Klik på en miniature for at gå til Google Books
Indlæser... South Central Noiraf Gary Phillips (Redaktør)
Ingen Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. South Central Noir (2022) by Gary Phillips, Ed. Akashic Books has a long string of “Noir” anthologies out. Each book is a wonderful example of the short stories to be found in the world. What sets these collections apart is that they focus attention on one part of the world only, be it Dublin, Ireland, Chicago, prison, Miami or a hundred different spots. And each book highlights about a dozen or so of the best written shorts available. And usually the authors are talent central to the location as in this case.South Central is an approximately 35 square mile section of Los Angeles. I expected gang bangers, rap music, anti-police sentiment, and lots of hatred. What I got was a compelling selection that went from deadly serious to comic. The population of this book spanned many ethnicities, ages, and temperament. And the times went from the 1930s to the modern day. Trying to pick a favorite is difficult as the stories have such a diverse range in emotions and personal involvement for me. I especially liked the tale of the Watt’s Towers and its splendid humor. The Last time I Died is a nice touch of the macabre. Mae’s Family Dining manages to cross through time to tell about the life of a woman and her “family’. Murder, crime, the unexpected, horror and fun swirl together in this collection. I have found the Akashic books have always provided me with hours of enthralling reading. And I always discover something, fact or fiction, that I didn’t know before but love. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This anthology in the Akashic Noir Series depicts a wide array of people, situations, and eras in a common location, South Central Los Angeles, where the only constant is change, for better or worse. Development breeds gentrification: better for new arrivals and worse for the residents it excludes. Class divides are illuminated when a narrator’s school volleyball team travels from South Central to play rich girls in green hills they’d only seen on TV, passing “expensive houses… and not one of them had bars on the windows” (“If Found Please Return to Abigail Serna”). Multidimensional characters – not the least of which is South Central itself – face steep challenges, and teeter on the edges of legality and reality. Bad cops face good detectives (“Sabor a Mi”); an honest woman steals cash (“Mae’s Family Dining”); a bookstore manager flirts with the spirit world (“Haint in the Window”). A well-written collection of stories that are definitely worth reading. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Once again, Akashic has put together a superb collection of stories, this time centered in South Central LA. I was surprised at the diversity of stories told - characters reflected the reality of that area rather than the stereotype. And even though this is a collection of darker stories, there some rays of sunshine that break through. We’ll worth the time spent! This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. South Central Noir is a spectacular addition to the Akashic Noir Series. Here’s the thing. I always know each volume in the Noir Series will be interesting and enjoyable, but some locations simply are more noir than others. In some places, noir is not even a genre and must be explained by the editor, and the stories, while still interesting, miss the mark a bit. But what can be more noir than South Central?I also want to thank editor Gary Phillips for writing the most noir introduction of the series. Noir does not explain. Noir has the confidence to just put it out there with a nice, short introduction without any justification for his choices other than he made them. He knew what he was doing. Not one of the fourteen stories bored or disappointed me. Some were truly superb. Haint in the Window by Tananarive Due was particularly inventive. Besides, I always love stories in bookstores. I also loved Mae’s Family Dining by Penny Mickelbury about a woman, a restaurant, and some very bad cops. How Hope Found Chauncey by Jervey Tervalon was heartbreaking but still so rich in the love of friendship. I can just about guarantee that I will love an Akashic Noir book. They are a completely different kind of armchair traveling, giving us a gritty, and probably more realistic view of a place we’ve never been. South Central Noir succeeds on all fronts, as good stories and as a unique insight to a place I have never been. I received an ARC of South Central Noir from the publisher through LibraryThing. South Central Noir at Akashic Books Akashic Noir Series Gary Phillips author site https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/09/14/south-central-noir-ed-by-... ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Tilhører serienHæderspriser
"Within these pages youll find stories of those walking the straight and narrow, until something untoward happens. Maybe its someone taking a step out of line, getting caught up in circumstances spiraling out of their control. Maybe theyre planning the grift, the grab . . . whatever it is to finally put them over. Other times the steps they take are to get themselves or people they care about out from under. Youll find the offerings in these pages are a rich mix of tone, tales told of hope, survival, revenge, and triumph. Excursions beyond the headlines and the hype. The settings herein reflect South Central today or chronicle its colorful past, such as the days of the jazz joints along Central Avenue . . . From South Park to East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, from the borderlands of Watts to the one time Southern Pacific railroad tracks paralleling Slauson Avenue, take a tour of a section of Los Angeles that may be unfamiliar to you but you will get to know, at least a little, by the time you finish reading this entertaining and engaging anthology."--Back cover. Ingen biblioteksbeskrivelser fundet. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumGary Phillips's book South Central Noir was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Aktuelle diskussionerIngen
Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.608Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
Er det dig?Bliv LibraryThing-forfatter. |
I think a lot of the other reviews say what I am feeling much better than I can. All I know is that this book is well worth reading and is on my recommended list. Thank you to the Early Reviewers program for a really wonderful read. ( )