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nichecase's review against another edition
3.0
the good: wideman utilises metafiction with a brutal efficacy, particularly in "JB & FD", "Writing Teacher" and "Williamsburg Bridge". these are the few that i think live up to the promise expressed in the title of exploring american history through a mix of fiction and reality (though in the latter two, the reality is not history but wideman's own life - or near enough that i can believe that it is his life). i think what these stories have to say about the ethics of fiction- of using another person's life for your own profit - will stick with me.
the bad: basically the rest of the book. while the three stories i mentioned are good enough that i think the whole collection was worth it for me to read to find these, i wouldn't recommend the entire collection. i think the thing that stuck out to me the most was the epistemology of the texts - i always felt at an unintentional disadvantage with the author which ruined my enjoyment of the story. wideman is not very good at communicating what he already knows to the reader; even in "Collage", which has a style seemingly predicated on the removal of the epistemological divide between author/story and reader, i felt lost. and i did wikipedia who john brown, frederick douglass and nat turner were before reading their respective stories (they're unheard of in the uk; given that i had a uk edition, i sort of wish that the publisher had done something to address this).
sidenote: there's a pretty decent amount of reference to film in the book, which i found interesting having just come off [b:Black Movie|26158735|Black Movie|Danez Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440440584s/26158735.jpg|46116306], which also explored the intersection between race and film. i thought it was better done in black movie though .
the bad: basically the rest of the book. while the three stories i mentioned are good enough that i think the whole collection was worth it for me to read to find these, i wouldn't recommend the entire collection. i think the thing that stuck out to me the most was the epistemology of the texts - i always felt at an unintentional disadvantage with the author which ruined my enjoyment of the story. wideman is not very good at communicating what he already knows to the reader; even in "Collage", which has a style seemingly predicated on the removal of the epistemological divide between author/story and reader, i felt lost. and i did wikipedia who john brown, frederick douglass and nat turner were before reading their respective stories (they're unheard of in the uk; given that i had a uk edition, i sort of wish that the publisher had done something to address this).
sidenote: there's a pretty decent amount of reference to film in the book, which i found interesting having just come off [b:Black Movie|26158735|Black Movie|Danez Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440440584s/26158735.jpg|46116306], which also explored the intersection between race and film. i thought it was better done in black movie though .
amywoolsey_93's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ombudsman's review against another edition
3.0
the good: wideman utilises metafiction with a brutal efficacy, particularly in "JB & FD", "Writing Teacher" and "Williamsburg Bridge". these are the few that i think live up to the promise expressed in the title of exploring american history through a mix of fiction and reality (though in the latter two, the reality is not history but wideman's own life - or near enough that i can believe that it is his life). i think what these stories have to say about the ethics of fiction- of using another person's life for your own profit - will stick with me.
the bad: basically the rest of the book. while the three stories i mentioned are good enough that i think the whole collection was worth it for me to read to find these, i wouldn't recommend the entire collection. i think the thing that stuck out to me the most was the epistemology of the texts - i always felt at an unintentional disadvantage with the author which ruined my enjoyment of the story. wideman is not very good at communicating what he already knows to the reader; even in "Collage", which has a style seemingly predicated on the removal of the epistemological divide between author/story and reader, i felt lost. and i did wikipedia who john brown, frederick douglass and nat turner were before reading their respective stories (they're unheard of in the uk; given that i had a uk edition, i sort of wish that the publisher had done something to address this).
sidenote: there's a pretty decent amount of reference to film in the book, which i found interesting having just come off [b:Black Movie|26158735|Black Movie|Danez Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440440584s/26158735.jpg|46116306], which also explored the intersection between race and film. i thought it was better done in black movie though .
the bad: basically the rest of the book. while the three stories i mentioned are good enough that i think the whole collection was worth it for me to read to find these, i wouldn't recommend the entire collection. i think the thing that stuck out to me the most was the epistemology of the texts - i always felt at an unintentional disadvantage with the author which ruined my enjoyment of the story. wideman is not very good at communicating what he already knows to the reader; even in "Collage", which has a style seemingly predicated on the removal of the epistemological divide between author/story and reader, i felt lost. and i did wikipedia who john brown, frederick douglass and nat turner were before reading their respective stories (they're unheard of in the uk; given that i had a uk edition, i sort of wish that the publisher had done something to address this).
sidenote: there's a pretty decent amount of reference to film in the book, which i found interesting having just come off [b:Black Movie|26158735|Black Movie|Danez Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440440584s/26158735.jpg|46116306], which also explored the intersection between race and film. i thought it was better done in black movie though .
marycamus's review
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.5
Note to self: reread in the future when more accustomed to reading short story collections/if you begin liking short story collections
backpackfullofbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
8little_paws's review against another edition
3.0
This collection is really, really dense. don't expect a quick or easy read here. very dark and at times the stream of consciousness style I just couldn't work with. it's not a bad collection. just not for me.
readbyrodkelly's review
3.0
John Edgar Wideman has been writing for decades, his work often mention as being in the vein of other famous black writers before him: Ellison, Wright, Himes, etc. I own several of his other works but this is the first I've picked up and I'm a little on the fence about it.
While his writing is certainly strong, and makes me interested in reading more of his work, his style at times is almost opaquely dense. He goes off on these long, meandering tangents, which are lyrical and beautiful but ultimately a bit vague.
The form here is also confusing: is it meta-fiction, essay, or poetry? I can't tell what these "stories" want to be, and that makes me feel slightly misled by the label of "stories." Truthfully these are autobiographical essays or memoirs, with two or three actual stories mixed in.
Wideman doesn't use anything close to a light touch here, and I feel like this collection would've benefitted from a few sprinkles of optimism somewhere, but there was truly none to be found.
While his writing is certainly strong, and makes me interested in reading more of his work, his style at times is almost opaquely dense. He goes off on these long, meandering tangents, which are lyrical and beautiful but ultimately a bit vague.
The form here is also confusing: is it meta-fiction, essay, or poetry? I can't tell what these "stories" want to be, and that makes me feel slightly misled by the label of "stories." Truthfully these are autobiographical essays or memoirs, with two or three actual stories mixed in.
Wideman doesn't use anything close to a light touch here, and I feel like this collection would've benefitted from a few sprinkles of optimism somewhere, but there was truly none to be found.
melissadeemcdaniel's review
5.0
In American Histories, Wideman brilliantly exploits a “threefold ordering of times”, offering the reader a story in the time of its narrator, the time in which the narrative takes place, and in historical time.
In the first story of American Histories, John Brown and Frederick Douglass debate the morality and tactics of a slave uprising. Both men are willing to give their lives, and deaths to end slavery. Wideman narrates the debate in the voices of Brown, Douglass, a modern storyteller, and strikingly, a “colored John Brown”, all living the legacy of JB and FD.
In other stories, Wideman remembers his dead family, tells a hall of mirrors story of watchers watching watchers watching, and a greek tragedy of murdered and murderers.
In the first story of American Histories, John Brown and Frederick Douglass debate the morality and tactics of a slave uprising. Both men are willing to give their lives, and deaths to end slavery. Wideman narrates the debate in the voices of Brown, Douglass, a modern storyteller, and strikingly, a “colored John Brown”, all living the legacy of JB and FD.
In other stories, Wideman remembers his dead family, tells a hall of mirrors story of watchers watching watchers watching, and a greek tragedy of murdered and murderers.
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