Customer Reviews

The Heart of Happy Hollow (Harlem Moon Classics)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With characters ranging from preachers to con-artists, Paul
Lawrence Dunbar shows glimpses of the lives of African Americans
after the Civil War in a sleepy southern town called Happy Hollow.
Using the folksy language indicative of that era, along with mental
snapshots of our forgotten communities, he shares a historic
collection of perceptive tales filled with laughter, and saturated
with tears.

First published in 1904, THE HEART OF HAPPY HOLLOW features sixteen
engaging short stories. Dunbar peppers this collection with some
colorful characters and a group of unique men and women who give
voice to these timeless themes. One story reminds readers of the
adage, the more things change, the more they stay the same. It is an
amusing story of a father and son who adamantly share different
views about life and religion. Does that not sound like today? And
on an opposing end of the pen there is a heart-wrenching story
about the lynching of Jube Benson.

As noted on the back cover, Dunbar's work has deservedly experienced a
recent revival among commercial and scholarly audiences. Paul Lawrence
Dunbar has written a captivating book which should give example to
the craft of storytelling. A step ahead of much of the literary world,
he gives readers nineteenth-century literature that is second to none.
To reacquaint yourself with post Civil War life, pick up a copy THE
HEART OF HAPPY HOLLOW, it is an excellent read. (RAW Rating: 4.5)

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers