Black American Short Stories: A Century of the Best

by John Henrik Clarke (Editor)

The success of John Henrik Clarke's American Negro Short Stories, first published in 1966, affirmed the vitality and importance of black fiction. Now this expanded edition of that best-selling book, with a new title, offers the reader thirty-one stories included in the original—from Charles W. Chesnutt and Paul Laurence Dunbar in the late nineteenth century to the rich and productive work of the Harlem Renaissance: writers like Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Richard Wright; the World War II accomplishments of Chester Himes, Frank Yerby, and many others; and the later fiction of James Baldwin, Paule Marshall, and LeRoi Jones (Imamu Amiri Baraka). Seven additional contributions round out a century of great stories with the work of Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Eugenia Collier, Jennifer Jordan, James Allan McPherson, Rosemarie Robotham, and Alice Walker. Dr. Clarke has included a new introduction to this 1993 edition, and a short biography of each contributor.

Lynching of Jube Benson / Paul Laurence Dunbar --
On being crazy / W.E.B. Du Bois --
Goophered grapevine / Charles Waddell Chesnutt --
City of refuge / Rudolph Fisher --
Overcoat / John P. Davis --
Truant / Claude McKay --
Summer tragedy / Arna Bontemps --
Gilded six-bits / Zora Neale Hurston --
Bright and morning star / Richard Wright --
Boy who painted Christ black / John Henrik Clarke --
On friday morning / Langston Hughes --
So peaceful in the country / Carl Ruthven Offord --
And/or / Sterling Brown --
Fighter / John Caswell Smith --
Homecoming / Frank Yerby --
How John Boscoe outsung the devil / Arthur P. Davis --
Solo on the drums / Ann Petry --
Mama's missionary money / Chester Himes --
See how they run / Mary Elizabeth Vroman --
Exodus / James Baldwin --
God bless America / John O. Killens --
Train whistle guitar / Albert Murray. Senegalese / Hoyt W. Fuller --
A matter of time / Frank London Brown --
Cry for me / William Melvin Kelley --
Reena / Paule Marshall --
Convert / Lerone Bennett, Jr. --
Winds of change / Loyle Hairston --
Screamers / LeRoi Jones --
Sarah / Martin J. Hamer --
Sky is gray / Ernest J. Gaines --
On trains / James Allen McPherson --
Marigolds / Eugenia W. Collier --
Steady going up / Maya Angelou --
Everyday use / Alice Walker --
Organizer's wife / Toni Cade Bambara --
Jesse / Rosemarie Robotham --
The wife / Jennifer Jordan

Genres: Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, African American, African American Literature, Anti Racist

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Essance Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!!!!
The stories flowed together so smoothly. Each individual story brings you back in that time and literally puts you into the character's shoes.

I have a few stories that I will read again but Jessie by Rosemarie Robotham is my favorite. That particular story stuck with me because it reminds me of some of the kids who I had grown up with. And it shows how important a mother (and a family, in particular) is to a child. And I love how the little girl who is telling the story is so open minded and understanding at a young age.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

[I · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-put together collection of black american short stories. This collection focuses on the lives of blacks before the equal rights movement, specifically black suffrage. A nice collection if you enjoy stories of slavery and the process of moving through the equal rights movement.

[Casundra Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book to read. I want to keep reading more

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best anthologies of literature I've ever read. Nearly every story in it was profound and stunning. As an English major, I didn't get a chance to take African American literature because it was a 200 level class and I had to take 300 level and above to count toward my major requirements and I always regretted that. These writers are writing stories at a life and death level -- even when the choices these characters making are intimate, they are still so fraught. They also spoke to my own sensibilities as a writer--they are dark, and in that darkness there is truth that is missing from a lot of other literature.

A child runs to get help for his dying mother, and sees his only chance for help is the racist doctor. Does he swallow his pride and beg for help or turn away and let his mother die?

In another story, "The Convert" a preacher decides to enter through the whites only door to confirm the newly passed law of equality. Everyone expects that he will be killed -- and he is -- the central conflict of the story is with his friend who went with him and witnessed the horrific event -- will he lie and say his friend was reaching for the cop's gun or tell the truth and see his life destroyed as well?

All the stories seem to be set from about the 1930s to the 1970s. Many stories set in small southern towns, Harlem, or on buses or trains. Stories of war veterans coming home, farmers, women and children struggling to get by. If I had to state one central theme it would be people declaring their dignity in a world determined to stomp every last shred it from them. I don't know if my words did this book justice, but if you can get your hands on a copy read it. The stories are breathtaking.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection! Here are a few of my favorites:

Marigolds - Eugenia W. Collier
Train Whistle Guitar - Albert Murray
The Sky is Gray - Ernest J. Gaines
Cry For Me - William Melvin Kelley
Solo on the Drums - Ann Petry
Mama's Missionary Money - Chester Himes
The Screamers - LeRoi Jones

[Beautiful_Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely astonishing how the authors depict drastically different and common themes through a series of stories. I read this book every few years and it’s always fascinating how it feels like the very first time.

[Malaika H Kambon]

Excellent and informative book!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed every story in this anthology minus one.

[Morefiiyaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-discovered some great Black Writers- an excellent addition to my Black Anthologies

[Noel Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

book #24 of 2023: Black American Short Stories: A Century of the Best (1966, 1993) by editor, writer, and teacher John Henrik Clarke. this anthology of 38 short stories spans 83 years of publication dates, with the first story published in 1907 and the last in 1990. the 38 authors’ birthdates range from 1858 to 1957, so most are now dead. I had read works or interviews of 10 of these 38 authors prior to picking up this book, though most of my favorite stories in the book were by authors I was reading for the first time. short story anthologies are like balls - or speed dating, where you can meet a good variety of possible literary interests in a very short amount of time. these stories, told sometimes with warmth and sometimes with chilling insight - and sometimes both - and through narrators and characters of many ages and backgrounds, took place in the intimate setting of homes, in alleys, on trains, on ships, on stage, in schools, on roads, and in yards, and in a range of geographical locations, from rural to big city, mainly from the South to the Northeast of the US, when place was specified. they dealt with an even vaster set of intellectual, emotional, and cultural topics, such as freedom vs responsibility, shame vs dignity, discrimination vs kindness, resiliency vs giving up, loyalty vs betrayal, support vs despair, and so many more. these authors told the tales of people who are less often heard from, which is one of the main reasons I read literature, particularly that written by voices who represent groups who are also less often heard from. (my BA is in English lit and when I was in school, the literary canon was dead white men with the inclusion of a few dead white women for “diversity”, so I’ve definitely read some of the voices of those who represent groups more frequently heard from, as well). short stories are also a chance for authors to explore concepts or treat subjects with less commitment than a longer, more involved novel, but that means you’re often in for a wilder ride because the writer is more willing to take risks in an attempt to make an impact in a much shorter space. I’d kind of forgotten that I’d decided years ago that short stories were the manual transmission of literature and how much I treasured this form of writing. interested in a particular group of people or part of the world? pick up an anthology of stories by authors who represent those people and places and find another way to travel, but through the eyes of those living there.

[jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An expertly curated, superb collection of African American Short Stories.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

The lynching of Jube Benson / Paul Laurence Dunbar --3
On being crazy / W.E.B. Du Bois --
The goophered grapevine / Charles Waddell Chesnutt --2
The city of refuge / Rudolph Fisher --
The overcoat / John P. Davis --
*Truant / Claude McKay --
A summer tragedy / Arna Bontemps --3
The gilded six-bits / Zora Neale Hurston --2
Bright and morning star / Richard Wright --3
The boy who painted Christ black / John Henrik Clarke --
One Friday morning / Langston Hughes --3
So peaceful in the country / Carl Ruthven Offord --
And/or / Sterling Brown --
Fighter / John Caswell Smith --
The homecoming / Frank Yerby --
How John Boscoe outsung the devil / Arthur P. Davis --
*Solo on the drums / Ann Petry --
Mama's missionary money / Chester Himes --
See how they run / Mary Elizabeth Vroman --
Exodus / James Baldwin --2
God bless America / John O. Killens --
Train whistle guitar / Albert Murray--
The senegalese / Hoyt W. Fuller --
A matter of time / Frank London Brown --
*Cry for me / William Melvin Kelley --
*Reena / Paule Marshall --
The convert / Lerone Bennett, Jr. --
The winds of change / Loyle Hairston --
The screamers / LeRoi Jones --
Sarah / Martin J. Hamer --
The sky is gray / Ernest J. Gaines --3
*On trains / James Allen McPherson --
Marigolds / Eugenia W. Collier --4
Steady going up / Maya Angelou --3
Everyday use / Alice Walker --3
The organizer's wife / Toni Cade Bambara --
Jesse / Rosemarie Robotham --
The wife / Jennifer Jordan--

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me in mid-February: Argh! What do I read next? Oh, I know, it's Black History Month! Hey, why don't I spend each month this year reading books according to each cultural history month? I can do at least two a month, no sweat. Hey, this short story anthology is a great way to not limit myself to one experience or to genre fiction. Oh, and I'm an overachiever who doesn't think things through, so I'm going to write a one-sentence summary of each story and pick one favorite quote.

My brain at the end of February: Mwahahaha! Thou shalt not read ANYTHING for the foreseeable future!

So yeah, my reading motivation smashed into a million pieces and I'm still picking them up and putting them back together. But I'm halfway through Black American Short Stories and I WILL finish it...I just may not continue my silly summary project to do it.

Favorite stories so far:
* The Goophered Grapevine, by Charles Waddell Chesnutt
* A Summer Tragedy, by Arna Bontemps
* The Gilded Six-Bits, by Zora Neale Hurston
* Bright Morning Star, by Richard Wright
* The Boy Who Painted Christ Black, by John Henrick Clarke
* And/Or, by Sterling Brown
* How John Boscoe Outsung the Devil, by Arthur P. DAvis
* Mama's Missionary Money, but Chester Himes
* See How They Run, by Mary Elizabeth Vroman

That's, like, half of the ones I've read so far. Well, I guess this is an anthology of best short stories by Black Americans spanning almost a hundred years, so the quality is well above that of most anthologies I read.