Great Short Stories by African-American Writers

by Christine Rudisel, Bob Blaisdell (Editor)

Offering diverse perspectives on the black experience, this anthology of short fiction spotlights works by influential African-American authors. Nearly 30 outstanding stories include tales by W. E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Jamaica Kincaid.
From the turn of the twentieth century come Alice Ruth Moore's "A Carnival Jangle," Charles W. Chesnutt's "Uncle Wellington’s Wives," and Paul Laurence Dunbar's "The Scapegoat." Other stories include "Becky" by Jean Toomer; "Afternoon" by Ralph Ellison; Langston Hughes's "Feet Live Their Own Life"; and "Jesus Christ in Texas" by W. E. B. Du Bois. Samples of more recent fiction include tales by Jervey Tervalon, Alice Walker, and Edwidge Danticat. Ideal for browsing, this collection is also suitable for courses in African-American studies and American literature.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, African American

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2009

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this short story collection from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great collection for anyone interested in great short fiction. I have read a good deal of the classics of African American fiction, including the devastating “Souls of Black Folk” and my favorite “Diary of an Ex-Colored Man.” This collection contains well known names, like William E. B. Dubois, Langston Hughes, and Alice Walker, but also many names that you may never have heard.

As I wondered why I had never heard of some of these very talented writers, I reviewed the introduction and, later, the ending notes on the stories. I was stunned to find that not only did many of these extremely talented writers receive no recognition, but we are not even at this time aware of the mundane facts about their lives---like the dates or even years of their birth. As I put this book down (figuratively, since I read this on my Kindle) I marveled that it was a struggle to even get these stories published in the first place. This collection is not only great fiction, but it is a remembrance and appreciation of the lives and talent of these great writers.

Many stories for me, as a non-African American, were an insight into the culture of the times in which the stories were written, starting from the late 19th century through the late 20th century and I am grateful for that as well as the sheer enjoyment of the stories. Thematically, the stories range from the dreamlike New Orleans streets of “A Carnival Jangle,” to the humorous “Uncle Wellington’s Wives” (which reminded me of Mark Twain) and “George Sampson Brite”, the African-American Jazz Age of “Muttsy” and the modern “Everyday Use” and The Drill.” I particularly enjoyed the dark tales of “Jesus Christ in Texas” which thematically reminded me of Dostoyevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” and the deeply chilling “Mammy.” A few stories left me a bit cold, but that is to be expected of any collection as tasted vary.

I also enjoyed the very generous endnotes. They provided insight into not only the stories themselves, but also the lives of the writers.

5 stars.

[Reka Beezy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s interesting to the pathology of the males side of our population has mainly remained the same. These short stories were very telling!

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to read more Classic African American Lit and this collection is a great compilation of classic short stories. So everyday I will try to read at least one short story. I will be reviewing each short story down below and giving my star rating.

List of Short stories in this collection: (Star rating and mini review included)

- A Carnival Jungle by Alice Ruth Moore (Dunbar-Nelson) (1895)
- First Read: 5 stars; this has such a mystic and haunting vibe. It's compelling, yet short and is a great start to the collection.
- Uncle Wellington's Wives by Charles W. Chesnutt (1899)
- First Read: TBR
- An Equation by Gertrude H. Dorsey (1902)
- First Read: TBR
- The Scapegoat by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1904)
- First Read: TBR
- Polly's Hack Ride by Emma E. Butler (1916)
- First Read: 3.5 stars; I need to re-read this one because I feel like I might be missing something or I just read it too quickly. It was a good story just not as compelling (in my opinion) as the other story I have read so far.
- Mammy: A Story by Adeline F. Rises (1917)
- First Read: 5 Stars; This was SOOOO GOOOOODDD! That ending! Yall need to read this. In short : Compelling, Thought Provoking, and Beautifully Written.
- Mary Elizabeth by Jessie Fauset (1919)
- First Read: 4 stars; This was a well told story and I had a fine time reading the story.
- Jesus Christ in Texas by W. E. B. Du Bois (1920)
- First Read: TBR
- Becky by Jean Toomer (1923)
- First Read: TBR
- The City of Refuge by Rudolph Fisher (1925)
- First Read: TBR
- Muttsy by Zora Neale Hurston (1926)
- First Read: TBR
- He Also Loved by Claude McKay (1928)
- First Read: TBR
- Prodigal by Laura D. Nichols (1930)
- First Read: TBR
- Condemned House by Lucille Bohem (1939)
- First Read: 5 stars; This was the best story i've read so far. Left me Absolutely speechless.
- George Sampson Brite by Anne Scott (1939)
- First Read: TBR
- Afternoon by Ralph Ellison (1940)
- First Read: TBR
- The Woman in the WIndow by Romona Lowe (1940)
- First Read: TBR
- Mammy by Dorothy West (1940)
- First Read: TBR
- The Bones of Louella Brown by Ann Petry (1947)
- First Read: TBR
- Feet Live Their Own Life by Langston Hughes (1961)
- First Read: TBR
- Everyday Use by Alice Walker (1973)
- First Read: 5 Stars: I read this in Alice Walker's short story collection "Love and Thunder"
and it was a standout.
- The Gift by Kia Penso (1979)
- First Read: TBR
- Girl by Jamaica Kincaid (1983)
- First Read: TBR
- Picture This by Jervey Tervalon (1984)
- First Read: TBR
- The Drill by Breena Clarke (1996)
- First Read: TBR
- New York Day Women by Edwidge Danticat (1996)
- First Read: TBR

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Short Stories by African-American Writers edited by Christine Rudisel and Bob Blaisdell is a historical collection of short stories reflecting African-American Heritage. The stories presented are written between 1895 and 1996 and reflect the cultural history of African-Americans in the United States. The stories are a reflection of history and moral identity of a people. Some stories are simple and humorous like Charles W. Chestnutt's "Uncle Wellington's Wives." Although the characters in this story speak with stereotypical poor English, the writing is professional. There is a wide variety of writers with over two dozen featured, however, Chestnutt and Du Bois are the only two writers I have any experience within this collection.

Some of the stories are simple others carry more of a historical tone. Paul Laurance Dunbar's "The Scapegoat" (1904) is a portrayal of politics in the post-antebellum south. It captures the system that was built to give representation to the freed black men in the south. Racism and cracks in the system shown in Dorothy West's "Mammy" written in New York City in 1940.

This collection by Dover Thrift will give the reader an overview and a chance to see the evolution of Africa-American writes. The number of writers and the one hundred plus years of published stories reveal a broad spectrum of literary history in an often overlooked field. An eye-opening book more than worth the $4.50 price tag.

[Sean]

This anthology was awesome! I was delighted how fresh this cheap Dover anthology feels. Sometimes the stories were more Very Interesting than Great, but it was a very readable mix of mostly very short stories from some big-name authors and a number of writers I at least had not heard of--several of whom I'd like to read more of now. Most impressive is that over half the selections were from women. I don't know the field well, but this didn't feel at all a stodgy or conservative collection.

Maybe two of the stories I was familiar with (Kincaid's being the only that seems widely anthologized), and the stand-outs for me were mostly from unknown authors: Adeline Ries's strange gothic tale, Anne Scott's rather grumpy story, Ann Petry's, and Jervey Tervalon's. Breena Clarke's too, after having lived in NYC for a while.

Jean Toomer is obvs one of the best, but "Cane" is more familiar ground.

[Harrison Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I would describe some of the stories as "great," I got the impression the editors simply added several as fillers to complete the book. Many of the stories end abruptly, leading me to wonder whether they are simply excerpts of longer stories. Highlights for me included stories related to life during the early part of the 20th century and how African-Americans interacted with each other during Jim Crow, as well as the more recent stories by Jamaica Kincaid and Edwidge Danticat dealing with the immigrant experience. Some written "spoken dialect" is used in several of the stories, making them a challenge for the modern reader.

[Kelly Is Brighid · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite short stories are authored by:
Alice Ruth Moore, 1895
Jean Toomer, 1923
Ramona Lowe, 1940
Ann Petry, 1947 - hilarious
Langston Hughes, 1961
Alice Walker, 1973
Kia Penso, 1979
Jervey Tervalon, 1984

[Anna C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my third of these Dover best-of short story anthologies, and it took me this long to figure out they aren't really the 'best of,' but just the freest public domain stories to maintain those bargain basement Dover thrift prices.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a study group

[Lisa Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preview if you use in home school, some difficult themes (suicide, etc.), check to see how suits your kid.

Good survey, jumping off point.

[Ralph Berrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific introduction to great Black writers from the late 1800s through the 20th century.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of some of the best short fiction works in African American literature. I have several favorites from this collection: "The Scapegoat" by Paul Laurence Dunbar, "Jesus Christ in Texas" by W. E. B. Du Bois, "Afternoon" by Ralph Ellison, "The Woman in the Window" by Ramona Lowe, "Mammy" by Dorothy West, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, and "New York Day Women" by Edwidge Danticat. The characters in all of these stories are so compelling. I highly recommend using this book collection in African American literature studies.

[Googoogjoob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid anthology. Stories stretching from 1895 to 1996; a surprising proportion (17 out of 26) are written by women. Inevitably for an anthology, they can't all be hits, but there are more hits than misses in here. Recurring themes include the aftermath of slavery (especially in the older stories); interracial relationships and marriage; passing; the experience of migrants to the cities of the North; parenthood (often working or single parents); childhood; and work.

Some of the authors are (or were) big names- Charles W. Chesnutt, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, W. E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, Ralph Ellison, Dorothy West, Langston Hughes, Alice Walker. But seven of the stories (all by women) are drawn from magazine publication, and little or nothing is known of their authors beyond their names; and those works (notably Emma E. Butler's Polly's Hack Ride, which strikingly recreates the selfish, egoist world of a child; Adeline F. Ries's Mammy: A Story, which is a short, sharp shock of a story; Lucille Boehm's tense, visceral Condemned House; Ramona Lowe's strong, effective The Woman in the Window) actually stack up favorably to some of the established names who are included. Other stories I really appreciated were Rudolph Fisher's The City of Refuge; Claude McKay's He Also Loved; Ralph Ellison's Afternoon; and Dorothy West's Mammy- though, regrettably, my copy of this book at least omits 21 paragraphs from the middle of Mammy in a horrible editorial oversight, rendering it nearly incoherent. (Edit to note: I informed the publisher of this, and they've said it'll be fixed in future printings.) Some of the big names aren't very well represented by the particular stories in here; Du Bois's Jesus Christ in Texas sort of spoils its potential for me by being too portentous and allegorical; Hurston's Muttsy feels like a shaggy dog story; Paul Laurence Dunbar's The Scapegoat is much too schematic- it reads like a plot synopsis rather than a properly told story.

Very worthwhile, barring the editorial error mentioned above.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Short Stories by African-American Writers collects 26 short stories spanning approximately all of last century (1895-1996) into a compact anthology. This is certainly less extensive than the anthologies you might remember from school (Barksdale's Black Writers of America is the one I remember most fondly) but is not intended to fill such a niche. This is a wonderful introduction to both the short story form as well as the African-American experience of the past century and a half. It is filled with humor and sadness, with statements both cultural and personal.

While some of my favorites are not included (to be expected in any anthology) the selections were well-chosen to display a wide range of styles and tones. I think most readers of fiction will find some stories here that will stay with them well after putting the book down. People not used to reading fiction should still gain a great deal, it is just that readers of fiction are more used to empathetic readings across time and cultures so will more readily find characters with which to relate. That certainly doesn't preclude the social scientist from learning a great deal even if they may appreciate the fiction a little less.

Highly recommended as either an introduction or a supplement if some of the stories are new to you. The short biographies in the back along with the bibliography provide great resources to use to learn more or find more to read by these authors.

Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Barbara Tsipouras · Rating 3 out of 5]

36 short stories, written by African Americans between 1896 and 1996, some funny, some interesting, some depressing and some boring. It's like a walk through American History of everyday life told from a different point of view.
Some stories are very difficult to read because of the strong accent.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free ARC.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most short story collections there were some stories that I really loved, and others that I really didn't care for. Overall it was an interesting collection, and I don't think I had read any of the stories before.

Received from NetGalley.