In the novel "Giovanni's Room," James Baldwin let's us see life through a man conflicted with his sexuality during the 1950's. We see this story through a man by the name of David.

In "Giovanni's Room," we go through a flashback of Joey's life. The most prominent memory was about his first encounter of homosexuality with his best friend Joey. Just a teenager, we read about David's fateful night of self-discovery. He goes on to say," Joey raised his head as I lowered and we kissed." Despite discovering an indescribable feeling inside of him, it was not enough to risk the chance of losing his manhood. With the need to recapture the manhood he thought he lost, he pushed Joey aside and joined a gang.