Best of times, worst of times : contemporary American short stories from the new Gilded Age

Best of times, worst of times Contemporary American short stories from the new Gilded Age

Book - 2011

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Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 813.01/Best Checked In
Subjects
Short stories, American > 21st century.
American fiction > 21st century.
United States > Social life and customs > Fiction.
Published
New York : New York University Press 2011.
Language
English
Other Authors
Wendy Martin, 1940- (-), Cecelia Tichi, 1942-
Physical Description
ix, 357 p. ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780814796283
9780814796276
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction
  • All in the Family
  • 1. Your Mother and I
  • 2. The Ballad of Duane Juarez
  • 3. In the American Society
  • 4. Gogol
  • 5. Refresh, Refresh
  • 6. Smorgasbord
  • Shifting Identities
  • 7. How to Date a Brown Girl (black girl, white girl, or halfie)
  • 8. In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried
  • 9. Metamorphosis
  • 10. Think
  • Locations and Dislocations
  • 11. Expensive Trips Nowhere
  • 12. Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera
  • 13. Shiloh
  • 14. Commcomm
  • 15. Mines
  • Across Divides
  • 16. Skinless
  • 17. View from a Headlock
  • 18. Brownies
  • 19. Pie of the Month
  • Workdays and Nightshifts
  • 20. A Day
  • 21. Scales
  • 22. Something That Needs Nothing
  • 23. Equal Opportunity
  • 24. The Passenger
  • About the Editors
Review by Booklist Review

According to the editors of this robust volume, the first Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s was an era of extravagant wealth and of dark socioeconomic conflict. The renowned authors of that time, such as Mark Twain and Edith Wharton, held an unflinching mirror up to contemporary society. Only time will tell how many of the ambitious stories in this collection (published between 1982 and 2006) shall endure, but it's packed with several marquee names, including Charles Bukowski, Dave Eggers, Miranda July, Walter Mosley, John Updike, and David Foster Wallace. A variety of salient themes will be relevant to modern readers, from militarism (Jean Thompson's Pie of the Month) to racial stereotyping (Junot Diaz's How to Date a Brown Girl). Not every subject is broached with a straight face. Humor takes center stage in Eggers' Your Mother and I and George Saunders' bizarre take on workplace ethics, COMMCOMM. Whether you're a fan of fictionalized social criticism or top-notch, made-from-scratch storytelling, these 24 morsels should satisfy even the pickiest of readers.--Keech, Chris Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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