Customer Reviews

Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
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Editors Marita Golden and E Lynn Harris introduce us to a concoction of witty, soulful, provincial, urban, thrilling, and stunning works by some of the most talented African American authors on the planet. Pronounced a literary rent party benefiting the Hurston-Wright Foundation, Gumbo is divided into 4 sections spanning everything from the "Family Tree" to a "Love Jones". Numerous affecting short stories and excerpts contribute to this amazingly filling collection.

Witty stories like Yolanda Joe's Miss Prissy and the Penitentiary and Harris' Dinner Party modulate the emotions invoked by pieces such as David Anthony Durham's "The Boy-Fish" and acclaimed horror author Tananarive Due's "The Knowing", my personal favorite. Other notables include J. California Cooper's "$100 and Nothing", Tayari Jones' "Press and Curl", Faith Adiele's "Fire: An Original Tale", Elizabeth Nunez's excerpt "from Discretion", and Alexs Pate's "To Haiti or To Hell." There is truly something for everyone in this abounding congregation of African American authors coming together for a cause.

~Reviewed by CandaceK

I love to read books about people like me and I love short stories...this book put both into one and introduced me to a variety of writers I didn't know about along with ones I already did. I ended up buying a couple more books because the short story was so interesting (ex. Douglass Women & Ain't nobody's business if I do). It's a very good source for writers to show off and I thoroughly enjoyed it and tried to roll with the WHOLE book page by page.

Finally the collection we've all been waiting for! There's something here for everyone, from the usual to the bizarre;I personally like oddities myself, so I truly loved the last part of the book, where nuts are everywhere (read Fear of Floating and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). Anyway, as you can see I'm not a writer or a critic, but I know what a like, and I really liked "Gumbo", and I'm sure you will too. E. Lynn Harris does it again!

Gumbo is a collection of short stories and excerpts of novels by African American writers. In this anthology, there is something for everyone. The book is divided into four sections: Family Tree, Love Jones, I Know This is True and Incognito. I found new favorites in each category. From Family Tree, I enjoyed The Harris Men, Morning Glo, and P.G. County. I Know This is True was the section that I personally enjoyed the most. It is full of mystery (The Knowing), wisdom and humor (Draggin' The Dog) and romance (Dakota Grand). For even more romantic bites, read the Love Jones section. It contains stories about young love(Black and Boo) and the love that a mother has for her family(Love by Bertice Berry) amongst many others. The Incognito part of the book comes last. This section is a mixed bag of nuts by itself. My personal favorite here is What You Owe Me by Bebe Moore Campbell. This is one of my all time favorite novels and I must admit that the first chapter of it featured in this anthology does not even come close to the excitement that you get from reading the entire novel. Nonetheless, I am glad that it is featured because Campbell is an excellent writer and deserves her acknowledgement. I highly recommend Gumbo to anyone who is interested in reading a wide variety of interesting stories written by African Americans. I also highly recommend it because it benefits a worthy cause, The Hurston/Wright Foundation.

This is an outstanding collection of stories by a wide variety of authors. There is something for every taste. Gumbo is a great introduction to a lot of new writers. Definitely a savory dish!

With this wonderful compilation of some of America's finest African American authors - you can't lose. This is a great mix of humerous, mysterious and romantic short stories that will have you wanting to keep reading. Whatever your literary flavor....Gumbo serves it up.

The ingredients in this gumbo are truly varied. It has literary heavy-hitters like Edward P. Jones, Edwidge Danticat and John Edgar Wideman; new jacks like Dana Crum, David Wright and R. Erica Doyle; and popular/contemporary/genre writers like E. Lynn Harris, Tananarive Due and Connie Briscoe. I really enjoyed "My Heavenly Father" by Dana Crum. Told in a nonstandard Southern dialect that simply leaps off the page, set in a Baptist church that is brought fully to life, the story is about a young boy who misses his absent father. Sometimes the story breaks your heart. Sometimes it makes you laugh. At all times, it avoids cliches. William Henry Lewis' "Rossonian Days" is innovative. Edward P. Jones' "An Orange Line Train to Ballston" is splendid. This anthology is well worth the money.

"Gumbo" is really something special. I particularly enjoyed E.Lynn Harris' "The Dinner Party", and Kenji Jasper's "Dakota Grand". Bryan Gibson's "Fear of Floating" I've read three times and I'm awed after every reading. He's a talent to look out for. I highly recommend this collection to anyone wanting to discover new, as well as old, African American voices. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

"Gumbo," in all, is worthy of praise: it includes well crafted tales I, for the most part, very much enjoyed; however, one story moved me more than the rest, and its being poorly edited is the reason why I'm taking the time to write this review, for I feel a great artist has been done a disservice. Bryan Gibson's "Fear of Floating" is incredible--it's thought provoking, melancholic, and at times quite hilarious; it is extremely well written and unique. But due to poor editing, I was constantly distracted while reading "Floating," which is a shame, for Gibson's story deserves a reader's full attention. Still, I very much was pleased with his work, as well with "Gumbo," which makes for a great stocking stuffer.

These stories are excellent and easy to read by some great authors! If you like to read but don't have time to sit through an entire book, this one's for you. Short stories but filled with content.