Whether it's a young co-ed who has lived her life succumbing to passion and authority, a woman struggling with the intense demands of motherhood, or a newlywed whose new mirror-filled home proves too much for her fragile psyche, these thirteen stories-edgy and alluring-inexorably peel back the layers of the women they portray. By turns lyrical and haunting, plainspoken and frank, award-winning writer Mary Akers' finely crafted debut collection WOMEN UP ON BLOCKS explores the price women pay when they allow the roles of wife, mother, daughter, or lover to define them.
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More About the Author
Mary Akers is the author of the short story collection WOMEN UP ON BLOCKS (which won the IPPY 2010 gold medal for short fiction) and co-author of the non-fiction title ONE LIFE TO GIVE. Her fiction, poetry and non-fiction have appeared in a number of international journals and she frequently writes fiction that focuses on the intersections between art and science, including such topics as diverse and timely as the environmental movement and the struggle for human and animal rights. She is a co-founder of the Institute for Tropical Marine Ecology, a study abroad marine ecology program originally located in Roseau, Dominica. In her spare time she enjoys snorkeling, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, canoeing and snowshoeing. Among other jobs, she has worked as an historical interpreter/bookbinder in Colonial Williamsburg and as a production potter at Historic Jamestown Island. Although raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia--which she will always call home--she currently lives in Western New York.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From literateyourself.blogspot.com,
By Cat Bird (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Women Up On Blocks (Paperback)
We could all use a little work. Even the most "normal" of us could use a good dose of psycho therapeutic reflection or cognitive behavioral manipulation. Especially the moms. Whether it's the hormones or the sudden overwhelming sense of responsibility and neurosis, I know I've had more than my fair share of nervous breakdowns since I saw that first blue plus sign on a stick.
WOMEN UP ON BLOCKS The title itself conjures a powerful image. Set aside the immediate mental flash of stirrups and invasive annual examination. Look at the cover art (good shoes) because in this case you can judge a book yada yada yada. Like meandering by the tv in lingerie during playoffs, red shoes and good legs propped along a dirty bumper ought to get you noticed. Women in these stories go to extremes to get noticed, allow themselves and others to go to extremes to fix themselves, and extreme things occur to teach them a lesson. The content of the stories are as strong as the imagery. The plots are at once relatable and repellent. After I finished, I felt better about myself as a mother, wife, member of my community in general. Mary Aker's clear, honest voice carries the content. Her insightful, creative images pull the characters and the reader to the other side. The first story, "Medusa Song," is horrifyingly honest. The story is a warning for those women who allow an emotionally absent, philandering husband and subservient, oppressive life to go too far. The protagonist is at risk to become the villain unless she takes control of her life. Her repression and complacency threaten her children in an almost too creepy Susan Smith kind of way. The conclusion is an allegorical baptism by fire. You're left wondering if you should call social services. Sometimes the world can miss the point in a good intention, as in Jenny the stripper's crusade for animal rights in "Animo, Anima, Animus." Sometimes the good intentions are warped from the beginning, as in cancer stricken Ima, who martyrs herself for the benefit of the travelling show "Bodyworks" in "Pygmalion, (Recast)." The archetypal good girl gets it all wrong and pins all her dreams on the bad boy in "Wild, Wild Horses." The one character who seems to have the best sense of self in the entire collection is the archetypal bad girl in "Evangeline." WOMEN UP ON BLOCKS is a collection of contradictions and duelling themes. Just like you never know what a woman is really thinking one moment to the next, you never know what these women are up to one story to the next. Read more of my reviews of Press 53 titles at [...]
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I devoured this collection!,
This review is from: Women Up On Blocks (Paperback)
I never like to read a whole short story collection in one go, but in this case, during a bout of insomnia, I simply couldn't stop. Each of Mary Akers' stories has a unique voice, a different tone and style, and they are quirky and poignant, thoughtful and thought-provoking. They do not tie up neatly, they linger on long after this slim book has been put down. I don't recommend reading it straight through, only because of the sense of disappointment when you read your last story, that there is no more. Of course, short stories lend themselves most beautifully to being read again, and again, revealing new layers each time, and I am already looking forward to exploring Women Up on Blocks many more times. For a longer review, read what our reviewer on The Short Review had to say: [...]
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great reading,
By Judy R "JR" (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Women Up On Blocks (Paperback)
The title is a grabber, the photo more so. I didn't know what to expect. You CAN judge this book by it's cover though. This book of short short stories of women and their lives captured me from the first page and I didn't put it down. I KNOW so many of these women! They are friends and familly members, acquantances and people I hear about. These stories touch me and I'm sure they will anyone who knows women and wish for more in their lives. Great writer. I will look for more of Mary Akers books.
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