Spanning 40 years and including Himes's first work, written during his imprisonment in the 1940s, this collection uncovers the internal struggles of black individuals caught between resignation and rage, probing the heart of the African-American experience with wit, indignation, and ruthless honesty.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Racism, poverty and bad luck are the main players in this volume of 60 stories; when a character gets a hold of $10, it's likely to end in disaster and a $20 debt. Himes, who died in 1984, reveals the underbelly of the Afro-American experience (he began to write while in prison for a jewel theft). In the space of two bleak pages, a black man has his feet burned by a white mob, then amputated by a doctor; when the amputee doesn't rise for the National Anthem, he is struck by a white man. Yet Himes counters the carnage with a dry humor and humanity. In "Pork Chop Paradise" an ex-con preacher achieves an apotheosis in the eyes of his flock when he appears to "turn de cobblestones tuh po'k chops." It is, not incidentally, a woman who brings him down. In Himes's stories women frequently--through treachery or love, which in turn inspires crime--cause the ruin of their men. Though Himes ( The Third Generation ) sometimes sketches symbolic fables, more often he's as gritty as a police blotter photo. These stories, written between 1933 and 1979, survive as history, as powerful fiction and, unfortunately, as commentary on the current situation of the Afro-American.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Best remembered for his detective novels, including Cotton Comes to Harlem , Himes died in 1984 after a writing career of nearly 50 years. This important collection of 60 provocatively titled stories explores the gamut of African American experiences during the madcap 1930s and war-troubled 1940s; the majority are terse, harrowing accounts of prison existence in all its violence and desperation. Framing these emotionally challeging stories are arch fantasies and senseless murders, and evocations of dangerous streets and kinetic nightclubs. Despite a few overly blunt parables of racial enmity, Himes consistently captures the brutality of disenfranchisement and the scruffy poetry of street talk with subtlety and grace. * Recommended.
- Janet Ingraham, Spar* tanburg Cty. P.L., S.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Janet Ingraham, Spar* tanburg Cty. P.L., S.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST BUY!,
By David T. Brown (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Collected Stories of Chester Himes (Himes, Chester) (Paperback)
Chester Himes is a master storyteller. He reveals the plight of black people in America. The stories are revealing as well as insightful.Truly being able to capture the sounds of the street is one of Himes' gifts, but he doesn't limit his themes to inner city life. Many writers have greater acclaim, but here is a true artist. Read his biography, and you will really appreciate how good a writer he was.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Uneven, but about 100 pages of great stories,
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This review is from: The Collected Stories of Chester Himes (Himes, Chester) (Paperback)
This collection is an uneven ride, which is perhaps to be expected in stories written over a thirty year period. I had high hopes for the stories about prison (Himes himself was in jail for seven and a half years according to Wikipedia), but found these disappointing. Also disappointing were stories from later in his career, when the racial politics became more heavy-handed, much to the detriment of the literary value, in my view. A final criticism. Himes has no clue about women. His strongest female characters are amoral and conniving. The rest are considerably worse.
That said, there's at least 100 pages of top flight stories that make the rest well worthwhile. Also, almost all the stories are quite short, and it's easy to get addicted to the bite size pieces. From here, I'm going back to Himes' detective stories, which I enjoyed even more. Still, I'm glad I read this side of this remarkable author.
5.0 out of 5 stars
QUICK, NAME SIX GREAT AMERICAN WRITERS . . .,
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This review is from: The Collected Stories of Chester Himes (Himes, Chester) (Paperback)
Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Olivia Butler and... Chester Himes. All masterful African-American writers. All Amazon five-star writers.
All well known, acclaimed and awarded writers. Except for Chester Himes. The first five of that abbreviated list of African-American writers have become best selling authors, achieved Classic status. most even have had successful movie adaptations of their writings. Chester Himes deserves praise as do those fine writers. But he was born abit too early. And born into Harlem. Earlier book reviewers praised Himes as doing for Harlem what Raymond Chandler did for Los Angeles. Two of his stories were made into major movies: Rage in Harlem and Cotton Comes To Harlem Each rated five-stars at Amazon. Reading the Collected Stories of Chester Himes certainly made me agree with all the bygone praise for this relatively unknown author. It's really a shame that more of today's readers haven't been exposed to his writing. He started his writing career while doing jail time. He lived the stories he wrote. His style is direct, unembellished, real. Readers will feel that reality in this collection's 429 pages of 60 quick (each tale 5-10 pages), sharp short stories; I did. If you like them, well, Himes also wrote six novels and a dramatic autobiography. We're in a literary and film milieu of fabricated fantasies. Stories as good as these, based in reality, are a refreshing return to truth. And really-good reads, too.
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First Sentence:
WHEN HEADWAITER DICK Small pushed through the service hall into the main dining room, her ran smack into an early dinner rush. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
blue roadster, missionary money, cell house, deputy warden, fellow convicts, ole lady Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Uncle Tom, Black Boy, Little God, Sweet Wine, New York, Pipe Jimmy, Big God, George Brown, Private Crabtree, Pony Boy, Saint Peter, Jessie May, Cap Coty, Captain Thompson, Hot Papa, Old Jethro, Captain Williams, Los Angeles, Monsieur de la Clergue, Big Angelo, Central Avenue, Der Fuehrer, Pershing Square, Rufus Jones, Holy Communion New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
WHEN HEADWAITER DICK Small pushed through the service hall into the main dining room, her ran smack into an early dinner rush. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
blue roadster, missionary money, cell house, deputy warden, fellow convicts, ole lady Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Uncle Tom, Black Boy, Little God, Sweet Wine, New York, Pipe Jimmy, Big God, George Brown, Private Crabtree, Pony Boy, Saint Peter, Jessie May, Cap Coty, Captain Thompson, Hot Papa, Old Jethro, Captain Williams, Los Angeles, Monsieur de la Clergue, Big Angelo, Central Avenue, Der Fuehrer, Pershing Square, Rufus Jones, Holy Communion New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 29
books:
See all 29 books this book cites
7
books
cite this book:
See all 7 books citing this book
- Lonely Crusade (Himes, Chester) by Chester Himes in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- If He Hollers Let Him Go: A Novel (Himes, Chester) by Chester Himes in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Third Generation (Classic Reprint Series) by Chester B. Himes in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Best Short Stories by Fredric Brown in Front Matter
- The Seventh Day (General Jewish Interest) by Deborah Cohen on page 68
See all 29 books this book cites
- Strong Men Keep Coming: The Book of African American Men by Tonya Bolden on page 211
- A Century of Noir: Thirty-two Classic Crime Stories by Various on page 519
- Reading Rape: The Rhetoric of Sexual Violence in American Literature and Culture, 1790-1990 by Sabine Sielke in Back Matter
- Ethnicity and the American Short Story (Wellesley Studies in Critical Theory, Literary History and Culture) by Julie Brown on page 45
- Strong Men Keep Coming: The Book of African American Men by Tonya Bolden on page 211
See all 7 books citing this book
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