4.5!

These are concise and open-hearted stories that vividly depict the unmiraculous joys, disappointments, and defeats of regular people who are constantly hustling and struggling in the nation's capital.

In this bustling city, people from all walks of life come with their dreams and hopes. They face various challenges and obstacles on their paths.

Some experience the joy of achieving small goals, like getting a promotion at work or finding a new hobby that brings them happiness.

However, disappointments are also inevitable. They might fail an important exam, lose a job, or have a relationship break down.

Despite the defeats, these regular people continue to persevere and strive for a better life. Their stories are a testament to the human spirit and the ability to keep going in the face of adversity.

These stories offer a glimpse into the real lives of people in the nation's capital, showing that even in the midst of unmiraculous moments, there is still beauty, courage, and hope.

I resisted this collection for a long time.

Partly because I didn't particularly enjoy The Known World and its plodding, deliberate prose style. I mistook it for something much more simplistic than it actually was.

Since then, I've become a much more patient reader. I'm now more capable of giving a writer like Jones my full attention.

This is good because beneath Jones' rather plainspoken approach are narrative structures every bit as knotty as Alice Munro's. Jones' sentences span lifetimes.

These stories, which often take place within a single day, unspool in unexpected (but never unearned) directions. How unexpected?

Well, any writer that goes so far as to title a story \\"The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed\\" and still make that character's inevitable fate come as a shock is, to my mind, doing something very, very right.

Jones has a unique ability to draw readers in with his seemingly simple prose and then surprise them with the complexity and depth of his stories. His work requires careful attention and a willingness to engage with the text on multiple levels.

As I've become a more patient reader, I've come to appreciate Jones' writing more and more. I now look forward to exploring this collection and seeing what other surprises and delights it has in store.

As someone who was born and raised in Washington, DC, I simply could not get enough of this book.

It vividly reminded me of my life on East Capital street in N.E., DC. There was the DC Stadium, Anacostia, H.D. Woodson, and Spingard high schools.

The DGS grocery store was a place I would walk to daily to buy essentials for my grandmother and me.

I still remember my first bus trip with my grandmother. She got up extremely early, took a long bath, sprayed "Secret" deodorant and baby powder all over herself, and then got me ready. I had to scrub my face and body with Ivory soap and put on very clean clothes of jeans and a T-shirt for that long ride from 50th and East Capital street through Benning Road and Minnesota Avenue, over the bridge, to Union Station. These memories are deeply ingrained in me.

Life in DC is hard for both the young and the old, especially when struggling with spiritual and financial needs. These are stories of a continuous state of living day by day, doing whatever it takes. There's a young woman who finds inspiration in the birds she takes care of on the roof of her building. A woman who keeps her faith through a gospel group, and a man who is trying to open a neighborhood grocery store like the DGS store I used to go to. There's also a woman who accepts the fact that the house with its fine furnishings is bought by a son who sells crack.

What's different between the stories of life in DC then and now? Nothing. It is still incredibly hard, especially in DC, with the most expensive housing around and not enough jobs. I really think, no, I know, that this is part of my life, just like the characters he mentions in this book. I also strived for the good-life-dream, but it was damn hard then and it has only gotten harder.

Mostly excellent collection of short stories set in African - American neighborhoods of Washington, D.C, mostly in the 1950s and 1960s.

Jones' Washington is a world apart from the government center and tourist attractions of the nation's capital. The stories, which involve everyday people in a wide variety of circumstances, only briefly reference the city's status as the national capital. There is a vast gulf separating Jones' characters from that other Washington.

Jones is highly effective in painting a vivid picture of the Washington that few visitors ever see, and of the alienation of his characters from the world of white people. His descriptions are so vivid that the reader can almost feel the emotions of the characters. The characters themselves are memorable, each with their own unique personalities and struggles. His prose is straightforward, never showy, but always manages to convey the intended message with great impact.

Most of the stories feature female protagonists, but there are also parents and children, struggling teenagers, successful adults, criminals, and older people. Jones has a remarkable talent for creating powerful stories out of the most ordinary of situations.

The collection gets off to a very strong start with "The Girl Who Raised Pigeons," which tells the story of a young girl being raised by a single father who acquires some pigeons. Another great highlight is "The Store," which is one of the best pieces of short fiction I have ever read. It is about a young man who is initially irresponsible but experiences growth after obtaining a part - time job in a grocery store. Although it may sound mundane, there is so much depth and emotion in this story.

Other stories that I really liked were "Marie," "An Orange Line Train to Ballston," "The First Day," "A Butterfly on F Street," and the title story. While there are some weaker stories in the collection, overall, it is a very worthwhile reading experience.

I had read Jones' novel, "The Known World," some time ago and enjoyed it, but I think that short fiction is where he truly excels. I'm looking forward to reading his other collection, "All Aunt Hagar's Children." I wish there were more books by Jones available because he is an excellent writer.

2.5

I just finished reading this book, and I'm really struggling to decide if I truly liked it. It's a rather strange way to begin a review, but it's an honest assessment. Was it just mediocre? Or did I actually have a genuine appreciation for it??

Pros:

The stories within this book possess a certain haunting quality. However, it took me an incredibly long time to come to terms with and appreciate that aspect. Frankly, it wasn't until I reached the very end of the book that I was able to do so.

Cons:

The style of prose in this book is quite different from what I've been reading lately. The author has a tendency to write in extremely long-winded sentences, peppered with numerous parenthetical phrases. This can be highly distracting and makes it quite difficult to follow the flow of the narrative.

All of the stories in the book deal with some form of tragedy. Whether it's someone dying, having a terminal illness, or going missing, these are not exactly happy subjects.

The endings of almost every story in the book are rather abrupt and lack any real conclusion or wrap-up. This left me with a sense of confusion, wondering what I had just read, what the point was, and what the author was trying to convey.

The 20th anniversary edition of the book, which is the one I read, includes a "new" introduction by the author. I found this introduction to be completely confounding. It was a long, rambling diatribe that, in my opinion, added absolutely nothing to the book.

The book contains a significant number of descriptions of street locations. The author mentions this in his introduction. Often, the story will have a passage that specifically details how someone is getting from one place to another. It's extremely specific, with mentions of crossing this street and then going over to that street, etc. I simply did not see the point of this. I found it very distracting and ended up skimming over those parts. It was not relevant to me in any of the stories, and if you're not familiar with Washington, D.C. or didn't grow up there, it would mean absolutely nothing. That was my take on it.

So, I find myself in the minority with my opinion of this book. I had read that it was a classic, but I didn't delve too deeply into the reviews beyond the numerical score that Goodreads gave it. Had I done so, I would have discovered that the stories are solely focused on "African American men and women on the fringes of society in a great city." Well, I suppose that's what it is. If you're aware of that going in, then perhaps you'll enjoy the book. Because its focus is on the hardships and disappointments that the characters face in their lives. The characters often seem resigned to the fact that their lives will continue in these rather meaningless ways. Is that something I want to read 15 short stories about?

I've recently read two new books by African American writers that I thought were more uplifting while still describing hardship, but in far more hopeful terms. One is a collection of short stories by Deesha Philyaw called "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies," and the other is the novel "Deacon King Kong" by James McBride. Those would be my preferential picks on similar subject matters.

I can clearly understand the reasons why people highly praise this book. It presents a raw and unfiltered view of Black life in America, a perspective that is not commonly depicted. Moreover, it does so without resorting to caricature. The characters in the book seem incredibly real, with all their strengths and weaknesses, loves and dislikes. Violence simmers beneath the surface and erupts regularly, yet these are essentially ordinary people leading normal lives, with jobs, activities, and friends.

However, I diverge from the reviewers who perceive these stories as being full of hope. Instead, I see hopelessness and loss in each and every one of them, and this is the most prominent theme. In one story, a woman's son is a drug dealer who ultimately shoots his best friend (the son of the mom's best friend) over a drug debt. In another, a decorated Army veteran becomes involved with 25-year-old women who introduce him to drugs and ruin his life. In yet another, a store owner accidentally runs over a young girl. Men strike their women. Teenage girls have babies. And the list goes on. In most of the stories, the married individuals are unhappy, and if they were once happy, then their spouse died at a very young age. And in none of the stories are the men or women faithful to their partners.

It is truly a bleak picture.

The only glimmer of hope that I can find is that these people are aware that their situation could be worse. Since many of the stories are set in the late 1950s/early 1960s, the worse could mean the harsh reality of the Jim Crow South. For other stories, it could signify alcoholism, drug addiction, and a life on the streets. So, yes, in comparison to those alternatives, having a crappy car, a tiny apartment with broken furniture, and a job that doesn't pay what one is worth and doesn't even consider them for a promotion - that life doesn't seem as bad as a hopeless struggle or a life under segregation.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this book, which gives it a very realistic feel, is the way the author portrays people going about their daily lives. He names stores, streets, and diners with meticulous accuracy. And he tells us - and this is completely true - that even people who have lived their entire lives in a relatively small city are completely unfamiliar with other parts of town. In Washington, DC, where the stories are set, some of this is due to de facto segregation by race and income, which still keeps one quadrant mostly white and other areas predominantly Black. But another part is that if you grow up in a particular neighborhood, then other neighborhoods can seem intimidating. They just are.

The most hopeful story for me involves a young man who secures a job as the assistant to a store owner. He performs well and gradually becomes the operator of the store. But in a twist that is both realistic and, once again, highlights the limited scope of this book for everyone in it, the shop owner decides to sell and gives him some money, with the admonition, "Don't spend it all on whores." It seems that he will not.

Overall, this book offers a powerful and poignant exploration of Black life in America during a particular era, filled with both despair and a glimmer of hope.

**Tapestry**

Tapestry


This is a review encompassing both Lost in the City and All Aunt Hagar’s Children. The short stories within these two collections can be perused independently, yet they are delicately interconnected in a way that makes reading them together the optimal choice. In fact, each collection consists of 14 short stories, and each story has a connection to its counterpart in the other collection. The links, often through the appearance of a major or minor character, enhance both stories by entwining them. If possible, read them side by side.


Oh, the stories are so rich! The author demonstrates profound empathy for all his characters, even those who engage in dreadful deeds. The stories frequently have multiple threads that are woven into a tapestry, immersing the reader as if in a novel. Jones’s unique voice weaves the world of Black people residing in Washington, D.C. into a narrative that feels as real as if you were strolling among the characters. In my case, being a White southern man in his 50s, one or two haunted generations removed from a former life left behind in the Jim Crow South. The stories generally occur in the 1950s to 1980s, but possess a timeless and rooted quality.


These stories and Jones’s remarkable novel The Known World make up his entire published body of work. I count him among my absolute favorite authors, despite the fact that his works are few. Do yourself a favor and treat your heart to all his books.

**Original Article**:
The importance of exercise cannot be overemphasized. It helps maintain a healthy body and mind. Regular exercise can improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles and bones, and boost the immune system. It also helps reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood.

**Expanded Article**:
The significance of exercise simply cannot be overstated.

It plays a crucial role in maintaining both a healthy body and a sound mind.

Regular physical activity has numerous benefits. It can enhance cardiovascular health, making the heart stronger and more efficient.

Moreover, it helps to strengthen muscles and bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and other skeletal problems.

Exercise also has a positive impact on the immune system, making the body more resilient to diseases.

In addition to its physical benefits, exercise is excellent for mental health. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, allowing individuals to better cope with the challenges of daily life.

Furthermore, it can improve mood, leaving people feeling happier and more fulfilled.

All in all, incorporating exercise into one's daily routine is essential for overall well-being.

Beautiful vignettes of everyday life in old DC offer a captivating glimpse into a bygone era.

These charming snapshots bring to life the unique character and atmosphere of the city during that time.

It's a wonderful book to have on hand for those moments when you need a quick escape, such as during your daily commute or just before bed.

The individual stories are concise and engaging, allowing you to dip in and out easily without sacrificing the enjoyment of the narrative.

Each vignette is like a precious gem, shining a light on different aspects of life in old DC, from the bustling streets to the quiet neighborhoods.

Whether you're a history buff or simply looking for an entertaining read, this book is sure to delight and transport you to another time and place.

So curl up with a cup of tea and let the beautiful vignettes of everyday life in old DC whisk you away.

Washington D.C. stories are like mini novels, and most of them are truly captivating.

Sometimes, it may seem that there is a bit too much happening within these stories, but each one is an engaging and complicated tale. They are set among the black community in the USA capital, specifically in the areas that tourists don't typically see, during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

The author has a very sympathetic and well-tuned ear, as he delves into the lives of single mothers, the world of drugs, the power of music, the importance of church, the intricacies of family life, and the challenges of running a store for years.

However, the best story among them all was from his next collection, "All Aunt Hagar's Children." This is a quite recent edition, and it has left such an impression that one simply must get a hold of it.

These stories offer a unique and valuable perspective on a particular time and place, and they are sure to resonate with readers who are interested in exploring the rich tapestry of human experience.

It's truly a pleasure to come across real stories that are set in my city.

Most of the other stories out there seem to be nothing but political or partisan baloney.

Even though the Washington, D.C. that I know today doesn't look exactly like the one described in this story, it still manages to capture the essence and spirit of the place.

The characters in this story are vivid and well-developed, representing all walks of life.

From the politicians and lobbyists to the everyday citizens just trying to make a living, each character has their own unique personality and backstory.

It's refreshing to read a story that focuses on the people and their relationships, rather than just the politics and power plays that often dominate the headlines.

Overall, this is a great read that I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about the real Washington, D.C.

Struggling to find focus and block out the distractions of the world, I picked up this collection of stories to see if it could help. The author, Jones, is a special and one-of-a-kind personality with a unique take on his stories and their perspectives. Each story takes place in Washington, D.C., specifically the other Washington, D.C. where every character is black, has roots in the south, and has lived in D.C. for most or all of their lives. The general poverty, limited opportunities, and divide from the white world are all accepted as given. What makes these stories work is not just the interesting characters and their convoluted relationships, but something else that goes beyond the often terrific opening paragraphs and despite the anticlimactic endings. Published in 1992 and written throughout the 80's, about characters from the 1960's, there is a mixture of eras captured in tone and atmosphere. I enjoyed pretty much every one of these stories. For example, the description of the four women listening to the thunder and lightning in Carmona Boone's efficiency apartment is both beautiful and poignant. Overall, I highly recommend this collection of stories.