Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Schultz
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Explosive play shows hopes, struggles of urban black family.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
The action of A RAISIN IN THE SUN all takes place in the Chicago apartment of the Younger family: Lena; her grown children, Beneatha and Walter; and Walter's wife, Ruth, and son, Travis. When the play begins, the family members are waiting expectantly for the arrival of a life insurance payment, as the patriarch of the family, Walter senior, has died. Each of the characters has some hope and idea of how the insurance money should be used. Though the money legally belongs to Lena, the characters argue and struggle with one another for the rare chance to make a real change in their lives. The tension over how the money will be used causes explosive tension between the three generations of Youngers who share the South Side apartment.
Is It Any Good?
There's good reason that three generations have read A Raisin in the Sun as an important work of American literature. Nominated for four Tony Awards when it was originally staged in 1960, it has generational differences, race and gender roles, and the importance of morality and faith all elegantly woven into the dialogue, and offers abundant lessons and fuel for discussion without ever becoming too preachy. The characters are believable and heartbreaking, well-realized human beings, and their struggles against prejudice and hardship are as meaningful now as they were 50-plus years ago. A Raisin in the Sun was adapted for a classic film version starring Sidney Poitier, who also performed in the Broadway play, and a more recent version stars rap artist, producer and actor Shawn "P. Diddy" Combs.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Lena giving Walter responsibility for so much of the insurance money. Why do you think she hands it all to him?
How are Beneatha's two boyfriends different, and how do they represent different sides of her?
How does Mr. Lindner's proposal make the Youngers feel?
Why did Lorraine Hansberry call her play A Raisin in the Sun?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Family Life
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Publication date : November 28, 2004
- Number of pages : 160
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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