Among the Wild Mulattos and Other Tales

by Tom Williams

Named a 2015 Best Read by National Public Radio!

Set in the suburbs and cities of the Midwest, Mid-South, and Texas, these stories explore the lives of characters biracial, black, white, and all sorts of in-between. The intersections and collisions of contemporary life are in full effect here, where the distinctions between fast food and fine art, noble and naked ambitions, reality and reality shows have become impossible to distinguish.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Race

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2015

Reviews

[Miescha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curious and oddly entertaining. Williams has mastered the art of making the reader uncomfortably aware without resorting to the common artifices of forcibly alienating the reader or constructing a false universal the reader may over-identify with as a means of provoking critical thinking and dialogue about deeply ingrained cultural ways of being. I struggled with that last description. As awkward and clinical as "ways of being" may sound, I can think of no other way to describe it. It’s truly that well-rounded of a text exploring all the ways we are in society, mainly, how we interact with society vs. how we wish to interact with society, the dichotomy itself universally inherent to the human experience coupled with the sobering fact that any barriers we face will ultimately be uniquely individual. Of course, Williams himself expresses this much better in the line on pg. 62, "They told me to think of myself as an individual and nothing more. I could be anyone and anything I wanted. Heard then and now, this soothing litany did nothing but confuse me."

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these stories, just picked up the book and chewed right through. Entertaining, perfectly crafted, and keen on the insight. This is my favorite Williams book to date.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of the short story genre. When I read a book, I want each turn of the page to be connected. Oftentimes, I don't get that with short stories. As a result, I usually keep away from these types of books.

Turns out I was wrong.

I'm glad I took a chance on this one. Really glad. There wasn't a story I didn't like, and each story had a tinge of mystery attached. Interestingly, the lead story of the collection - the one many critics and readers purport to be the worst story included - was one of my favorite, since it was laden with metaphoric details which made the plot all the more rich. The title story, however, was what made the collection (at least for me) lose one star, primarily due to its somewhat predictable plot: I somehow knew how the story would end, and while I rooted for both the main character and his love interest, it turns out the story line never took the road less traveled.

And that, as the poet so eloquently writes, made all the difference.

I hope to read more of this author, since his talent is clearly evident in these stories.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most story collections there are some good stories in here and there are some forgettable ones. Luckily, no awful ones, and the good ones were really quite good. Several of the better ones deal with what it is to be an American in the age of social media, where everyone wants to be famous or a least popular in their social circle. Williams explores what we’re willing to do for “fame” and success as well as the other extreme of simply opting out. Favorites include “The Story of My Novel: Three Piece Combo with Drink”; “Movie Star Entrances”; “The Lessons of Effacement”; and “Among the Wild Mulattos”.

[Mick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story Among the Wild Mulattos is exceptional.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote about this book for the Colorado Review. You can find that here.

Short version: "The tales Tom Williams has crafted in Among the Wild Mulattos offer complexity without forgetting to entertain, and beauty without sentiment. Like the writer [in the opening story] sitting in a booth taking inspiration from fried chicken, this book has something unexpected, yet graceful and vital, to show the world."

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are oddball, absurdist, racially conscious short stories, and I enjoyed it very much, sometimes laughing out loud. Most (all?) of the main characters are mixed race, per the title. The stories address broader topics including celebrity culture, social climbing, consumerism, food, writing and romantic relationships. Tom Williams is a unique writer, but parts of this reminded me of David Foster Wallace and Joshua Ferris, two of my favorites.

[John Vercher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meta and absurd in the best ways, this one had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion while also nodding my head along with insights only the best satires can offer. Damn, I loved this book.

[D'urban Moffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an an extremely easy read. I want to say that it was 'light' reading and the overall tone is such, however, there are darker undertones present which give these tales a subtle, and sometimes overt, angst . A better way to describe the prose in Among the Wild Mulattos and Other Tales would be to say that author Tom Williams approaches his characters and situations with a light hand and great compassion. He infuses humor with generous servings of the absurd in stories which elaborate the more nuanced elements of race, commerce and relationships. There are some sinister forces at work here, but the characters almost never realize it until it's too late... until they (and you) are sucked all the way in and they can't turn back without hurting themselves in some fashion. The perfect example of this is illustrated in the first story Three Piece Combo with Drink, a cautionary tale that finds a struggling artist forging an unholy alliance with a corporate entity. Thus, the slide into the pit begins and before he knows it, his project has been wrested from his control in tragicomic fashion. So it goes with the rest of these stories. One of the main recurring themes is displacement/replacement: a brother that loses his soul to the television only to become a part of it: body doubles threatening to usurp the order: the hunt for an illusion, possibly a myth portrayed as reality, an allegory for the feeling of fitting nowhere from the vantage point of a cultural outsider. There is laughter here, some of it uneasy. The narrators are all sympathetic, somewhat lost souls, entirely relatable and disarming. T.W. has a way with vivid characterization that paints a complete picture of these odd and varied individuals. As I read ATWM, I couldn't help but compare T.W.'s tales to the adult work of Roald Dahl; this is how he would have written if he weren't white. There's probably a better comparison out there... but I shouldn't even compare. It stands as a strong collection of unusual, precisely worded short stories, well worth the time.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and very enjoyable collection of stories that address some of the same thematic concerns of William's novel _Don't Start Me Talking_: Race, identity, authenticity, culture, and etc. Because he's freed of the weight of having to sustain the conceit for the length of a book, there's more whimsy to some of the set-ups, like the crazy costumers of "Move Star Entrances" or the reality TV skewering of "The Most Famous Man of These United States." Some of them wander so close to the real world, like "Ethnic Studies" that I was disappointed that it ended when it did-- I shouldn't say this because people often say it about my work and it makes me crazy, but it seemed like it was just getting started.

Some others, like "The Hotel Joseph Conrad" didn't quite work for me-- after an intriguing hook, Williams finds a trick, a legal fiction, to get him out of the story. But mostly, these are what Williams leads you to want-- explorations equal parts smarts and whimsy of the nature of self in a world too eager to define you first.

[James Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read so few short story collections in recent years, in part because they often feel like those albums from the 80s with two good songs and a lot of filler. Among the Wild Mulattos, I’m glad to say, made me fall in love with short story collections all over again. Or this one, anyway. These stories are, above anything else I might say about them, fun. They are also insightful examinations of race, fame, and relationships, but the author spins one hell of a yarn and makes you forget how nutritious these tales are while you’re turning the pages. If you enjoy the inventive stories of Kevin Wilson or Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman, you won’t be disappointed by this stellar assortment of stories.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5...there were some stories that were absolutely amazing, and some that fell flat for me. Would definitely still recommend though, I think what Tom Williams is doing is great and I really enjoyed how the theme of race ebbed and flowed effortlessly throughout the stories.

[Lavinia Ludlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review here: http://thenextbestbookblog.blogspot.c...

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories. The title story was especially evocative and thought-provoking. Not a dull moment in the whole book.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book - the stories are original, humor fantastic, and exploration of identity thoughtful and wise.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I didn't get it.