping Eliot's influence" (207). According to Brooke Horvath, Baldwin "desires to succeed on the basis of literary style and the humanity of his characters rather than in terms of successful polemic" (207).
The short story "Sonny's Blues" is considered one of Baldwin's amazing works. This story takes place in Harlem in the 1950's, during a time in which the black man struggled to make a living in a society. This is a story of how two African Americans brothers take their own path through life as they struggle to find meaning in their lives.