Customer Reviews

Free and Other Stories

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"ARE WE BORN FREE?"

Thought-provoking, straight-forward, and stylish, three words that describe the debut short story collection, "Free" by Anika Nailah (release date: 2/2002).

"Free" is an appropriate Black History month release as it encapsulates the history of African-Americans in short story form. The "voices" in the stories engage you like friends or family members and resonate with a "trueness" that makes the stories all the more potent.

Not only do the stories in "Free" seem as durable as those passed on in the African-American oral tradition, these stories ring with universality, making "Free" a retrospective of the "human struggle." And by examples, it leads the reader on a journey towards his/her personal definition of and search for freedom.

Rousseau said, "Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains." When reading the stories in "Free," this quote immediately sprung to mind. But, are we born free? Or, are we as Anika suggests, people who are born in "prisons" and/or are imprisoned by the ones we create?

As you flow through this collection of stories, which includes the following, you are challenged to explore the reactions of various individuals to their "prisons." What you will find is a cornucopia of experiences, which are as common as they are powerful.

The first story is "Trudy," which revolves around a store clerk and a customer in Massachusetts. Taking place in a time right after integration, Trudy is imprisoned by time, race, fear and anger and then is imprison by her "station" in life.

Position and race rear their head again in the story, "The Ride," which deals with one man's taxicab ride to the airport. On the literal journey, the man is forced to confront his "prisons" of bigotry and social class bias as he learns to like and respect people he ordinarily would not have.

An actual prison is the subject of the story, "The Visit," which deals with one family's struggle with a mother behind bars. "The Visit" is a moving depiction of the effects of incarceration on an individual, a family and a spirit. It also demonstrates how the lack of forgiveness can divide people.

"Deanna" deals with the prisons of the mind, when a young lady confronts how she is prisoner to vanity and a life of fantasy. Commonly discussed in the press these days, this woman must face her vision of herself juxtaposed with the prevailing images of the beauty in the media.

But what happens when a woman or an African-American cannot combat the pervasive images of beauty as depicted in videos, magazine and television. "French" tells the story of a light-skinned African-American woman's self-hatred and denial as the painful topic of skin color in the black community is broached. An often and much debated topic, "French" aptly points out the "prisons" of interrace racism and cultural denial.

After all of the dramatic tales, in "Free," resolution comes in the final story in the book. Appropriately titled, "Free," the main character is confronted with the death of her mother and finds freedom rather than imprisonment, by unloading her "baggage" and forging her own path. The story illuminates the freedom that comes in death, obtaining closure, finding personal solace, and leaving a legacy.

So, I challenge you to ask yourself, what is your `prison'? Similar to Anika's, I was born as an aging, African-American, single, female, and I acquired the "prisons" of being an employee, student, but most importantly, a writer.

How can we break free? Freedom for me is being thankful for everyday, being proud of my heritage, enjoying my solitude, relishing my femininity, excelling in my profession, advancing my education and, most notably, using my talent and ability to express, enlighten, and entertain through prose. So, as James Baldwin stated, "I need to write." When I write, I am free.

What would make you free?

You don't know the answer? Well, if you prefer and/or can't figure out what it takes for you to be free, then consider this: as Kafka stated, "It is often safer to be in chains than to be free."

Enjoyable stories. They seem simple to some degree, but that's misleading. They're actually very thoughtful character studies. There's one about an old couple that just about had me in tears. I'm not even sure exactly why, but the author clearly touched on something about enduring love and the fear of being alone that sent shivers through me. If you like honest writing without the pretension of literary fiction but with the kind of wisdom all writers aspire to then check out this collection.

Book's of Hope director, Anika Nailah has penned a powerful compilation of short stories in her debut novel, Free: And Other Stories. Nailah's rich lyrical writing style explores issues of abandonment, bigotry, self-liberation and freedom (just to name a few) by confronting racial prejudice and social inequality with remarkable candor.

In "My Side of the Story", a child is forced to accept the reality of his mother's fortuitous abandonment despite her pleas of unrequited love and devotion. In "The Ride", a white man's enforced bigotry and superiority against "blacks" is challenged after a cab ride emerges into startling mutual respect - brilliant! Concluding in "Free", a woman accepts her mother's passing not with weeping and sorrow but resolution and tranquility.

Never before have I read anything so deeply felt, thought provoking and forthright as presented in Free: And Other Stories. My only criticism would be that some stories lacked character development and at times the metaphors were a bit redundant; however, Nailah redeems herself as a profound, bold storyteller, and not to mention a literary wonder! I recommend Free: And Other Stories to enthusiasts of anthologies.

Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster
APOOO BookClub

The book I ordered was received in time and the description given was very accurate in that the product was in good conditon. wouldn't mind doing business with you again.
S.E.

FREE AND OTHER STORIES is a compilation of 15 short stories, each with unique characters who are reflecting on the past, learning valuable life lessons, or just coping with everyday life.

Several of the stories had a good premise, but the others seemed to have no rhyme or reason to them whatsoever. Those stories seemed to pick up in the middle of the character's lives, with no insight into what brought them to the point in their lives where their story starts, or they end so abruptly, you're left wondering what happened. While I had no favorite story, the one that stands out the most in my mind is "All These Years", which is the story of an elderly couple reminiscing about when they first met and fell in love.

Ms. Nailah has the capability to be a great storyteller, and I look forward to a full-length novel where her talents will be better recognized and appreciated.

Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers