I am truly baffled by how these short stories manage to have such richly developed characters. In my mind's eye, I picture Jones penning 14 full-length novels. Then, perhaps, he selects one chapter from each novel to be included in this collection. Or in certain instances, he might have distilled the novel down to its most crucial 20 pages. Because I have this distinct sense that for each of these stories, there is another captivating 250 pages lurking beneath the surface. There, within the lines, Jones offers fleeting glimpses of the history and future of each character.

I have an intense desire to read all 14 of these novels - if only they actually existed! It's as if these short stories are mere teasers, leaving me yearning for more of the complete narratives that I imagine Jones could have crafted. I can't help but wonder what other secrets and adventures lie within the pages of those unwritten novels.

Coming up on year 6 of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, I find myself reflecting on my journey as a reader. I'm a late-comer to Edward P. Jones. I missed all the excitement around The Known World, but when I discovered this unique author from my hometown who wrote books, I was eager to explore his works. I got both of his short-story books, and this review is of his first one, which was published when I was just two years old. Despite being published in the early 1990s, it delves into the world of "Chocolate City" from the 1950s to the late 1980s. It offers a glimpse into a world that no longer exists by the time I came along and is being erased from the very fabric of D.C. as we speak.

The format of these short stories is quite interesting. It's no surprise that Dubliners is a big inspiration, with the use of Washington D.C. itself and the thematic device of each story following a person from a progressively older age group as the book progresses. However, Jones breaks from Joyce in that as the main character(s) ages, time also moves forward, showing how the city ages with the generations of African-Americans living in it. In the beginning, set in the 1950s, 60% of the adults are from further down South. As the book progresses, that number is halved, and by the last story, only the very old are non-native born Washingtonians. It's fascinating to see how these different groups of people interact.

Another difference from Dubliners is that there's no unifying theme connecting each story. In this way, the stories of Lost in the City owe more to Anton Chekhov. We simply drop into random people's lives and observe what they're doing. There's no real beginning or ending, but we learn a little about the people and the environment at that moment. Interestingly, only one of these stories is autobiographical. It's easy to picture these scenes playing out with countless anonymous people in this city.

Reading this book has been a deeply personal experience for me. The world it描绘 is the one my grandparents and late father experienced. It made me think of my father's father, who passed away when I was seven, and the world I saw when I was with him. Even in my early childhood, this D.C. was disappearing, but enough of it remained for me to recognize certain places from my adventures with my grandfather. Of course, both of them are gone now, and my grandparents' generation is almost entirely gone as well. Many of the structures have been demolished by neo-imperialist gentrifiers and the politicians they control. I vividly remember seeing the destruction of this pre-Go-Go music, pre-Reagan-era D.C. It's interesting to think that two-thirds of this book takes place before the advent of Go-Go music, something I can't imagine that area without. Sadly, gentrification is even threatening this institution.

It was wonderful to be transported back to this time, to think about the earliest moments of my own life and wonder how life was for those old folks I met in the 1990s when they were younger. "She did nothing, aside from following him, with her eyes, with her heart, as far as she could."

Tryin To Get To You by The Eagles (1950s R&B group from Washington, D. C.)


Rock Creek Park by The Blackbyrds


It Don't Mean a Thing - If It Don't Have the Go Go Swing by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers. The anthem of DC/Maryland/Virginia as long as I've been alive, performed by it's late-"first citizen."

This book truly feels like a precious gift bestowed upon the native Washingtonians. As I delved into its pages, vivid images of the neighborhoods emerged in my mind, and I couldn't help but contrast how different they are now. In present times, I frequently hear the natives passionately discuss the issue of gentrification. And then there's the recent news that Washington, DC is no longer the so-called "Chocolate City." It becomes abundantly clear to me as Jones writes about specific parts of the city that even though the buildings might外观 remain the same, the people have changed.

The stories within the book seem so matter-of-fact and authentic. They lack the glitz and drama often associated with fictional works. It's as if these could be the tales of any of my neighbors. They are the ordinary people leading ordinary lives in the Washington, DC of the past.

I'm filled with excitement at the thought of reading his third book and short story collection, "All Aunt Hagar's Children," which was published a full 15 years after "Lost in the City." Since it is also centered around the people of Washington, DC, I find myself wondering just how much change has been captured within its pages...

A thought-provoking collection of short stories has recently crossed my path, and I've found myself reflecting back on several of them.

Each story within this collection has its own unique charm, transporting the reader to different worlds and experiences. The authors have masterfully crafted these tales, paying great attention to detail and creating a vivid sense of place.

Whether it's a bustling city street, a quiet countryside, or an otherworldly realm, the descriptions are so rich and immersive that you can almost feel as if you're standing right there.

These stories not only entertain but also make you think deeply about various aspects of life, human nature, and the world around us. They have the power to touch your heart, challenge your beliefs, and inspire new perspectives.

I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys a good read that will leave them with a lasting impression.

This is a well-written collection,

comprised of 14 stories that vividly depict the lives of African-American characters residing in Washington, D.C.

I was drawn to it mainly because several years ago, I was extremely impressed by Jones’s novel, The Known World.

This being the author’s first book, although it has its imperfections, it still showcases a strong literary style.

These stories follow the lives of ordinary individuals.

There is a pervasive sense of loss, and domestic violence and tragedy are common occurrences.

Though not specifically about growing up, they are roughly arranged according to the age of the protagonist.

The first story, “The Girl Who Raised Pigeons,” is about a child in a dying neighborhood who keeps a pigeon coop on the roof.

A little further on are “Young Lions” and “The Store,” two stories about young men (exceptions in a collection featuring mostly female protagonists) – each finding identity and purpose in his work, one as a thug and the other as a store manager.

Passing the halfway point, we have “His Mother’s House,” in which a woman gradually becomes complicit in her son’s drug business.

And we end with “Marie,” a story about an 86-year-old woman dealing with bureaucracy, the death of an acquaintance, and her own memories.

Occasionally, characters recur.

Secondary characters from “The Night Rhonda Ferguson was Killed” appear in at least three other tales.

But for the most part, the stories are self-contained.

The structures are fairly traditional, with all but two stories told in the third person, mostly in chronological order, and with few surprises.

Jones does not rely on suspense or plot twists to engage readers’ attention but rather on believable characters, good writing, and attention to detail.

My reservation about this collection is the poor endings.

Unlike a novel where the journey is more crucial than the destination, in my opinion, a short story’s power hinges on its ending.

Several of these stories are slices of life: they feature interesting situations worth writing about but lack plots.

For example, in “A Butterfly on F Street,” a woman crossing the street has to wait in the median beside the woman for whom her recently-deceased husband left her.

The other woman initiates a polite conversation, and the story ends with the protagonist standing alone in the median, overcome with emotion.

Has anything changed for her? What was the exact point of this story?

The shorter stories, in particular, often left me pondering these questions.

Others have complete plot arcs, but their last paragraphs are consistently their weakest.

That being said, this is good literature, and the stories fit together well.

Though set in a small and precise geographical area, they never become repetitive and cover similar themes in different ways.

I’m rounding up to 4 stars because I’m interested in reading Jones’s other short story collection, not just to see if the endings improve!

A Goodreads friend's review piqued my interest, compelling me to add this book to my TBR list. I promptly ordered the 20th anniversary edition, which features an introduction by the author, and devoured it within two days.

The collection of 14 stories was overall outstanding, with one even bringing me close to tears. The 2002 Anniversary Edition also included a bonus story from his second collection, All Aunt Hagar's Children, titled A Rich Man.

The writing was truly exceptional. I probably should have taken the time to jot down some of the passages that really resonated with me, but I was so engrossed in the reading that I didn't want to stop.

From the Introduction, I learned that the author had arranged the stories in a particular order, progressing from young to old characters. All the stories are set in Washington DC during the 1950s-1980s. Here are my ratings and some comments on each story:

The Girl Who Raised Pigeons - 4 stars. The poignant moment when Robert contemplates abandoning his baby on the street is heart-wrenching.

The First Day - 4 stars. The mother's struggle to register her daughter for kindergarten, despite her illiteracy, is both moving and inspiring.

The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed - 4 stars. Good writing, with Cassandra's character adding depth to the story.

Young Lions - 4.5 stars. Caesar's actions make him a despicable character, but the story is still engaging.

The Store - 5 stars. I absolutely loved this story! The young man's determination to succeed in the face of adversity is truly admirable.

An Orange Line Train to Ballston - 4 stars.

The Sunday Following Mother's Day - 5 stars. This story had me on the verge of tears at the end, with its complex characters and emotional storyline.

Lost in the City - 3.5 stars.

His Mother's House - 2.5 stars.

A Butterfly on F Street - 3 stars.

Gospel - 3.5 stars.

A New Moon - 3.5 stars.

A Dark Night - 4 stars. Mrs. Garrett's transformation in the face of the thunderstorm is both humorous and touching.

Marie - 4.5 stars. The old lady's treatment at the Social Security Office is infuriating, but her response is satisfying.

Notes: The author won several awards for this collection, including the PEN/Hemingway award and being shortlisted for the National Book Award. He also won numerous other awards for his novel, The Known World.

Reviews: There are several reviews available online, including one from Hackwriters and an interview with the author in The Paris Review. Jonathan Yardley's review in The Washington Post praised the book as one of the rarest and most astonishing in his 40-year reviewing career.

This is an outstanding collection of short stories that focuses on life in Washington, DC during the second half of the 20th century.

Jones' greatest asset is his diverse cast of characters. His stories revolve around men and women of all ages, from children and teenagers to adults and the elderly. There are educated government employees, drug dealers, and auto mechanics. There are also people from the rural South and city dwellers who look down on them, as well as rich and poor individuals.

The characters are often morally complex, and they are portrayed with humanity, sensitivity, and believability. The Washington they live in is vividly local and geographically precise. As a white reader, it felt both strange and familiar to me. The lives and language of the people in these stories are mostly outside my realm of experience, yet they are marked by references to streets and neighborhoods that I know very well.

I would highly recommend this collection to any resident of DC, anyone interested in reading more works by writers of color, and anyone who enjoys short stories.

A stunning collection of stories

This remarkable compilation of stories was published in 1992. My pursuit of it originated from an interview with Jones on NPR. He read a brief excerpt about a young black man who was jaywalking in D.C. and was then compelled by a cop to repeatedly walk the same block, cross at the light, and do it all over again, enduring the bitter cold. It took me several months to locate the book as I hadn't noted it down, and this was long before the era when one could easily look up such things online. I recall a very kind young man in Barnes & Noble presenting me with several books by African-American men, yet none of them were what I was seeking. I don't remember precisely how I ultimately found it, in what turned out to be a first-edition hardcover. In the subsequent 25-plus years, I have relocated twice, and that book has remained among The Great Unread.

A month or so ago, as I was passing the bookcase, I picked it up and have been gradually reading these incredibly narrated stories about African-American life in Washington, D.C. Some are deceptively simple tales - a group of teenage girls cruising around the city one evening, only to return home to dreadful news; a gospel quartet of elderly women making their way to various churches to sing; a father throwing out some boys he discovers in his apartment with his 15-year-old daughter, only to later wake from a nap and find her gone as well. Many are filled with pain, loss, and a certain acceptance of the inevitability of these experiences, yet entire lives are vividly depicted with just a few lines. It is truly amazing.

All of this leads me to ponder on how many more great books might be concealed on my shelves. My guess is that I will probably never know.

I listened to these short stories in an audiobook, and I have to say that the narration was truly fantastic.

The stories were read by a diverse range of readers, both male and female, which really added an interesting dimension and helped to break up the listening experience.

Moreover, the stories themselves were fully crafted, creating complete worlds with really complex and multi-faceted characters.

However, I did have some trouble connecting with them. It's important to note that this was definitely a case of "me not you" - the writing was outstanding and had a wonderful atmospheric quality to it.

While the narration was great, I found that audio doesn't always work the best for me when it comes to fiction. I would sometimes miss a detail and then become completely lost.

Also, some of the writing felt a bit dated, with language that isn't commonly used today. But considering that this collection came out in 1992, that's perfectly understandable.

I would definitely benefit from re-reading these stories in print. Some of the stories I liked better than others. My absolute favorite was "An Orange Line Train to Ballston", and I also really enjoyed "The Store" and "Marie".

A.O. Scott of the New York Times is currently reviewing American writers, doing in-depth dives into those with a specific American bent, and Jones is one of them. I will definitely continue reading (in print!) and look forward to exploring more of Jones' work.

I firmly believe that the most outstanding aspect of this short story lies in its language. It is simply so vivid and precise, with every word being exactly in the right place.

The story commences with a group of little old black ladies being impolite to one another, which is highly amusing. Subsequently, it takes a rather dark turn. I will refrain from spoiling the details, but I found it fascinating that the darkness within this story does not stem from racism or any form of systemic oppression. Instead, it is the kind of phenomenon that could potentially affect anyone, making it chilling in a distinct manner.

I think this is the sort of story that demands an extremely open mind. Since it is very different and does not lead you to where you initially expected, this kind of surprise can easily be perceived as disappointment if you are not adequately prepared for it.

"On an otherwise unremarkable September morning, long before I learned to be ashamed of my mother, she takes my hand and we set off down New Jersey Avenue to begin my very first day of school."

This simple yet powerful sentence kicks off "The First Day," one of the fourteen captivating character-driven short stories from Edward P. Jones' award-winning book, "Lost in the City."

The story is about an illiterate mother who, despite her pride, swallows it and asks a stranger for help to get her young daughter enrolled in school. It's also the tale of a young girl starting to become aware of her mother's imperfections as she embarks on this new adventure. The writing is spare and poignant, leaving a lasting impression long after you've finished the last page.

This is true for many of the stories in the collection. Set in the inner city of Washington D.C., the characters are diverse, ranging from devout church-going gospel singers to the mother of a crack dealer and everything in between. These are the families and communities that struggle daily to endure the hardships that surround them and, at times, manage to overcome in their own unique ways.

My copy of LOST IN THE CITY is a reprint, opening with a 2012 introduction by Jones. If possible, it would be great to find a copy with this intro. (Although there's an argument to be made for not reading introductions until after you've read the main work.) There are many wonderful aspects of this essay, which I suspect Jones may have given as a speech, perhaps at AWP?

Consider this passage: In his early months at Holy Cross College, Jones found a great deal of ignorance about the city where he was born and raised. Young men from towns that some maps didn't even bother to acknowledge would share stories of how their places had influenced and shaped them. They had a hard time believing that in Washington, DC, black people lived full and valuable lives.

Sometime during his early years at Holy Cross, Professor Maurice Geracht pointed to James Joyce's DUBLINERS. Jones, who had no initial desire to be a writer, admired Joyce's love for his Dublin people. He related to the characters in DUBLINERS because they were doing similar things to the black people in Washington, DC.

Reading is full of happy accidents. The fact that the author is re-reading Malcolm X while also reading LOST IN THE CITY is one such accident. The two books complement each other beautifully. Jones, like Malcolm X, is unwavering in his commitment to telling the truth about the suffering of his people and the evil of white racism.

As a first-generation Irish person, the author is deeply moved by Jones' feelings for Joyce and other Irish writers. African Americans and Irish people have much in common, both as writers and artists and as people who have been exploited. Jones' story of Holy Cross shows how assimilated sons may not appreciate the humanity and significance of others.

In BAD NEIGHBORS, another of Jones' stories, there's a mention of the Irish writer Mary Lavin. BAD NEIGHBORS is a rambling, gorgeous, and devastating story from Jones' collection ALL AUNT HAGAR'S CHILDREN.

Jones brings devalued lives into glorious relief. His prose is beautiful and evocative. He uses the specifics of Washington DC to convey universal truths. Despite all the prizes, the author has the impression that Jones isn't as widely read as he should be. The author hopes to be proven wrong and is working on a piece about the synergy between Jones and Steve McQueen.

In conclusion, the author urges readers to read LOST IN THE CITY.