[One World: A global anthology of short stories] [By: Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda] [May, 2009]

by Chris Brazier

This book is made up of twenty-three stories, each from a different author from across the globe. All belong to one world, united in their diversity and ethnicity. And together they have one to involve and move the reader.The range of authors takes in such literary greats as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri, and emerging authors such as Elaine Chiew, Petina Gappah, and Henrietta Rose-Innes.The members of the collective Chiew (Malaysia)Molara Wood (Nigeria)Jhumpa Lahiri (United States)Martin A Ramos (Puerto Rico)Lauri Kubutsile (Botswana)Chika Unigwe (Nigeria)Ravi Mangla (United States)Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)Skye Brannon (United States)Jude Dibia (Nigeria)Shabnam Nadiya (Bangladesh)Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe)Ivan Gabirel Reborek (Australia)Vanessa Gebbie (Britain)Emmanual Dipita Kwa (Cameroon)Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa)Lucinda Nelson Dhavan (India)Adetokunbo Abiola (Nigeria)Wadzanai Mhute (Zimbabwe)Konstantinos Tzikas (Greece)Ken Kamoche (Kenya)Sequoia Nagamatsu (United States)Ovo Adagha (Nigeria)From the concept of One World is often a multi-colored tapestry into which sundry, if not contending, patterns can be woven. for those of us who worked on this project, ‘One World’ goes beyond the everyday notion of the globe as a physical geographic entity. Rather, we understand it as a universal idea, one that transcends national boundaries to comment on the most prevailing aspects of the human condition.This attempt to redefine the borders of the world we live in through the short story recognizes the many conflicting issues of race, language, economy, gender and ethnicity, which separate and limit us. We readily acknowledge, however, that regardless of our differences or the disparities in our stories, we are united by our humanity.We invite the reader on a personal journey across continents, countries, cultures and landscapes, to reflect on these beautiful, at times chaotic, renditions on the human experience. We hope the reach of this path will transcend the borders of each story, and perhaps function as an agent of change.Welcome to our world.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Africa, Anthologies, International, Asia, Realistic Fiction

Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Seattle Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stories in this excellent anthology are worth reading, but I would like to heap extra praise on (Malaysian )"Leng Lui is for Pretty Lady"; (Nigerian) "Kelemo's Woman" and "My Mother, the Crazy African"; (Welsh) "The Kettle on the Boat"; and (American) "The Third and Final Continent." The characters include people who are Inuit, Bengal Indian, Botswanan or who live in Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, or rural Puerto Rico--this is just a sampling of the international spread of these stories.

[Urenna Sander · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Leng Lui is for Pretty Lady, by Elaine Chiew, the character, Alina, received an English Lit degree from a university in Manila. Yet she works in Tokyo as a maid for the wealthy Kong’s. She is focused on supporting her family and returning home to Manila. The Kongs, parents of two children, are estranged in their household. When Mrs. Kong is not savoring White Russians, she’s having a torrid affair with the young man in the Chinese medicinal shop. Mr. Kong, a banker, chats with, slobbers, and tongues a turnip that sits atop his nightstand. Drama begins at the Kong household when Mrs. Kong, on impulse, takes a 10 day holiday to Phuket with her lover. In the conclusion, the Kong’s realize that Alina is the cohesive force in their family.

Written in first person, the author successfully created tension, mystery, and humor. I loved some of Chiew’s expressions “…his tongue is a lizard peeping through a crack in a dry wall,” or “…curls on the floor like dried shrimp.”

Another favorite is Kelemo’s Woman by Molara Wood, the character, Iriola, a university grad, had lived with her lover, activist, Kelemo, for four years. When a coup took place, once again, Kelemo wanted to fight for political and social change. But Iriola had grown tired of hiding and living underground. As her mother lay dying in hospital she tried to convince Iriola that Kelemo couldn’t help a country in its death throes. She advised Iriola: “Allow yourself to be pulled down by no one; I mean no one.” When Kelemo escaped, Iriola was caught and arrested by the army. Iriola decided to protect herself and not look back. Feminine wiles could be a necessary consequence. “Without your mother, the person to watch over you, is you.” Iriola always obeyed her mother.

In Martina A. Ramos’ Way of the Machete, the negativity of machoism is displayed. In a mortal battle, a family man with strong, masculine pride, takes on the town’s bully.

Dipita Kwa’s The Honor of Woman reveals the literal truth in the proverb “you reap what you sow,” in the story, a mother and daughter face up to the consequences of their actions.

The kettle on the Boat, author, Vanessa Gebbie, writes about the crisis with climate change and how it impacts the food chain resulting in an Inuit family relinquishing their eldest daughter. The author evokes a keen sense of sadness in the child’s description and confusion about the family leaving their home.

Other short stories expressed: The disgraceful persecution and abuse of albinos in Africa. The pressures on husbands to be the primary earner and their diminished status in their own country, as well as in immigrant families abroad. Immigrant families experiencing culture shock. Fears concerning children’s loss of their language, family traditions, ire and dismay at children’s untoward lifestyles, marital and family estrangement, and immigrants that develop stable marriages and families in a new environment.

The short stories I commented on were my favorites. I gave this book four stars.

[Sobia Raja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! I learned so many different things from different people & cultures in different countries. I will never think about the countries/cultures in the same way I did before. I wish each of these stories could be made into novels - I've become so attached to the character's stories already that I want to keep reading on and on. But since I cannot do that, I'm going to re-read it!

I recommend this book to ANYONE(especially racists!). It's pure knowledge about the world we live in and if you ever do plan on going to that country, you'll be more understanding of what they do - you won't feel like a complete stranger!

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it -Albert Einstein.

[Xarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, and sometimes quite sad, collection of short stories written by a variety of authors and set throughout the world. All the stories provide a brief glimpse into another culture, another person’s experience. Sometimes these glances were gloomy and distressing, while other times they brought a smile to the face. Despite the heartrending aspect of some of the stories, I found all to be vivid and realistic.

[duck reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed this book from the library because it contained a story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose longer works (and solo anthology) I have recently devoured. It's an interesting collection of stories published through the New Internationalist (www.newint.org) dealing with a range of topics but largely focused on issues of poverty and inequality. Really good stuff: I enjoyed almost all of the stories, and will probably be seeking out other work by half of the authors involved.

[Sanaa Hyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember not liking ‘The Namesake’ so much when I read it for an undergrad course. Something about the ethnic depictions didn’t settle well with me. But that was almost a decade ago. With this story, however, I found myself enjoying Lahiri’s writing and characters. Time is a funny thing.

This is a really sweet short story about a self-made man. The male protagonist is depicted flawlessly and convincingly. I dream of writing characterization like this.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this, because it's a collection of short stories by authors with all different writing styles. Personally, I liked very few of the short stories, but I think that each, in their own right, are well written and offer a lot.

[Ane Ellasdatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking to de-colonialize your bookshelf, this is a great place to start! So many amazing short stories from around the world. Not all of them are top class, but most actually are. I've discovered a number of authors that I will read more from through this collection. A lot of the stories are about horrifying or tragic events in people's lives, so it took me a long time to finish the whole book. You can't just start reading the next story right away, they require some digesting - much like good novels. I'm normally not a great fan of short stories, but these were really well-curated.

[Lindsay Ercanbrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource for social justice unit. Will be using some of the stories in class, including “Homeless”.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and haunting. Perfect gems of stories

[Kathrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories written my authors around the world. Lots of diversity of backgrounds and material.

[Merlot58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the diversity present in bothe the stories and authors. The stories are sad, mostly and illustrate a lot of the problems that people have when cultures clash and also within each culture.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories from writers around the world. The stories cover many topics and the aim is to capture the essence of the country they're writing about and to convey that essence to the reader.

It certainly captured me. I really enjoyed reading about the different cultures, traditions and ways of life of the people in the various countries. Each story was the perfect length and I really didn't want to put this down. It has definitely made me want to read more world fiction.

[Sequoia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The website for the book is no longer active but any special inquiries can be directed to oneworldanthology@gmail.com if you can't find what you're looking for (usually contact info for specific authors for class projects etc.) on the web.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is a collection of short stories written by a great collection of authors from all of the place. Not only did I love the stories but I loved the fact that the royalties from the sale of the book were donated to Medecins Sans Frontier (MSF).

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, it is a window into other cultures which I do not read about often enough. On the other hand, the quality of the stories varied quite widely and I wondered about the inclusion of a few of them.

[Lauren Pittman]

For my AP Seminar project, we had to conduct research on the topic of censorship. My author chosen was Chimamanda Adichie, who is a Nigerian writer that advocates for non-censorship. I had to watch Ted Talks about her life story and how she read all of these European and American authors that were being racist and stereotypical to those minority groups. "One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories" is a collection of many authors that speak their truth and their human experience. I mainly focused on what Adichie had to say, as she discusses her story moving from Africa to America, and how the culture had affected her lifestyle, and how it was drastically different in each region that she had traveled to. This helped elevate my project to the next level because Adichie had experienced first-hand censorship that allowed her to see the mistakes people were saying and making.

[Claire Beaumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was wonderfully diverse. I’ll admit that I was drawn to it due to the names “Jhumpa Lahiri” and “Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie” being displayed on the cover, but my favorite story was written by neither of these beloved authors. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of writers from the African diaspora who were featured, though I wish there was more representation from South America and the Middle East.

Back to my favorite story: “Fireweed”, by the American author Skye Brannon. Very short, with a deceptively simple premise, and a killer plot twist that almost made me fall out of my chair. Perfectly constructed and beautifully written.

[Lori Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my.

I picked up this book after being enthralled with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book "The Thing Around Your Neck". This anthology of "world stories" is nothing short of ... READ IT.

There are 23 stories told by different authors from all around the world. Regardless of the subject matter, each story will leave something with you.

And JOY! I see there is another volume! Guess who's got that on her list!

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy it and I'm confused why so many countries were overrepresented when there weren't that many stories. Maybe to give a "fuller" picture, but that's not possible in a few stories anyway. The writing is fine to good - just not my cup of tea. I didn't read them all, so may have missed an amazing one but what I did read didn't make that seem likely.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a couple good stories in this book. One is "My Mother, the Crazy African" and the other is the last one by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. The other is the last one by Jhumpa Lahiri: "The Third and Final Continent." It is clearly one that she wrote as she was beginning to plan her novel The Namesake.

[Heather Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting anthology. I bought this book because of some of the authors in it are ones I really enjoy. I thought the POV’s of the various stories were very eye-opening and thought-provoking. If you are looking for a set of short stories set mainly in Asia and Africa that will give you a taste of the reality of the average person-you should definitely read this anthology.

[Karen Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories ( Some non fiction, some fictionby some big name female authors. However, I loved the first story, Leng Liu by Malaysian author Elaine Chiew- an amazing find and read.
Now I have a women's fiction anthology to recommend to my friends that won't disappoint.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-chosen short stories, almost two dozen, from around the world show a variety of setting, mood, and author in consistent short stories. I enjoy short stories and found all but one good to very good, reflecting well on editor Brazier's choices. The other story was luminous – great! Definitely worth reading.

[Sam Kerr-Vanderslice · Rating 2 out of 5]

None of these really wowed me. I think my favorite was the first one about an immigrant maid for a wealthy Chinese family who gets into an awkward situation with the couple. I was hoping for some to add to my curriculum, but none really stand out.

[Cornelius · Rating 1 out of 5]

A mixed bag in my opinion. I enjoyed the variety of topics and styles and reading authors I’d never heard about. And I admire Jhumpa Lahiri‘s contribution ‘The Third and Final Continent’.

[Nathalie Franssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good short stories. I am going to use some of these in my class :-)

[Barb H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review will follow...

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2019 Catch Up Challenge: Library book

[Ann Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very worthwhile collection of stories. My favorite was Jhumpa Lahiri's, but so many gave so many me new insight into other cultures and the immigrant viewof America.