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mich_gal18's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5 stars) Coronavirus book #15. This is another book that I wouldn’t normally read, but hey, coronavirus. I enjoyed this book and there is an appeal to every chapter being a new story. However, short stories make me feel like I got dropped into the middle of something or I left too soon. I feel like there should be more story. Or maybe I’m not “literary” enough to really appreciate it-so much open to interpretation-but it feels unfinished to me. The 3.5 stars is more my feel about short stories than it is about the writing itself, which was wonderful. I did really enjoy “The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld. That felt finished and relatable.
Also--if you choose to read this book, I enjoyed the last chapter, "Contributors' Notes", which gives you a brief backstory on the authors thought/writing process. Difficult to do with a Kindle, but reading each author's thoughts immediately after you read each story would be a good way to approach this chapter!
Also--if you choose to read this book, I enjoyed the last chapter, "Contributors' Notes", which gives you a brief backstory on the authors thought/writing process. Difficult to do with a Kindle, but reading each author's thoughts immediately after you read each story would be a good way to approach this chapter!
ehawk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
0liviar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
jdgcreates's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a strong and salient collection of stories and all really different. I love that Roxane Gay chose stories to collectively represent & explore America as it is now (in all its horrific dysfunction) rather than just choose some great short stories.
My favorites, in order of appearance:
-Boys Go to Jupiter
-Everything is Far from Here
-Control Negro
-The Brothers Brujo
-Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure
-Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver
-What Terrible Thing It Was
The authors' explanations of their inspiration for the selected stories were the perfect palate cleansers between stories!
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My favorites, in order of appearance:
-Boys Go to Jupiter
-Everything is Far from Here
-Control Negro
-The Brothers Brujo
-Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure
-Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver
-What Terrible Thing It Was
The authors' explanations of their inspiration for the selected stories were the perfect palate cleansers between stories!
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jcpanache's review against another edition
4.0
Highly recommend "Boys Go to Jupiter" by Danielle Evans, "What Got Into Us" by Jacob Guajardo, "The Prairie Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld, "Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver" by Rivers Solomon, "Come On, Silver" by Ann Glaviano, and "The Art of Losing" by Yoon Choi. Super solid collection.
maddiekelly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Cougar - 2
A Family - 3.5
The Art of Losing - 4
Los Angeles - 4
Unearth - 4.5
Boys Go to Jupiter - 5
A History of China - 3.5
Come On, Silver - 4.5
What Got Into Us - 5
Everything is Far From Here - 4.5
Good With Boys - 4.25
Control Negro - 5
The Brothers Brujo - 4.5
A Big True - 4
Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure - 5
The Baptism - 3.25
Suburbia! - 4.25
The Prairie Wife - 4.25
Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver - 3.5
What Terrible Thing It Was - 3.75
A Family - 3.5
The Art of Losing - 4
Los Angeles - 4
Unearth - 4.5
Boys Go to Jupiter - 5
A History of China - 3.5
Come On, Silver - 4.5
What Got Into Us - 5
Everything is Far From Here - 4.5
Good With Boys - 4.25
Control Negro - 5
The Brothers Brujo - 4.5
A Big True - 4
Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure - 5
The Baptism - 3.25
Suburbia! - 4.25
The Prairie Wife - 4.25
Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver - 3.5
What Terrible Thing It Was - 3.75
rozereads's review against another edition
4.0
Stories that make you think and are diverse and interesting. There are a great short stories out there!
jeremymorrison's review against another edition
These short stories include: a father abandons the family trailer leaving behind a high school senior; after seven years of imprisonment, Curtis Smith watches his friend's son; a grandfather with dementia cares for his grandson; Alice, an employee at a clothing store, looks for an additional revenue source; a lost brother remains are found in an unmarked grave; Claire's pic of herself in a confederate bikini goes viral; a woman returns to a family reunion while harboring a secret about her father; a fourteen year old boy explores his sexuality with Rio, his mother's friend's son; a mother searches for her son while in detention for immigration; a girl angles to sleep near Esau Abraham on a museum overnight; a professor admits his paternity and explains his racial experiment in a letter to his son; Leonel calls his brother to assist their abusive father in performing magic for the town and the dead mayor; a nomadic sitar player rents a room near his adult daughter; through his father's cancer, a man meets Wayne, a mortician and hunter of fallen elk antlers; Gunter, a distrusted local, seeks a baptism from Reverend Yates; a father bets his daughter to never return home when she turns 18; Kristen follows online cooking celebrity Lucy Hendrick with antipathy; a mother reunites with her trans daughter, Luciana; and Wendy Change enters a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation on election day.