Book Club Discussion Questions
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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
These are original discussion questions written for BookBrowse.
- What did you learn from The Devil Finds Work? What surprised you the most?
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Which of the films that James Baldwin mentions are you familiar with? How has your opinion of these movies changed since reading The Devil Finds Work?
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What do you think the book's title means?
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Baldwin died in 1987. Which movies that premiered after his death, featuring Black actors in major roles, would you have liked his opinion on?
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What differences did Baldwin draw between his experiences at the movies and at the theater? Do you agree with him?
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Do you feel Baldwin wrote his essays with a specific audience in mind? Who do you think he is addressing, if so?
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What impact do you believe Bill Miller had on Baldwin's life? Is there someone who you can name that had a similar impact on your own?
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How do you feel Baldwin's readings of Uncle Tom's Cabin and A Tale of Two Cities shaped his views?
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Baldwin states on page 35, "It is said that the camera cannot lie, but rarely do we allow it to do anything else... The language of the camera is the language of our dreams." What do you think he means?
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Which of Baldwin's statements in the book did you find the most remarkable? Why did it stand out for you?
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What do you think Baldwin would have to say about today's society if he were alive today? Do you think he'd have seen any improvement – in cinema, or in society as a whole - in the decade since The Devil Finds Work was written? How about representation at major award ceremonies like the Oscars, the Emmy's, etc.
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What does the author see as the dangers of the way Black lives are portrayed in the movies?
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Regarding the film, In the Heat of the Night, Baldwin states on page 64: "It is impossible to accept the premise of the story, a premise based on the profound American misunderstanding of the nature of the hatred between [B]lack and white." How does the author understand this hatred? What do you think of this point of view?
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In the author's critique of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? he writes on page 71, "The immense quantity of polish expended on [the movie] is meant to blind one to its essential inertia and despair." What aspects of the film is Baldwin referring to? Are there recent movies you can think of starring Black actors that seem well-intentioned on the surface but in actuality depict a false narrative of the Black experience?
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Is it possible, in your opinion, for a white screenwriter or director to authentically capture a Black person's experiences? Is it possible for a white audience to determine when a film is a realistic portrayal of a Black person's life, or will bias always stand in the way?
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Have you read any of Baldwin's other works? If so, which ones, and how does The Devil Finds Work compare?
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Is there another author whose style you find similar, or whose writing addresses themes comparable to those found in The Devil Finds Work?
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Overall, what did you think of The Devil Finds Work?
Further Recommended Reading:
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Nobody Knows My Name by James Baldwin
The Amen Corner by James Baldwin
Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison
Culture and Imperialism by Edward W. Said
Monsters by Claire Dederer
Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs by Kerry Howley
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Vintage. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
