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caylieratzlaff's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 | I was hoping to use some of these for my sophomore class but I definitely can’t. Heavily politicized and definitely adult content. Out of ALL of the stories, there were only a few that I really appreciated. The rest were just meh. The artwork was a nice addition though.
zoes_human's review against another edition
emotional
3.0
It Occurs to Me That I Am America is a decent attempt at a multicultural anthology in response to the election of Trump. Regrettably, the voices within are still predominantly white and cisgender voices despite offering greater diversity than most other collections. Given the topic of the collection, I expected better. I am please, however, that the authors opted to donate their proceeds to the ACLU.
The contents consist predominantly of contemporary short stories with some historical and dystopian tales as well. You will also find a couple of poems and a few essays.
Of particular note:
The Party Bliss Broyard
A initially straightforward seeming contemporary short story hides a subtle allegory
Listen< Susan Minot
Is this a poem or a play? It could be either. Whatever it is, it is powerful and true.
If They Come in the Morning S.J. Rozan
This gave me chills. Absolute chills.
The contents consist predominantly of contemporary short stories with some historical and dystopian tales as well. You will also find a couple of poems and a few essays.
Of particular note:
The Party Bliss Broyard
A initially straightforward seeming contemporary short story hides a subtle allegory
Listen< Susan Minot
Is this a poem or a play? It could be either. Whatever it is, it is powerful and true.
If They Come in the Morning S.J. Rozan
This gave me chills. Absolute chills.
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the idea/purpose of this book better than its contents. Maybe it was cobbled together too quickly? Anyway, a group of notable writers/artists contributed entries to this anthology, all regarding the title subject quote from Allen Ginsberg, and donated their pieces on behalf of the ACLU. There were excellent pieces here but too many missed the mark and felt sloppy; not the best work from these authors.
mac2917's review against another edition
2.0
This book was something I expected to like. I wanted to like. But it seems thrown together a little haphazardly. Even the well renowned authors works were sloppy.
acetokki99's review against another edition
1.0
Please don’t take this as what we have to offer. America has so much more to give than this books presents.
That said. If They Come in The Morning - S.J Rozan is one of the best short stories I’ve ever read and you should read it.
That said. If They Come in The Morning - S.J Rozan is one of the best short stories I’ve ever read and you should read it.
in2reading's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated many of the thoughtful stories in this collection. My very favorite was a short piece by Alice Walker titled "Don't Despair."
jamesfigy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.25
oisin175's review against another edition
4.0
Some of the entries seemed unfocused or out of scope, but as a whole this book brings together many diverse perspectives on what it means to be an American in many different walks of life. Characters of different beliefs, backgrounds, and desires are shown to be equally American.
nycsquirrel's review against another edition
4.0
Eclectic mix of authors and artists donating their words and art to this anthology. Not all is politically-focused; some is merely the representation of different cultural experiences that feed into America. As with any broad collection, some stories are more engaging than others, but the unique viewpoints are so important to include. Love that this is created with proceeds towards ACLU, an organization that is more important than ever.
elly29's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
It's a collection of short stories -- some resonated, some didn't. It's interesting that this collection was written and collected as a direct response to Trump's election, and talks about issues we were dealing with 20 years ago, and 4 years ago, and that we are still dealing with today.
Although the narrations were good, I think the experience lost something, as I was unable to download the accompanying artworks, or spend time lingering over favorite authors and queueing up further reading.
Favorite stories included the one about the young Dominican man who killed the white girl and his trial; both stories about the women who survived concentration camps; the Miami lady and the Haitian immigrants, and the eerie story of the poor Black father who had to watch his son drown all because the son had sent a Christmas card to a white girl.
Skippables included Neil Gaiman's story, the one about the Russian girl who's a prostitute, and the one without named characters just interjected statements narrating common reactions in the Trump era. (Though, these all may have been better as reads instead of listens.)
Although the narrations were good, I think the experience lost something, as I was unable to download the accompanying artworks, or spend time lingering over favorite authors and queueing up further reading.
Favorite stories included the one about the young Dominican man who killed the white girl and his trial; both stories about the women who survived concentration camps; the Miami lady and the Haitian immigrants, and the eerie story of the poor Black father who had to watch his son drown all because the son had sent a Christmas card to a white girl.
Skippables included Neil Gaiman's story, the one about the Russian girl who's a prostitute, and the one without named characters just interjected statements narrating common reactions in the Trump era. (Though, these all may have been better as reads instead of listens.)