Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Hughes is a powerful writer. His characters are lifelike and vivid and his imagery of post-war Harlem is full of rich beauty. A favorite passage:
"Sweep, rain, over the Harlem rooftops. Sweep into the windows of folks at work, not at home to close the windows. Wet the beds in side bedrooms almost as narrow as the bed against the window. Sweep, rain! Have fun with the brownstone fronts of rooming houses full of people boxed in this room, that room, seven rings, two rings, five, nine."
The page becomes the canvas and Hughes paints his characters into a colorful world. There are moments of hilarity as well as deep poignancy. This is an American portrait, a look at how we as a people saw one another and reacted to one another.
The stories in this collection first appeared as newspaper columns. Although strung together in a cohesive narrative that works well and flows freely, read as a collection they can often be repetitive - hence the three star rating. I liked the book, but I had trouble getting through it.
"Sweep, rain, over the Harlem rooftops. Sweep into the windows of folks at work, not at home to close the windows. Wet the beds in side bedrooms almost as narrow as the bed against the window. Sweep, rain! Have fun with the brownstone fronts of rooming houses full of people boxed in this room, that room, seven rings, two rings, five, nine."
The page becomes the canvas and Hughes paints his characters into a colorful world. There are moments of hilarity as well as deep poignancy. This is an American portrait, a look at how we as a people saw one another and reacted to one another.
The stories in this collection first appeared as newspaper columns. Although strung together in a cohesive narrative that works well and flows freely, read as a collection they can often be repetitive - hence the three star rating. I liked the book, but I had trouble getting through it.
The Jesse B. Semple stories collected here are some of Langston Hughes best work. Who knew Hughes was incredibly funny?! Hughes paints a vivid picture of life in Harlem of the late 1940s and early 50s. Jesse B. Simple is Everyman in Black America and a true realist who speaks his mind. He's like your favorite opinionated uncle whom you just love shooting the breeze. These stories are a compilation based off a column Hughes originally wrote for the Chicago Defender. I adore Langston Hughes more after reading this book. Added plus: the first two letters of his first and last names match mine!
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I chose these short stories for the 2024 Genre Challenge. I will start by saying, I struggle with short stories. These stories were related because they were continuing stories of Hughes’ characters. Jesse B Semple is definitely an interesting character just living his 1950’s life and sharing his outlook!
Langston Hughes is a trip....and i mean that in a good way.
Langston Hughes in perfect harmony with his subjects. A wonder of a collection.
Excellent collection of short stories. I like how Semple almost always has the last word at the end of each. But, oh my, how some things in our society have not changed.
This is a brilliant collection of conversations that tackles race, racism, stereotypes, love and lust all with the most amazing sense of humour. I learn and laugh with every chapter. I never want to finish reading this