Reviews

A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing by David Mura

kjboldon's review against another edition

5.0

Essential for its insight into race in the writing classroom. It was a bumpy start for me with the stilted academic phrasing, but the subject matter is so important and the writing settles nicely into more readable essays that compared and contrasted different writers. Finishes with a series of 7 multipart writing exercises, so great for generating or refining material. Several of his examples of writing race come from Sherman Alexie and Junot Diaz, both implicated in #metoo scandals, and I wished for more non-Male representation, while appreciating the inclusion of Mary Karr and ZZ Packer.

hannahwohly's review against another edition

3.0

The first few chapters dig deep into race: the way we write about race (or don't, most often), and discuss race in craft classes & English departments. I thought these sections were strong—relatable for writers of color and informative for white writers. But then the topic of race drops off entirely and the rest of the book is about memoir & fiction craft without ever again talking about race. Confusing. Definitely sections that could've circled back on race, since writers of color will always be confronting race when writing, well, anything.

limabeangreen's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

julielbrownwrites's review against another edition

5.0

A must read for every writer.