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I have always had a love/hate relationship with short stories. On the one hand, you get a sense of accomplishment because you feel as though you’ve read multiple books all in one. On the other hand, some stories leave you wondering and yearning for more. This month’s book selection had me fully invested in each narrative and eager to see what the next chapter would bring.
“The Awkard Black Man” by Walter Mosely is a fictional collection of seventeen stories of characters who struggle to move through the world. In “Starting Over,” a middle-aged man in an unhappy marriage decides to live on his terms. “Showdown on the Hudson” finds a black teenage cowboy from Texas living in New York City, where he ends up in a “quick draw” against another kid at a playground in Harlem. Engaging and touching each of these compelling stories left me unexpectedly satisfied.
