Sonny's Blues is a story about the long overdue reconciliation between two brothers and a final understanding of what the other wanted. Sonny was young, growing up in Harlem with dreams of becoming a Jazz musician. In his youth he had developed a fear for what may become of him if he remained in Harlem. The popular drug of choice in the streets of Harlem and the jazz musicians of the era was heroine. Unfortunately for both brothers, communication had never been easy in their family. When Sonny tried to express his desire to escape Harlem and the darkness that existed within it, his brother didn't understand. Instead Sonny's brother convinced him to remain in Harlem in order to finish school. During this time Sonny began to use the deadly drug while practicing his music. When it was discovered by the family he was living with, he decided to make his escape on his own joining the Navy. Sadly, by this time it was already too late, Sonny was hooked and didn't even know it. When he!
             returned to Harlem he was a totally different person than the Sonny his older brother thought he knew. Sonny had forgotten about family and the people that cared about him. Because neither brother seemed to know how to handle their own feelings, the situation between them worsened. The two didn't speak to each other for more than a year. By this time, the elder brother was a school teacher and had his own family. Sonny was arrested, and the story was printed in the papers. The story was plain and painful. Sonny's brother refused to believe, despite his own suspicions and the obviousness of the fact. After Sonny's rehabilitation the two finally started making up the lost time between themselves. They were building a real understanding of all that had happened and why. The older brother who had long since took the role of the protective father was actually listening as Sonny shared his music with him. The music that was the "soul" of Sonny.
             ...