Customer Reviews

The City of Refuge: The Collected Stories of Rudolph Fisher

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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This book of short stories about Harlem in the 1920's proved to be quite satisfying. His characters seemed real, his stories were interesting, and his use of the English language (both slang and proper) was excellent. His plots were different as the stories and sometimes the good guys won and sometimes they didn't as in real life. There were a few characters I would have liked to have set down and talked to, like the Grandma who stopped a fight between her grandsons by pitching her Bible through the window. It's too bad Fisher died young, I imagine he had many more stories to tell.

I enjoyed reading this book of short stories very much. I think my favorite is Miss Cynthie. He takes you into Harlem to meet regular Black folks. The content of the book is excellent. It is too bad he died so young (37 years).

What I wasn't not particularly fond of is the introduction, which has nothing to with the author. Most introductions by other writers can add value and turn you own to other excellent authors. However, there are some that are too long and intellectualized things to death.

I highly recommend folks read everything Rudulph Fisher has written.