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shewantsthediction's review
3.0
This, as with most short story collections, is a mixed bag. Some of the stories were absolutely excellent; others I had to force myself to finish. All in all, though, I'm not sorry I read it.
Showstoppers include:
"Little Dog" by Langston Hughes
"Previous Condition" by James Baldwin
"Flying Home" by Ralph Ellison
"The Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor
"The Hell With Dying" by Alice Walker
"The Death of Tommy Grimes" by R.J. Meaddough III
I'm thankful to this collection for introducing me to the short stories of Langston Hughes (I had previously only read his poetry) and Ralph Ellison (I still need to read [b:Invisible Man|16981|Invisible Man|Ralph Ellison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556482805l/16981._SY75_.jpg|170957]). I also appreciated the dash of Flannery O'Connor. I remember reading her in high school, but I don't think I really appreciated her work at the time. (I also, for some reason, thought she was a man. I guess because Flannery is an outdated name?) I'd like to get my hands on her short story collection [b:A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories|48464|A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories|Flannery O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388251628l/48464._SY75_.jpg|783228].
I was absolutely blown away by R.J. Meaddough's story. It was one of the best if not THE best of the collection for the absolute gut-punch at the end that changes the entire context of the story in a devastating and unexpected way.
Stories with interesting/intriguing elements that I feel weren't quite developed or memorable enough:
"The Life of Lincoln West" by Gwendolyn Brooks
"The Cost of Living" by Bernard Malamud
"The Huge Dull Night Under the Stars" by Sheldon Tannenbaum
"Autobiography" by John Barth
"Rat Joiner Routs the Klan" by Ted Poston
"Love and Death" by Joyce Carol Oates
"Bright and Mownin' Star" by Mike Thelwell
"The Winds of Change" by Loyle Hairston
"The Boy Who Painted Christ Black" by John Henrik Clarke
"A Summer Tragedy" by Arna Bontemps
"A Worn Path" by Eudora Wealty
Stories that missed the mark for me or were just plain bad:
"O Yes" by Tillie Olsen
"The Balloon" by Donald Barthelme
"The Brooch" by William Faulkner
"How John Boscoe Outsung the Devil" by Arthur P. Davis
"Junkie-Joe Had Some Money" by Ron Milner
"Red Bonnet" by Lindsey Patterson
As for the "black and white" gimmick, it wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. I generally hate that sort of Kumbaya, "all people are people, we're all just human" bullshit, but the way the editors addressed it was actually pretty thoughtful, and there was a nice mix of black and white authors. Reading stories that were grouped according to emotion or concept was a cool experience, though I think it would've made more sense to have the editor's comments placed after each section of stories, instead of before. Several times after finishing a section I found myself flipping back to reread what they had said.
Showstoppers include:
"Little Dog" by Langston Hughes
"Previous Condition" by James Baldwin
"Flying Home" by Ralph Ellison
"The Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor
"The Hell With Dying" by Alice Walker
"The Death of Tommy Grimes" by R.J. Meaddough III
I'm thankful to this collection for introducing me to the short stories of Langston Hughes (I had previously only read his poetry) and Ralph Ellison (I still need to read [b:Invisible Man|16981|Invisible Man|Ralph Ellison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556482805l/16981._SY75_.jpg|170957]). I also appreciated the dash of Flannery O'Connor. I remember reading her in high school, but I don't think I really appreciated her work at the time. (I also, for some reason, thought she was a man. I guess because Flannery is an outdated name?) I'd like to get my hands on her short story collection [b:A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories|48464|A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories|Flannery O'Connor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388251628l/48464._SY75_.jpg|783228].
I was absolutely blown away by R.J. Meaddough's story. It was one of the best if not THE best of the collection for the absolute gut-punch at the end that changes the entire context of the story in a devastating and unexpected way.
Stories with interesting/intriguing elements that I feel weren't quite developed or memorable enough:
"The Life of Lincoln West" by Gwendolyn Brooks
"The Cost of Living" by Bernard Malamud
"The Huge Dull Night Under the Stars" by Sheldon Tannenbaum
"Autobiography" by John Barth
"Rat Joiner Routs the Klan" by Ted Poston
"Love and Death" by Joyce Carol Oates
"Bright and Mownin' Star" by Mike Thelwell
"The Winds of Change" by Loyle Hairston
"The Boy Who Painted Christ Black" by John Henrik Clarke
"A Summer Tragedy" by Arna Bontemps
"A Worn Path" by Eudora Wealty
Stories that missed the mark for me or were just plain bad:
"O Yes" by Tillie Olsen
"The Balloon" by Donald Barthelme
"The Brooch" by William Faulkner
"How John Boscoe Outsung the Devil" by Arthur P. Davis
"Junkie-Joe Had Some Money" by Ron Milner
"Red Bonnet" by Lindsey Patterson
As for the "black and white" gimmick, it wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. I generally hate that sort of Kumbaya, "all people are people, we're all just human" bullshit, but the way the editors addressed it was actually pretty thoughtful, and there was a nice mix of black and white authors. Reading stories that were grouped according to emotion or concept was a cool experience, though I think it would've made more sense to have the editor's comments placed after each section of stories, instead of before. Several times after finishing a section I found myself flipping back to reread what they had said.
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