Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “145th Street: Short Stories” as Want to Read:
145th Street: Short Stories
by
From the award-winning author of Monster, this collection of powerful and poignant stories about 145th Street--an unforgettable block in the heart of Harlem--celebrates African-American life in all of its glory.
"Myers is a master." --The New York Times Book Review
On Harlem's 145th Street, things happen that don't happen anywhere else in the world.
Get to know Big Joe, who' ...more
"Myers is a master." --The New York Times Book Review
On Harlem's 145th Street, things happen that don't happen anywhere else in the world.
Get to know Big Joe, who' ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
January 14th 2020
by Delacorte Press
(first published October 1st 2001)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
145th Street,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about 145th Street
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of 145th Street: Short Stories
This is a gritty collection of short stories centered around a block in Harlem and following many different people on the block. It was heartbreaking, heartwarming, eye opening, and raw.
Award-Winning author Walter Dean Myers offers a multi-faceted view of urban life in this collection of ten loosely-connected stories, all of which take place in Harlem. These stories are very short but feel lived-in and complete, and Myers writes convincingly from many perspectives and in many different voices. Though slang is sprinkled throughout the book, it is neither distracting nor offensive and helps create believable and sympathetic characters in a fairly brief amount of space, bringing t
...more
The book 145th street Shot Stories, is about a guy name Big Joe who wants to throw himself a funeral partie even though he is alive. He is very popular on the streets, so he invites alot of people to come to his Funeral partie. Most people that Big Joe invited, said no i'm not going because you are not dead and that it is not right to act like your dead because thats making fun of the dead people, and hurting many peoples feelings like that because most of the people lost someone very important
...more
Nov 15, 2009
Nadia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
grade-8-ir-books-betts
This book was mainly about the usual things that happen on 145th street. This book didn't focus on only one character it focused on a few since there are ten stories written in this one book. Each story focused on the good and bad stuff of what happens on 145th street. Some stories in the book talked about how people don't always make such great choices in life. And some of the other stories talked about conflicts in life.
I'm going to do a text-to-self connection to Peaches. I think i can connec ...more
I'm going to do a text-to-self connection to Peaches. I think i can connec ...more
This is a great, honest, and well-written story collection for young readers. My daughter was reading it with her 8th grade English class and I decided to get myself a copy. She and I exchanged a few of our favorite stories and were able to have some great discussions as well as share our perspectives - definitely worth checking out!
This book is so good! I’m adding it to my list of all time favorites.
Dylan Johnson
9/3/15
145th Street, Walter Dean Myers
Peaches Jones is an outgoing African American teen from Harlem that can be rough around the edges sometimes.
Big Joe is a central character in the neighborhood he owns Big Joe’s barbeque joint that sits on the corner of 145th street. Big Joe is beloved by everyone in the neighborhood and respected as an elder.
Willie Murphy is in his 30’s, he believes that because of his age he knows everything, and Willie can come off to be quite annoying to m ...more
9/3/15
145th Street, Walter Dean Myers
Peaches Jones is an outgoing African American teen from Harlem that can be rough around the edges sometimes.
Big Joe is a central character in the neighborhood he owns Big Joe’s barbeque joint that sits on the corner of 145th street. Big Joe is beloved by everyone in the neighborhood and respected as an elder.
Willie Murphy is in his 30’s, he believes that because of his age he knows everything, and Willie can come off to be quite annoying to m ...more
Name: Josephine Wold
APA Citation: Myers, W. D. (2000). 145th Street Short Stories. New York: Delacorte Press.
Genre: Short Stories
Award: n/a
Format: Print
Selection process:
1) Reviews by Booklist and School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.
2) By the 1994 Margaret A. Edwards Award winner.
Review:
You may start out thinking you don’t want or need to read about the quirky poor people who live on a particular street in Harlem. But as you read you begin to come to know you are connecting with the real ...more
APA Citation: Myers, W. D. (2000). 145th Street Short Stories. New York: Delacorte Press.
Genre: Short Stories
Award: n/a
Format: Print
Selection process:
1) Reviews by Booklist and School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.
2) By the 1994 Margaret A. Edwards Award winner.
Review:
You may start out thinking you don’t want or need to read about the quirky poor people who live on a particular street in Harlem. But as you read you begin to come to know you are connecting with the real ...more
Name: Leslie Short
APA citation: Myers, W.D. (2000). 145th Street Short Stories. New York, NY: Random House
Genre: short stories
Format: Print
Selection process: ALA – YALSA Best Book for Young Adults; Booklist review
Review:
145th Street is a collection of short stories told about the residents of 145th street Harlem. The stories are full of humor and/or hardships, but each of them proved to be entertaining. Big Joe hosts his own funeral with a life insurance check he received for cancelling his lif ...more
APA citation: Myers, W.D. (2000). 145th Street Short Stories. New York, NY: Random House
Genre: short stories
Format: Print
Selection process: ALA – YALSA Best Book for Young Adults; Booklist review
Review:
145th Street is a collection of short stories told about the residents of 145th street Harlem. The stories are full of humor and/or hardships, but each of them proved to be entertaining. Big Joe hosts his own funeral with a life insurance check he received for cancelling his lif ...more
I read this book to review to assist my school district in making the decision on whether or not it should be added to the middle school curriculum. These short stories would open up many windows to have higher level thinking about many facets of urban inner city life. So many of the experiences touches or have touched the lives of the students within the district. There is: police contact, addiction, gang violence, low self esteem, lost dreams, and gun violence to name a few. There is also a pe
...more
Jun 10, 2010
Pume
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
grade-8-ir-books-sadelle
This book was basicly short stories rolled into one book. Each of these stories have a different plot to them and take a different turn with each of them. In one story a girl can predict if a person can die. But in a different story a student has to fight a gang. Each of these stories has an interesting plot to them.
I think that this can connect to real life situations to. Many things in this book could happen on your own nabourhood. That is why I believe that it was based on real people. That i ...more
I think that this can connect to real life situations to. Many things in this book could happen on your own nabourhood. That is why I believe that it was based on real people. That i ...more
Mar 25, 2010
Sharaesof2014
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
to-read-ir-books-09-10
This book is about little stories put in to one story. This is a short stories book and the stories are about a guy who plans a fake funeral for i don't know what reason. Another story is about a girl named peaches and her life story about her and her friends. There's a couple of stories with big Sal in it the guy who planned the fake funeral's.
I would connect this book to text-to-world because these stories are about real peoples lives and i bet people can connect to how those people wrote th ...more
I would connect this book to text-to-world because these stories are about real peoples lives and i bet people can connect to how those people wrote th ...more
This short story was about two children and a dog and one older lady who experienced injustice. The dog and one child get shot and killed.Mary Brown gets her house shot up by the police. The narrator is forced to go with Mary Brown and the police to the appartments. Throughout this story each character expericences injustice.
Monkeyman:
The story "Monkeyman" shows injustice. The main character Monkeyman is being targerted by a gang called the Tigros. He helped a girl, Peaches, from getting cut by ...more
Monkeyman:
The story "Monkeyman" shows injustice. The main character Monkeyman is being targerted by a gang called the Tigros. He helped a girl, Peaches, from getting cut by ...more
This Book Is Good It Has Alot Of Short Stories About Whats Going On 145th Street Some Of The Characters Name Is MonkeyMan,Angela,Peaches,Big Joe Etc. The Book Is Mixed Up There Are Good Times And Bad Times You Never Know What Is Going To Happen Next. The Genre Of This Book Is Fiction And Mostly Drama.I Think This Is Drama Because Mostly Bad Things Happen Someone Getting Hurt Of Dieing But Its Not All Drama Good Things Happen
I accidentally read the sequel to this, What They Found: Love on 145th Street (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29...), first. That book was incredible.
I liked all the stories in this one, but I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half and overall found it lacking the heart I loved so much in the sequel and enjoy in so many of Meyers' books. ...more
I liked all the stories in this one, but I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half and overall found it lacking the heart I loved so much in the sequel and enjoy in so many of Meyers' books. ...more
I liked the boOK IT CUZ IT HAS THE THEME OF INJUSTICE. MY FAVORITE SHORT STORY IS "BIG JOE'S FUNERAL" CUZ HE HAS A FUNERAL EVENTHOUGH HE IS STILL ALIVE, AND THEN AFTER THE FUNERAL HE HAS A BIG PARTY.
...more
This book is a very interesting book. It explains many themes. one that occurs frequently is injustice. it has many stories including "The Streak" "The Baddest Dog in Harlem" and " Big Joe's Funeral"
...more
145th Street was also a good book . This book is also my type of books because it's also of stories in one whole book very incredible. Great Book !
...more
The first story, "Big Joe's Funeral" is about the humorous resident in Harlem who decides to plan his own funeral, while he was stil living. He encounters some pronlems from his girlfriend's teenage daughter, but still proceeds with his FAKE funersl plsns.This story was good. It was a good way to see if people really care about you. But At the end of the story someone really died. So it showed that death is serious and should not be taken as a joke, because people lose their lives everyday.
The S ...more
The S ...more
I read this book with my 7/8th grade literature class as a companion to our earlier study of the The Outsiders. Interestingly, my students did not enjoy this book as much because it was difficult to connect with the characters because they did not develop the way they would over the course of a novel. I agreed with their assessment, however the plots were definitely engaging and entertaining. I think next time I would pull one or two stories and teach those specifically rather than use the whole
...more
Pop Sugar Challenge 2019: book told from multiple character’s POV
When you teach urban alternative students and you find an author they identify with, you roll with it. We started with “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” in their textbook and then the graphic novel version of Monster. We ended the year with several stories from this collection. As always, Dean Myers is relatable and not afraid to show the reality life in Harlem. But with all of the harshness, there is always a silver lining. A quick, e ...more
When you teach urban alternative students and you find an author they identify with, you roll with it. We started with “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” in their textbook and then the graphic novel version of Monster. We ended the year with several stories from this collection. As always, Dean Myers is relatable and not afraid to show the reality life in Harlem. But with all of the harshness, there is always a silver lining. A quick, e ...more
A series of short stories about the people who live on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. Each story tells of an unusual incident in the life of one of the residents. Book smart Monkeyman gets jumped by a rival gang for stopping them from slashing a girl. Big Joe decides to cash in life insurance and stage a funeral party for himself. Each tells the block's story from their point of view and position in life.
Grittier and probably more "urban" than the Bluford series, but still pretty clean wit ...more
Grittier and probably more "urban" than the Bluford series, but still pretty clean wit ...more
A short book of short stories.
The first story is about a man named Big Joe who decides to have his funeral while he is still alive. Dumbest thing I ever heard of but entertaining none the less.
The next story is short with a tragic ending.
Next - A young girl who can dream the future followed by a young man who has a streak of bad luck then a streak of amazing luck but running out of streaks somehow.
All of the stories were entertaining and easy to get through.
This is my first introduction to ...more
The first story is about a man named Big Joe who decides to have his funeral while he is still alive. Dumbest thing I ever heard of but entertaining none the less.
The next story is short with a tragic ending.
Next - A young girl who can dream the future followed by a young man who has a streak of bad luck then a streak of amazing luck but running out of streaks somehow.
All of the stories were entertaining and easy to get through.
This is my first introduction to ...more
I liked this! The first few stories were a little slow but as it got into the deeper material, it got way more intriguing. I'm from a middle class suburb so it was really interesting to hear about Harlem, especially from an own-voices author who is considered a classic of YA fiction.
I would recommend this, but I'd definitely add that the writing seems suitable for younger ages (though the content can be somewhat mature). It was simple and straightforward so keep that in mind! ...more
I would recommend this, but I'd definitely add that the writing seems suitable for younger ages (though the content can be somewhat mature). It was simple and straightforward so keep that in mind! ...more
This was on my actual bookshelf in my classroom for many years. I finally picked it up and am so glad I did! Great assortment of short stories! I think I've found a new author to add to my selections for school.
...more
This 20th anniversary edition of Harlem-based stories also features brand-new content, including historical information about Harlem’s rich past, an immersive map of the neighborhood’s iconic landmarks, and touching tributes from authors, artists, and literary legends.
A bit dated. But good.
It is nice
A snapshot into what it is liken on 145th and the hardships the young people in the inner city face.
2.5 I had to read it for school. It was okay. Probably wouldn't reread.
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What did you think of the book? | 7 | 67 | Sep 15, 2009 06:57PM | |
| What did you think of the book? | 1 | 9 | May 14, 2009 01:03PM |
Readers also enjoyed
pseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empi ...more
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empi ...more
Related Articles
As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of...
81 likes · 21 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
