A Gathering of Flowers: Stories About Being Young in America

by Joyce Carol Thomas (Editor)

A young Chicano family places all its dreams for the future on a golden cockroach.

Children on a Chippewa reservation carve a tribal trickster from a block of ice in the middle of July.

A young black woman with a gift for preaching decides she'll fly on Sunday at the Perfect Peace Baptist Church.

Written by such distinguished authors as Maxine Hong Kingston, Lois Lowry, Gary Soto, and Joyce Carol Thomas, the short stories in this collection are a celebration of diversity--a tribute to the races and cultures that make up America. Here are exquisitely crafted fables and fantasies, surprising turns of plots, intricate patterns, and powerful rhythms that take the reader from rural Oklahoma to a Chicago Latino barrio, from an East Coast neighborhood to urban San Francisco, and beyond. Here are stories that illuminate the glory, the splendor, the achings and failings of young people growing up across the country--and that address what it is truly like to be ethnic and American.

Genres: Short Stories

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

Joyce Carol Thomas was an internationally renowned author who received the National Book Award for her first novel, Marked By Fire, and a Coretta Scott King Honor for her first picture book, Brown Honey In Broomwheat Tea. Her other titles include I Have Heard Of A Land, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; The Gospel Cinderella; cCrowning Glory; Gingerbread Days; and A Gathering Of Flowers. Ms. Thomas lived in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the short stories in this anthology are different. They seem more like memoirs than actual stories in most cases.
As the stories reflect many different cultures and backgrounds because the main characters vary in ethnicity and location, they give a tiny peek into these different worlds found in the U.S. They vary in intensity of emotion as well.
"After the War" has a young, lonely Japanese American girl making a friend, believing this girl, unlike her, has a perfect life and finds out otherwise. "The Harrington's Daughter" leaves you wishing you could somehow help this unfortunate young woman through her grief. Other stories reflect the trials and tribulations of young and first loves, dealing with grandparents, coping with poverty and facing your own view of your self worth.
The stories are mostly about 20 pages, perfect for a short read.

[mumtaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

so glad I got to read this beautiful anthology of short stories which wove narratives of race, grief, family, and romance throughout its breadth. the lengths of the stories were pretty much perfect and I didn't even notice myself flipping through the pages till I finished the whole book! some of my favourite parts in this anthology was when Vizenor crafted a beautiful modern rendition of a Chippewa trickster story, when Lowry heart wrenchingly illustrated how grief takes our life out of our own hands, when Carol Thomas choreographed religion and longing into a renewal of hope, when Soto recounted a rosey first love with a romantic ending, when Houston explored platonic and filial intimacies ruptured by capitalism, and when Wernli explored a possible future when earth herself is colonized by forces out of our control. the overarching themes of coloniality, racial tension, and capitalism itself bind this anthology together in a cohesive and well thought manner. just really enjoyed all of these stories, considering some of these people I've read before! if you're looking for short stories which are just the right amount of heavy, I highly recommend reading this anthology

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This collection of short stories fell way below my expectations. The majority were so-so--not terrible or badly written, but definitely not memorable. Some of the stories seemed promising when I started them but they either faded out unresolved or cut off abruptly, leaving me wondering about the characters fates. The one story that does stand out is Colony, probably because it was SF and dealt with aliens settling on Earth, and it had an unexpected ending. There were some well known writers here, so perhaps my vision of the book was just not theirs.

[English315/educ510 · Rating 4 out of 5]

~Autumn Rose~ by Kevin Kyung
What is the psychological significance of what Rose says when she sees the White girl and the Asian boy sitting together on the bench on campus, "My mind goes: What if the guy was going out with me, and the girl with Steve?"

~Christmas Story of the Golden Cockroach~ by Ana Castillo

In conjunction with the other names of the characters and their meanings, why is the narrator never named? How does this distract or add to the story?


Jessica Cunningham

-Harringtons' Daughter
Do you think that seeing Sigrid's turmoil gives Nina a sense of maturity and peace that helps her go on with her own life?

-After the war
How is Reiko impacted seeing the way other families face individual tribulations after being in the interment camps?

Brandi Keen

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine collection of short stories by authors such as Gary Soto, Lois Lowry, and Rick Wernli. These stories explore growing up in America from a variety of ethnic aspects, as well as a take on growing up in America science fiction style. A charming book of stories for young people that includes fables, fantasies, and well crafted looks at what it means to be young.

[Karen]

"Twisters and Shouters"
Judy and Wittman are both Chinese-Americans, so why does Wittman seem to have such a low opinion of her?

"Colony"
Why do the colonists mistrust human emotions and irrationality?

[Savannah]

Upstream by Gerald Haslam
Why do you think Uncle Arlo was determined to swim up the Kern River?

First Love by Gary Soto
What keeps Alfonso from getting a 'rock-star style' haircut?


-Savannah

[Carlos Mora Mora]

I haven't really finished reading this book but so far it looks pretty interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required read for a class. Enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the collision of cultures represented in the book.

[Libby Dusenbery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation book with many books being written into one. All the stories are written about growing up ethnic in America. There are eleven stories over all each by different authors, edited by Joyce Carol Thomas. This is written for older students, middle and high school.