A Stranger Among Us: Stories of Cross Cultural Collision and Connection [Paperback]

Josip Novakovich (Author), Ana Menendez (Author), Viet Thanh Nguyen (Author), Laila Lalami (Author), Rashad Majid (Author), Carolyn Alessio (Author), Diane Lefer (Author), Various Authors (Author), Stacy Bierlein (Editor), Aimee Liu (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2008

Thirty acclaimed writers of international fiction explore the stranger in tales of cultural clashes and bonds. These stories of disparate experience travel beyond politics and multicultural manners to become an essential discussion of otherness.

Contributors include Nathan Englander, Laila Lalami, Ana Menendez, Josip Novakovich, Wanda Coleman, Tony d'Souza, Samrat Upadhyay, Mary Yukari Waters, Luis Alfaro, and Amanda Eyre Ward, as well as other accomplished writers from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe, some published for the first time in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In the waning days of the cold war, when Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down that wall, when the AIDS virus was more rumor than scourge, and when disaffected youth the world over were searching for ways to either disappear or make a difference, a rebellious Australian youth jumps at his sister’s unexpected invitation to visit her in the Soviet Union. Fin promises Darcy she’ll provide the airfare if he agrees to surreptitiously transport a leather money belt through international customs. Despite Fin’s protest that everything is on the up-and-up, Darcy knows his sister has become involved in something nefarious—and quite frankly, it excites the hell out of him. Ignoring her warnings to maintain a low profile while in the country, Darcy embarks on a dangerous liaison with the son of a high-ranking government official. Vibrant with the discordant images of political repression and smoldering sexuality, Francis’ book ethereally transports readers to a preternatural time where nothing and no one are as they seem. --Carol Haggas

Review

"With an eye to short stories stemming from diverse cultures and exploring the state of outsiderness, editor Bierlein has selected 30 vibrant, unpredictable, and magnetic works that together span the spectrum from funny to tragic, earthy to rarefied."--Booklist

“This anthology of international fiction explodes with unexpected combinations of place, ethnicity, and nationality.”--Utne Reader

"Engaging, moving, and well-written."--Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: OV Books (May 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976717735
• ISBN-13: 978-0976717737
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny. Heartbreaking. Unforgettable., August 31, 2008

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Reader (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Stranger Among Us: Stories of Cross Cultural Collision and Connection (Paperback)

I read a review of this book in Utne Magazine & ordered it. I found the short stories to be exceptionally written. Some of them stayed with me for a long time. Favorite stories were: Shoes, In Cuba I was a German Shepherd, The Neighbor, Border Crossings, Attila the There, The Wolf Story, The Wizard of Khao-I-Dang, Le Mal D'Afrique, In this Way we Are . . . . So many great stories, all worth reading. Highly recommended.