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Americas

by Jason Lee Norman (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 27 ratings · 13 reviews

There are 22 countries in the Americas. There are 22 stories in this book.

In Nicaragua they keep their tears in jars.
In Honduras, their prayers sound like screams.
Guyana has separation anxiety.

Welcome to the Americas. 22 stories about 22 countries you thought you knew.

Paperback, First Edition, 64 pages

Published April 16th 2012 by Wufniks Press

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Jan 02, 2013 T.S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of nepotism. I’d say, in fact, that networking (a similar-looking cousin to nepotism) is vital in the publishing industry. It’s the reason we are able present you with such wonderful reviews and introduce you to so many gifted writers through the interviews we post here on LitStack.

I say this as a means to forewarn you. Jason Lee Norman is a contributor at LitStack. But a review of his short story collection Americas isn’t some blatant display of nepotism. In fac...more There’s nothing wrong with a bit of nepotism. I’d say, in fact, that networking (a similar-looking cousin to nepotism) is vital in the publishing industry. It’s the reason we are able present you with such wonderful reviews and introduce you to so many gifted writers through the interviews we post here on LitStack.

I say this as a means to forewarn you. Jason Lee Norman is a contributor at LitStack. But a review of his short story collection Americas isn’t some blatant display of nepotism. In fact, I’ll admit to not being at all responsible for asking Jason to join our staff. (That distinction belongs solely to fellow co-founder Adrienne Crezo).

I will, however, take credit for recognizing amazing talent when I see it. We agreed to review this collection not because Jason is one of our own, but for its own merit and because he’s a gifted, dynamic writer.

As the blurb above indicates, there are, indeed, 22 countries in the Americas and Jason has crafted a story for each. The stories themselves run the gambit, injecting in the reader a cacophony of sensations: treatments to heartbreak, to reality, to the poetically visceral imaginings of the surreal.

But this isn’t a reader’s journey. Bluntly put, in Americas, Jason becomes tour guide, the bearded Master of Ceremony who recants the mad dashes he’s personally made through all the mufti-faceted terrains South and North America has to offer.

There is the “historical vignettes” of Jason’s motherland, Canada, where ties to the land and the love in those lands bonds and separates. There is the nostalgic remembrances of childhood in America and the brilliant magic surrounding and living in the people that populate South America. Really, I’m being disingenuous. Americas isn’t solely a love letter to the travels that Jason has made. It isn’t even a fictionalized version of a travel diary. Simply put, Americas is a collection of experiences, of the magical found in these countries and how those experiences collect to form climatic highs and a cryptic ending.The stories connect, are made real with sharp clarity, in pages finely honed into a powerful collection.(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, south-america, canada, united-states, book-review-tours

I received a copy of this book for review from the author. I really enjoyed reading these short stories themed around the countries of the North and South Americas. Jason Lee Norman uses wonderful examples of imagery and human traits in order to engage the reader. An author interview is posted on my book blog - http://www.candlebeambooks.com/2012/0...

Two of my favorite quotes are:
[from "El Salvador" regarding snow] "If it falls in a place that is usually very warm then you'll hear a sound like g...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Jeremy Bibaud rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Americas is the first book of short stories I've ever read. I've read many short stories, but I've never purchased a book full of them. It seems odd at first. Why not just buy one big story instead of several tiny ones? But I've discovered that Americas makes the case for this format perfectly. Yes, they could exist on their own and many of them would be just as interesting and subtly brilliant, but it's when you read them as one longer thread that you get the full impact of the overall theme -...more Americas is the first book of short stories I've ever read. I've read many short stories, but I've never purchased a book full of them. It seems odd at first. Why not just buy one big story instead of several tiny ones? But I've discovered that Americas makes the case for this format perfectly. Yes, they could exist on their own and many of them would be just as interesting and subtly brilliant, but it's when you read them as one longer thread that you get the full impact of the overall theme - what makes us different as people and countries allows us to more easily see how we are alike. So in that sense, you're actually getting 23 stories instead of the advertised 22.

I'm not sure how many of the stories are based solely on fact, but that's part of the fun. In one story, I was reading about St. Rose of Lima and the events that happened during her life. I was so intrigued at points that it prompted me to look her up online and read more about her to see if it was true. I discovered that while the author may have fictionalized certain elements, it was still obvious why St. Rose inspired him to write about her. Imagination is a vital component to actual learning. Americas certainly blurred the line between fact and fiction enough to get me to go beyond the text and I like that. It adds an external dimension to the writing that is absent in most other books.

Norman's style of writing is definitely worth mentioning. There's a detached innocence in the way he writes. He makes observations in the same way a child might, without judgement or conclusion. It's almost like reading colourful statements of fact. It's disarming at first, and he often follows it up with a line so truthful that the impact is made even greater. It's a wonderful quality and it works well. There are times when his style provides humour and quirk, and others when it lends an almost ethereal nature to the stories that gives you the impression that there is more being said than just what's on the page.

He is mostly sparse in detail here, using one word, most often the best one, to describe something a less confident writer might use three or four to do. It keeps the stories moving at a good pace and keeps the themes front and center. As a fan of Hemingway, I certainly appreciate this and immediately see the strength in it.

My favourite story is about the Chilean miners. I hate spoilers so I won't say any more than the author creates a beautiful contrast between two tense situations and I feel it's his strongest, most complete story in the collection. That one could easily stand on its own. I suppose the risk in a book with 22 stories in it is that you're bound to have your favourites and least favourites. I had mine. And you'll have yours. But the advantage of a collection of stories is that you'll definitely have several you really like. Which is certainly better odds than picking from today's bestseller list.

I've heard Norman deliver his stories live before and I've always felt the skill in his writing was lost on a drunken crowd who are too often looking for a cheap laugh and less for impressive prose. So I was really excited to get to see his words in a proper format and overall, it doesn't disappoint. Emotion, people, places, and some of the most bizarre facts/fiction you'll read is all here captured in 64 over-too-soon pages and I definitely recommend it. There's enough stories to make a fan of anyone and you can digest the entire thing in an hour if you really wanted. And you probably will.

Buy his book.(less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Superherb rated it 2 of 5 stars

pretty silly so far

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Feb 25, 2013 Nerija rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Originally posted at Postcards .

. . . . . . . .

One day, a guy from Canada decided to visit every country in the Americas, in North-to-South order, and write a travelogue about it. Then he changed his mind and decided to read the Wikipedia article on each country, and write up a brief report. Then he changed his mind and decided to find 22 students who’d each had to write a report for school on one of those countries, and he would combine those reports into a book. As it turned out, many of those...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Book: Americas

Author: Jason Lee Norman

Published: April 2012 by Wufniks Press, 55 pages

Date Read: June 2012

First Line: "In Canada they teach Canadian history to their people in dramatic vignettes that air between commercials during Jeopardy reruns."

Genre/Rating: Short stories; 5/5 Paul Newmans (of an indeterminate age) hiding out in Bolivia, waiting to listen to all of your prayers

(Copy provided by the author)

Review: Lori at TNBBC’s The Next Best Book Blog posted a short story by Jason Lee Norman...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Benoit Lelievre rated it 4 of 5 stars

You have to take such a short book for what it is. It's a very readable, very fun experiment with magic realism and with the new story forms of the internet age (I'm talking about flash fiction, here). You will find traces of Borges, Marquez, but also a striking originality to Jason Lee Norman's writing. It's not exactly a demanding investment to read, so I suggest you give it a shot. You can get through it in an hour, easy. Norman's a cool new voice that reignite a tradition I thought was long...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

These stories could be told by an imaginative grandparent, regaling attentive children with tall tales that feel so true that it's not until the children are much older that the realize they have been duped.

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Oct 07, 2012 Rick (The Book-A-Week Project) rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the interest of brevity (in tribute to Jason Lee Norman's quizzically brief Americas), I will try to keep this review as light and clean as possible. I will write in bland, pithy sentences. I will have one thing to say and I will get right to saying it.

For my full review, visit The Book-A-Week Project: http://www.thebookaweekproject.com/20...

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May 26, 2012 Lori marked it as to-read

from author

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Aug 19, 2012 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars

Whimsical, and yes, delightful.

More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2012/08...

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Nov 02, 2012 Joey Pizzolato rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Awesome little book. Read my full review at Curbside Splendor: http://www.curbsidesplendor.com/curbs...

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Aug 16, 2012 Jason Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: books-by-jason-lee-norman

I wrote it so...it's pretty awesome.

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May 10, 2013 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mar 28, 2013 Heather marked it as to-read-do-not-own

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Nov 13, 2012 Miranda rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Oct 12, 2012 Jessica Kluthe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sep 29, 2012 Unmanned Press rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sep 22, 2012 Dani Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Sep 19, 2012 Veronika Larsson marked it as to-read

Oct 28, 2012 KellyElaine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Aug 29, 2012 Ashley Myles rated it 4 of 5 stars

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