false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256079695m/4673859.jpg 3623782 2 Introducing the first volume in an exciting new annual anthology featuring the year's most outstanding fiction by some of today’s finest African American writers<br><br>From stories that depict black life in times gone by to those that address contemporary issues, this inaugural volume gathers the very best recent African American fiction. Created during a period of electrifying political dialogue and cultural, social, and economic change that is sure to captivate the imaginations of writers and readers for years to come, the short stories and novel excerpts collected here explore a rich variety of subjects. But most of all, they represent exceptional artistry.<br><br>The writers whose work is included are both established names and up-and-comers, ranging from Edward P. Jones, Walter Dean Myers, and Stephen L. Carter to ZZ Packer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mat Johnson, and Junot Díaz. They write about subjects as diverse as the complexities of black middle-class life and the challenges of interracial relationships, a modern-day lynching in the South, and a young musician’s coming-of-age during the Harlem Renaissance. What unites these stories, whether set in suburbia and “the heart of whiteness” in eighteenth-century New York City or on a Caribbean island that is supposed to be “brown-skin paradise” is their creators’ passionate engagement with matters of the human heart.<br><br>Masterful and engaging, this first volume of <b>Best African American Fiction 2009</b> features stories you’ll want to savor, share, and return to again and again.<br><br><i><br>Please click the "Behind the Book" link for contributor’s bios.<br></i> 3666575 13 1 2009 Best African American Fiction: 2009 total:8|5:0|4:5|3:2|2:0|1:1| 8 27 34 3 3 0 false false Sat Aug 15 10:48:31 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 19:15:18 -0700 2009 Short stories: I liked Helen Elaine Lee and Amina Gautier the most, while Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie;s "...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 04:46:11 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 05:11:29 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jun 16 08:54:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 04:50:25 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 08:54:00 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 18 20:26:13 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 20:26:13 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 18 20:23:27 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 20:23:32 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 07 22:05:08 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 22:05:08 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Oct 22 10:35:17 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 16:13:32 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Oct 14 16:12:33 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 16:12:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 08 11:02:51 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 11:02:51 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 19 08:29:27 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 08:29:27 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Aug 13 06:47:59 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 06:48:09 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Aug 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 15:48:56 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 01:13:47 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jul 17 15:10:26 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 15:10:26 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sun Aug 02 08:15:19 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 09:08:47 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 08:15:19 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat May 23 17:09:27 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 17:09:27 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 08 12:41:31 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 07:52:32 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 12:41:32 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Mar 21 18:08:18 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 18:08:18 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Mar 20 03:26:08 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 03:26:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Mar 18 14:53:54 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 14:53:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Feb 22 18:14:45 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 18:14:45 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=4673859