The Future Has a Past: Stories [Paperback]

J. California Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2001

From the beloved author of Family and A Piece of Mine comes a dazzling new collection of stories featuring ordinary women who discover that love sometimes comes when you least expect it.

Vinnie is an overworked and self-sacrificing single mother who gets a second chance at love and independence, in "The Eagle Flies." In "A Shooting Star" a happily married mother of two laments the fate of her beautiful friend Lorene, whose naivete about desire has deadly consequences. In "A Filet of Soul," Luella's luck soon changes when her mother leaves her a modest inheritance, but not as soon as she initially imagines. And in "The Lost and Found," Irene confronts her womanizing boyfriend with the one piece of information that will bring him to his knees. Bursting with earthy wisdom and humor, these warmly engaging tales are a testament to Cooper's gifts as a storyteller.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

African-American women struggling to make something of their smalltown lives inspire novelist and short story writer Cooper's (Homemade Love; A Piece of Mine) sixth collection of four down-home tales, told with wisdom and gentle humor. Navigating poverty, unwanted pregnancy, single motherhood and inexperience, all Cooper's heroines triumph, to lesser and greater degrees, finding "real love" despite being surrounded by "no good men." "Filet of Soul," a novella-length story, features Sedalia, a poor girl who can't afford to go to her high school prom. Enchanted when her crush leaves the party to dance with her on the school lawn, she responds to his overtures. The result is Sedalia's first and last sexual encounter, which leaves her pregnant and twice as poor as before. To protect her daughter from making the same mistake, Sedalia raises Luella to think she's unlovable and ugly. Not surprisingly, her efforts backfire. In "The Eagle Flies," single mother Vinnie works herself to the bone to care for her two ungrateful children, then enjoys the courtship of a man who encourages her to look out for herself; in "A Shooting Star," sensible Maisha meditates on the fate of her promiscuous friend, Lorene. Old-fashioned simplicity, common sense and colorful language make the potentially preachy aspects of these stories quaintly charming. Cooper occasionally forgets her vernacular and slips into more scholarly speech: one minute the narrators are saying "Humph, honey!" and calling each other "Sister-woman" and in the next they reference Dali and take "umbrage." Still, long comfortably established in the affections of her readersDand critically well regarded, tooDCooper continues to serve up stories as satisfying and heartwarming as homemade apple pie, and which should prove, with careful handling, just as popular. Author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

"Let us think of the future as a house we are building. A brick and a plank a day," Cooper writes in the introduction. Her stories recount the lives of women, young, middle age, and old. Maisha watches with envy and condemnation as her girlhood friend, the beautiful Lorene, sets off for a glamorous though loveless and rootless life in the cities, while Maisha leads a quiet but fulfilling life as housewife and mother. Luella was told she was ugly by a disappointed mother, who wanted to spare her child the pain of taking a chance on love. When Luella takes that chance with a con man, he abandons her; but she stumbles onto real love and is too apprehensive to realize it at first. Vinnie sacrificed her youth for her children after her husband abandoned her. She nearly loses an opportunity for love, until she's awakened by a friend's sudden good fortune. Cooper brings her deceptively simple storytelling style to this rich collection of stories about ordinary women living day to day, looking for love, accumulating sorrows and regrets, and searching for meaning. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; 1st Anchor Books Ed edition (October 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385496818
• ISBN-13: 978-0385496810
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J. California Cooper was honored as Black Playwright of the Year, and has received the American Book Award, the James Baldwin Writing Award, and the Literary Lion Award from the American Library Association. She lives in California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than A Book...., November 19, 2000

By 

Sischelle "sischelle" (Shreveport, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Future Has a Past: Stories (Hardcover)

I didn't expect anything less than what this book held - a wonderful collection of stories that are more than just "stories!"

This book like all the others [that she's written] are so full of life and wisdom. Mrs. Cooper is my favorite author beyond any doubt.

I read her books and I get stories about this journey called life - and in her stories - I get wisdom on how to handle this journey called life.

A masterful author - she delivers again with "The Future Has A Past." I encourage you to get her works and experience a true story-teller who leaves you with more "fight" to go through life knowing that each of us have the ability to come out of the fight victorious!

My only regret is, I wish she could write a book a month!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply the best, December 16, 2000

By 

thesavvybamalady "swblkdiamond" (Prichard, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Future Has a Past: Stories (Hardcover)

It seems to me that when this lady writes something, it is so good that you feel that possibly, she can't top it, and then she does. J.California Cooper must be one of the most underrated African American writers there is because outside of her fans, you don't hear much about her. But in my opinion, she is one of the best writers out here. Anyone that could take a story and just make you enjoy it as though you enjoy a good meal or a good movie, that is Ms.Cooper. I enjoyed especially "A Filet of Soul". Luella may have had a self-esteem problem, but she sure wasn't a total fool. And in the end, she triumphed. The story about Vinnie and her self-centered children will come next. These stories are about ordinary folks whose life become a bit sweeter or in some instances, worse (like Cool in "The Lost and The Found" though I tend to feel he was set up for his own undoing).And in them, you find a lesson, and feel better for it. I only hope that more would recognize the talent that Ms.Cooper has and read her works. You won't come away disappointed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Poignant Stories...MUST READS for the sisterhood!, January 7, 2001

By 

ChickLitGurrl™ "Shonell Bacon" (Lake Charles, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Future Has a Past: Stories (Hardcover)

I have to almost shyly say that I've never read a book by Ms. Cooper before, but when her newest work was sent to me, the title alone drew me in, and the book refused to let me go until I finished the last page.

The Future Has A Past is a collection of four stories that centered around a topic that women of all shades hold dear: LOVE. In these stories, Cooper introduces us to ordinary women who discover that love sometimes comes when you least expect it to.

In the collection, you'll find:

1. Maisha, the narrator of "A Shooting Star," chronicles the much-gossiped-about affairs of her friend Lorene and laments her inability to differentiate between sex and love,

2. In "The Eagle Flies," Vinnie, a single mother, devotes herself to her selfish children, letting opportunities for her own happiness slip by until it is almost too late,

3. In "A Filet of Soul," Louella, raised to believe she is ugly and undesirable, falls for a fast-talking con man and loses her small inheritance and her dignity; but his betrayal turns out to mark the beginning of a love affair -- and a life -- Louella had never imagined she would find, and

4. "The Lost and the Found," Lorene waits and waits for the philanderer she loves to marry her, almost letting the love of a good man pass her by

First and foremost, I have to say that Cooper's style is one that evokes emotions, that pulls you into the women's lives and pains, making you tap into your very own. There is no way I could pick just one story as my favorite, for as a woman, I found truth in each and every story, and so often found myself saying, "So and so NEEDS to read this story, and open their eyes."

Not only does Cooper spin a wonderful story, but she intricately weaves truth and wisdom into her words, making these stories almost a testament to various aspects of this thing called love.

The Future Has A Past is a book that should be a must-read to not only African American women, but to ALL women of the sisterhood, because I believe not one woman could read this collection and not find herself in at least one of the stories.

Let Cooper's down home narrators invite you into the excellent read that is The Future Has A Past...you'll definitely leave with new perspectives on love, and realizing that although we look to our futures, our pasts will help to construct those futures...make your NOW important and full of love, for yourself.

Shonell Bacon....