The Men of Brewster Place

Published in 1998, The Men of Brewster Place is a companion to Gloria Naylor’s acclaimed 1982 novel, The Women of Brewster Place. Written as a series of vignettes, the novel tells the intertwining stories of seven Black men living in Brewster Place, a degrading apartment block in an unnamed American city. Each must fight to define his identity as a man while existing within the confines of a racist, sexist society. With themes of pain and loss, performative masculinity, and the impact of systemic racism, Naylor explores the complexity of the Black male experience and asks what it truly means to be a “man.” Other works by Naylor include The Women of Brewster Place, Linden Hills, and Mama Day.

This guide refers to the 1998 Hyperion hardback edition of the text.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss racism, violence, death and murder, anti-gay bias, suicide and suicidal ideation, sexual abuse and violence, abortion, and addiction.

Plot Summary

The first chapter is narrated by Brewster Place’s janitor, Ben, who was the first Black man to move to the block in the 1950s.