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16th out of 17 books
—
11 voters
My rating:
add to my books
The Portable Promised Land: Stories
by
Touré
Welcome to Soul City, the fictional American metropolis where magic is as natural as sunshine and where an astonishing array of flamboyant, wise, and joyful characters celebrate life's simple pleasures and draw strength from each other in hard times. With this inspired collection--in which irreverent humor and sharp-eyed social satire combine to produce unforgettable stori...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
April 4th 2003
by Back Bay Books
(first published July 2002)
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so...does my *** rating make me less of a boho chic geek??
i read tppl after hearing how dope, fresh, witty, weird, and engaging it was for the 25th time in seven years. i dug it, but it didn't resonate with me in the way most of my friends(who share similar tastes in tomes) had mentioned. yes, books can transcend time, but i believe that this work is located in a specific moment, experience, and clique--one that if i had read it c. 2003-05, i'd be evangelizing its greatness along wi...more
i read tppl after hearing how dope, fresh, witty, weird, and engaging it was for the 25th time in seven years. i dug it, but it didn't resonate with me in the way most of my friends(who share similar tastes in tomes) had mentioned. yes, books can transcend time, but i believe that this work is located in a specific moment, experience, and clique--one that if i had read it c. 2003-05, i'd be evangelizing its greatness along wi...more
This is a fabulous collection of stories, inventive, witty, wild. The title track tells of a man who bargains with the devil to achieve his ends: he never wants to see white folks again. Blindness, salvation, and flight. Toure attempts new flights of fancy as he writes of magic sneakers. He distills the world of african american imagery and possiblity into a truly hip and passionate vision of a wild and mystical world. Laugh out loud funny, filled to the brim with absurdities and truths too...more
I enjoyed the larger-than-life stories at the beginning of the book...the first three tales, perhaps? Then skipped about and read a few others but some seemed familiar---as though I had read somethign similar beforedidn't have enough interest to read them all. Well written satirical fiction...at times bombastic, but some storylines may appeal to you more than others...
Some standout stories. I especially enjoyed the "top 50 words in Black America"
Tori
added it
2004...Read for school. Now I'm not really a fan of magic realism. In fact, every other book I've tried to read in the genre I've never finished. This collection was actually not so bad. The stories take place in Soul City, a urban black utopia of sorts. Some of the stories left me a bit bored, but others were good. I got the chance to meet Toure and he read some of the stories that will be in his next book which centers around more residents of Soul City. I'll be sure to pick it up because it s...more
Twitter has sort of changed my view of Toure but this book fantastic. Fresh, delightful. I bought it three times...you don't know me but usually when I lose a book that I've already read, I cut my losses because I'm cheap.
Hilarious! This collection of short stories was a nice change to the sad and extensive fantasy novels i've been reading lately. You should pick this one up if you would like a literary change of pace.
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I loved this book!!! It's like reading an urban, adult fairytale. The short stories are so original. This is just such a fun read. We read this for our book club and everyone enjoyed it.
This book is hilarious and full of pretty short stories so you can pick it up and put it down as you wish. Great if you have just have a little spare time or a break to get one in. Love this guy!
One of my favorite books. I enjoy his humor and his writing style. Anything with magical realism has my vote.
this is one of my favorite books. toure makes magical realism hilarious and touching.
This book is hilarious. A great, great great subway book that is indeed quite funny.
SIX WORD REVIEW: Magical realism meets the Black neighborhood.
Hood and intellegent; the stories will CRACK YOU UP!
critically funny; classic black gen X shit
Michelle Sajous
added it
Erica
marked it as to-read
Monique
added it
Duane Joseph
marked it as to-read
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