Tiny Giants: 101 Stories Under 101 Words

by Jason Sinclair Long

Fiction. After the birth of his first child, dramatist, fiction writer, and former member of Blue Man Group Jason Sinclair Long set out to write one piece of microfiction every day for a year. TINY GIANTS collects the very best of those pieces. A genre- jumping, maniacal look at love, loneliness, joy, despair, terror, and laugh-out-loud humor, Long's work is a study in brevity and a firm claim that a perfect story can ultimately be told with a scant handful of words.

130 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2014

About the author

Jason Sinclair Long studied Theater Arts and American Literature at UC Santa Cruz and earned his MFA in Playwriting from UCLA. He currently teaches, writes, drums, gardens, and plays board games in Northern California with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Erin Gingerich]

This seems like it could be a really great way to help show me how to get my students thinking about how to carefully use their words in the stories they write!

[Brooke]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway!

I'm so glad I received this book and got to read it. Normally this isn't something I would pick up on my own. However, I really, really enjoyed it. It's a quick read filled with stories that were funny, silly, heartbreaking, honest, vulnerable and real.

[Brelle]

I want more! Tiny Giants were just that. How can 101 words or less express so much? Each story made me stop and think about the characters and what was happening before and after to them before and after each snapshot into their lives. It is a small book with powerful words. I was awe-struck by how amazing Long's word choice made every one count. And his range of characters and situations never got dull. This is a great book club choice since each story provides fonder for lots of conversation.

[Erica]

This book is full of very short, poignant, beautifully written stories. It can be enjoyed when you have just one minute or hours to read. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad these stories will have you hooked and remembering them long after you finish them. It is hard to believe that so few words can evoke such emotion and create a connection with the characters on each page. Rightfully named, each tale in Tiny Giants is both tiny in length and giant in every other aspect. It is a book to share with all.

[Joshua Green]

Get an extra copy - or two - and give them to friends that appreciate poetry, drama, comedy, and deep themes delivered in bright fragments that grow heavier and heavier the longer one contemplates them. This genius collection is food for the imagination, food for conversation, food for interpretation. If you can, read these stories aloud - to yourself, to a sister, to a small group - and watch as the weight of meaning settles on those listening.

[Julie]

This book takes big moments and reduces them down to their essence. It is a clever read, with so much story wrapped up in each little piece thanks to the author's storytelling talent. And its the kind of book that encourages your own imagination to participate. I've never read a book quite like this -- its unique and fun and well executed.

[Josh Lacy]

Funny, smart, dramatic, sad. Tiny Giants is filled with all these and more! Every tiny story is filled with imagination. I've read it 4 times and each time find a new story to love. It is also the perfect gift book, especially for people that don't read often, as I dont think there's a story longer than one page. I've given it to a few nonreading friends and they've read it and loved it too!

[Kate Guth]

I have read this book twice over (so far) and love every little story. Jason Sinclair Long is my role model!! His stories are an inspiration to any future writers, especially those who love the art of micro-fiction/non-fiction. Thank you to him for this wonderful piece of literature. Now to buy another copy to send off to my dad!

[Brenda]

Words can be powerful and in this book it doesn't take many (less than 101) to create stories that made me smile, tear up, and with more than a couple, left impressions I will be pondering for awhile. Very interesting book!

[Laurie Olson]

Hey Jason, I got my copy and read it on Saturday. I chuckled, got misty-eyed, frowned, laughed out loud... all I've ever asked for in a book! Well done Jason, it was great!

[Rachel]

A compelling read that's quick--but with an impact that lingers.

[Natasha]

Impressive plot twists in flash fiction stories. A fun read.

[Brianna]

Read this little gem on a particularly long transit ride one day. Couldn't help but look at the other people on the bus, the people walking down the street, wondering what stories they had to tell.

[Elizabeth]

It may be a thin book with each page with less than 101 words but this book says more than any other 500pg book! Love it must read!

[Joan]

Clever stories, written with few words. Minimalist with depth and humor.

[Steven Shinder]

This book is exactly what it says in the title. Though the stories may be short, they can have a lot of weight. (Especially "7th Grade." Wow.) I can tell that these were fun and possibly challenging experiments for Jason Sinclair Long to try. Some of the stories convey different moods, so you really get a bit of variety. You could probably get through all of them pretty quickly. Or you could take your time and let each story sink in for as long as you want.

[Veda Vamp]

This book is so underrated!

[Mills College Library]

Fiction L8487t 2014