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Look for Me and I'll Be Gone: Stories
A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Forty years after John Edgar Wideman's first book of stories, comes this stunning collection that is vital reading for anyone interested in the state of America today. Its subjects range from Michael Jordan to Emmett Till, from distrust of authority to everyday grief, from childhood memories to the final day in a prison cell.
A boy stands alone in his grandmother's house, unable to enter the room in which his grandfather's coffin lies, afraid the dead man may speak, afraid he won't speak. Freddie Jackson's song 'You Are My Lady' plays on the car radio as a son is brought to a prison cell in Arizona. A narrator contemplates the Atlanta child murders from 1979.
Never satisfied to simply tell a story, Wideman continues to push form, with stories within stories, sentences that rise like a jazz solo with every connecting clause, voices that reflect who he is and where he's from, and an exploration of time that entangles past and present. Whether historical or contemporary, intimate or expansive, the stories here represent a pioneering American writer whose innovation and imagination know no bounds.
Forty years after John Edgar Wideman's first book of stories, comes this stunning collection that is vital reading for anyone interested in the state of America today. Its subjects range from Michael Jordan to Emmett Till, from distrust of authority to everyday grief, from childhood memories to the final day in a prison cell.
A boy stands alone in his grandmother's house, unable to enter the room in which his grandfather's coffin lies, afraid the dead man may speak, afraid he won't speak. Freddie Jackson's song 'You Are My Lady' plays on the car radio as a son is brought to a prison cell in Arizona. A narrator contemplates the Atlanta child murders from 1979.
Never satisfied to simply tell a story, Wideman continues to push form, with stories within stories, sentences that rise like a jazz solo with every connecting clause, voices that reflect who he is and where he's from, and an exploration of time that entangles past and present. Whether historical or contemporary, intimate or expansive, the stories here represent a pioneering American writer whose innovation and imagination know no bounds.
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First published November 9, 2021
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About the author
John Edgar Wideman
95 books410 followersA widely-celebrated writer and the winner of many literary awards, he is the first to win the International PEN/Faulkner Award twice: in 1984 for Sent for You Yesterday and in 1990 for Philadelphia Fire. In 2000 he won the O. Henry Award for his short story "Weight", published in The Callaloo Journal.
In March, 2010, he self-published "Briefs," a new collection of microstories, on Lulu.com. Stories from the book have already been selected for the O Henry Prize for 2010 and the Best African-American Fiction 2010 award.
His nonfiction book Brothers and Keepers received a National Book Award. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and much of his writing is set there, especially in the Homewood neighborhood of the East End. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School, then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he became an All-Ivy League forward on the basketball team. He was the second African-American to win a Rhodes Scholarship (New College, Oxford University, England), graduating in 1966. He also graduated from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Critics Circle nomination, and his memoir Fatheralong was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant. Wideman was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story in 1998, for outstanding achievement in that genre. In 1997, his novel The Cattle Killing won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction.
He has taught at the University of Wyoming, University of Pennsylvania, where he founded and chaired the African American Studies Department, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's MFA Program for Poets & Writers. He currently teaches at Brown University, and he sits on the contributing editorial board of the literary journal Conjunctions.
In March, 2010, he self-published "Briefs," a new collection of microstories, on Lulu.com. Stories from the book have already been selected for the O Henry Prize for 2010 and the Best African-American Fiction 2010 award.
His nonfiction book Brothers and Keepers received a National Book Award. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and much of his writing is set there, especially in the Homewood neighborhood of the East End. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School, then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he became an All-Ivy League forward on the basketball team. He was the second African-American to win a Rhodes Scholarship (New College, Oxford University, England), graduating in 1966. He also graduated from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Critics Circle nomination, and his memoir Fatheralong was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant. Wideman was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story in 1998, for outstanding achievement in that genre. In 1997, his novel The Cattle Killing won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction.
He has taught at the University of Wyoming, University of Pennsylvania, where he founded and chaired the African American Studies Department, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's MFA Program for Poets & Writers. He currently teaches at Brown University, and he sits on the contributing editorial board of the literary journal Conjunctions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 26, 2024
A really compelling short story collection writing about a myriad of topics that Mr. Wideman has become synonymous for: systemic racism, the flawed justice system, the struggle of the personal and political, and the complexities of family.
Some standouts in this collection that often brimmed with both violence and sadness included "George Floyd Story". I felt that Mr. Wideman knowing that Floyd's murder was an act of senseless violence and lynching, but for communities out there, might have felt it was overhyped in the media.
Wideman writes with biting sarcasm, "better to let go or simply leave GF alone, than to attempt a point of view of a person not here, not where I am, a person who somehow possesses the power to see GF breathing, moving around...myself performing this grief, this terror and anger, this attempt to console myself" (Wideman 212).
"Arizona" is a masterpiece of grief and process. Narrated by a man (based on Wideman’s own experiences) visiting his son imprisoned in Arizona, the narrator is a fan of Freddie Jackson's "You are my Lady", one of R&B's most sentimental tunes of the 1980s. But the narrator writes to Jackson as a confidante of sorts, hoping that the man he is writing to might provide him with the solace to help him process his grief and sorrow over his incarcerated son.
It's a brilliant example of a writer or a person even, who writes to an idol asking for some sort of absolution, "you are in it already without being asked, without any exit offered, like the color we share, color which this country assigns to us before we are born...any point of view not only the possible one, always many, always changing" (Wideman 54-61).
Like those who are affected by art, which is subjective, "despite an incalculable sadness your song always invokes for me, whatever else, I keep going back to You Are My Lady for the same reasons I believe people want to hear again songs they love" (Wideman 66).
"Atlanta Murders" is a haunting look at the Atlanta Child Murders of where James Baldwin had become involved in writing about these horrific events that depicted the slaughter of innocents that the country never seemed to care about. Wideman tries to process what went on Mr. Baldwin's mind, and in turn, questions why systemic racism is often cyclical.
Wideman writes, "art improvises and embodies instructions for negotiating imaginary worlds"- and this collection shows a writer still writing as activism, writing to tell his truth which is often dismissed by USA that has sides of racism and turns a blind eye to the injustices black men often suffer.
I loved this book very much, and it became very difficult to handle at times since it was a visceral and unflinching look at the never ending legacies of systemic racism.
Note: If you want to read more about The Atlanta Child Murders, I highly recommend “Those Bones are not my Child” by Toni Cade Bambara and the heartbreaking “Leaving Atlanta” by Tayari Jones.
Some standouts in this collection that often brimmed with both violence and sadness included "George Floyd Story". I felt that Mr. Wideman knowing that Floyd's murder was an act of senseless violence and lynching, but for communities out there, might have felt it was overhyped in the media.
Wideman writes with biting sarcasm, "better to let go or simply leave GF alone, than to attempt a point of view of a person not here, not where I am, a person who somehow possesses the power to see GF breathing, moving around...myself performing this grief, this terror and anger, this attempt to console myself" (Wideman 212).
"Arizona" is a masterpiece of grief and process. Narrated by a man (based on Wideman’s own experiences) visiting his son imprisoned in Arizona, the narrator is a fan of Freddie Jackson's "You are my Lady", one of R&B's most sentimental tunes of the 1980s. But the narrator writes to Jackson as a confidante of sorts, hoping that the man he is writing to might provide him with the solace to help him process his grief and sorrow over his incarcerated son.
It's a brilliant example of a writer or a person even, who writes to an idol asking for some sort of absolution, "you are in it already without being asked, without any exit offered, like the color we share, color which this country assigns to us before we are born...any point of view not only the possible one, always many, always changing" (Wideman 54-61).
Like those who are affected by art, which is subjective, "despite an incalculable sadness your song always invokes for me, whatever else, I keep going back to You Are My Lady for the same reasons I believe people want to hear again songs they love" (Wideman 66).
"Atlanta Murders" is a haunting look at the Atlanta Child Murders of where James Baldwin had become involved in writing about these horrific events that depicted the slaughter of innocents that the country never seemed to care about. Wideman tries to process what went on Mr. Baldwin's mind, and in turn, questions why systemic racism is often cyclical.
Wideman writes, "art improvises and embodies instructions for negotiating imaginary worlds"- and this collection shows a writer still writing as activism, writing to tell his truth which is often dismissed by USA that has sides of racism and turns a blind eye to the injustices black men often suffer.
I loved this book very much, and it became very difficult to handle at times since it was a visceral and unflinching look at the never ending legacies of systemic racism.
Note: If you want to read more about The Atlanta Child Murders, I highly recommend “Those Bones are not my Child” by Toni Cade Bambara and the heartbreaking “Leaving Atlanta” by Tayari Jones.
August 31, 2021
There is so much between these pages. I am still processing it all. It is raw and deep and full of emotion. These are powerful stories of past and present. A necessary read.
October 7, 2021
John Edgar Wideman is a writer's writer. Often deep and complex in ways that generally only other writers readily grasp and easily absorb. This is not to declare, as one might assume from that second sentence that his work is inaccessible, but as Toni Morrison once remarked "passion is never enough, neither is skill. But try." And if one is to truly enjoy this collection of stories that run the gamut from personal to collective history of Black people and their struggle to not struggle as consistently and continuously, as has been the case since our appearance on the planet.
I assure you the prose is often breathtaking and there is a breadth here that can accommodate many varied tastes. I advise take the stories in slowly, and then take them in again until that moment of understanding and recognition pierce your brain and a slow knowing smile develops on your face.
Thank you John Edgar Wideman for sharing your gifts with the world. And thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reading copy. Book will be published Nov. 9, 2021.
I assure you the prose is often breathtaking and there is a breadth here that can accommodate many varied tastes. I advise take the stories in slowly, and then take them in again until that moment of understanding and recognition pierce your brain and a slow knowing smile develops on your face.
Thank you John Edgar Wideman for sharing your gifts with the world. And thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reading copy. Book will be published Nov. 9, 2021.
April 21, 2022
Here I sit about to write a review about a book I read on the 6 train; riding back and forth between Manhattan and the Bronx. Or is this a story about a person about to write a review for a book they read on the 6 train? Who is this character about to write this review? Maybe they are the person sitting next to them on this 6 train heading to Manhattan or away from Manhattan or maybe going nowhere. This review isn't real. It's a story. But Chinua Achebe says all stories are real so this is real.
One time I, the writer of this review, or maybe the writer that's writing about someone writing this review or probably both decided to stop writing the review. One time, right now, I started writing another story. This one is more real than my last story that I never wrote but was always writing, have always been writing. I'm writing words. Wordsy words. Wordplay.
Wordlessly wordless wordiness. <----- This is my actual review.
The first half of this book killed my brain. By the time I got to the end I thought that the book would be better read backwards. And it was. So if you haven't read this book, start with the last chapter. Seriously. It's really good that way.
One time I, the writer of this review, or maybe the writer that's writing about someone writing this review or probably both decided to stop writing the review. One time, right now, I started writing another story. This one is more real than my last story that I never wrote but was always writing, have always been writing. I'm writing words. Wordsy words. Wordplay.
Wordlessly wordless wordiness. <----- This is my actual review.
The first half of this book killed my brain. By the time I got to the end I thought that the book would be better read backwards. And it was. So if you haven't read this book, start with the last chapter. Seriously. It's really good that way.
March 11, 2022
I learned more about race issues from this book than I’ve taken from the likes of So You Want to Talk About Race or How to Be an Antiracist. John Edgar Wideman spills his heart, educates us, and entertains us.
What I liked best about this writing is that JEW creates empathy with strong, evocative word combinations. Some juxtaposed, like expressionless expression while invoke images like still poor after decades of work or water stays the same, people change. He writes in a staccato style that I found fun mixed with the aforementioned words and phrases.
His brother and a son were incarcerated and he writes about both in this collection of stories. I believe this is the first time he’s written on these subjects. It is here and in a few other stories that living black hurt. The only other book that stoked this emotion in me was Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Friday Black. JEW has lived more pain than most of us will ever experience.
I found his personal stories heart wrenching but there are others here of an eclectic mix. The historical story of the Presbyterian missionary William Henry Sheppard was fun and educational. Perhaps mostly nonfiction. The line that stood out here was Not too busy with gods work to neglect the devil entirely…
There’s a short whimsical story called Death Row that is more accurately titled Death Row President. And stories of Rwanda and the Atlanta murders of 1979-1981.
But it is emotional stories that made the book. A solid 4.5 on an expanded Goodreads scale.
What I liked best about this writing is that JEW creates empathy with strong, evocative word combinations. Some juxtaposed, like expressionless expression while invoke images like still poor after decades of work or water stays the same, people change. He writes in a staccato style that I found fun mixed with the aforementioned words and phrases.
His brother and a son were incarcerated and he writes about both in this collection of stories. I believe this is the first time he’s written on these subjects. It is here and in a few other stories that living black hurt. The only other book that stoked this emotion in me was Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Friday Black. JEW has lived more pain than most of us will ever experience.
I found his personal stories heart wrenching but there are others here of an eclectic mix. The historical story of the Presbyterian missionary William Henry Sheppard was fun and educational. Perhaps mostly nonfiction. The line that stood out here was Not too busy with gods work to neglect the devil entirely…
There’s a short whimsical story called Death Row that is more accurately titled Death Row President. And stories of Rwanda and the Atlanta murders of 1979-1981.
But it is emotional stories that made the book. A solid 4.5 on an expanded Goodreads scale.
January 25, 2022
The stories are more like passages of various characters’ inner thoughts who have suffered from the angst of deferred dreams, denied opportunities, misplaced anger, years of disappointment and frustration – by-products of the Black Experience in America. These are mothers, fathers, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds in differing eras. These story “snippets” taps into these familial and social relationships and the strain and pain it brings.
For example, these points of view shift from the sibling of an incarcerated man, reflections on a Freddie Jackson song that brings to mind a dead wife, and randomly delves into sidelined commentary into politics, religion, and historical jaunts like Sheppard’s missionary work and his role in exposing Leopold’s genocide, inhumane cruelties, and enslavement of the Congolese all for greed (natural resources/rubber) in the region.
This is a hodge-podge of experiences no doubt inspired by myth/folklore, actual events, and the author’s vivid imagination. It took me a while to finish. Admittedly, at times, I found it to be a bit disjointed, but I eventually sensed a pattern/rhythm and meaning behind the collection. The writing style isn’t for everyone, thus I recommended it for those with patience and willingness to stick it out to get through the stories.
For example, these points of view shift from the sibling of an incarcerated man, reflections on a Freddie Jackson song that brings to mind a dead wife, and randomly delves into sidelined commentary into politics, religion, and historical jaunts like Sheppard’s missionary work and his role in exposing Leopold’s genocide, inhumane cruelties, and enslavement of the Congolese all for greed (natural resources/rubber) in the region.
This is a hodge-podge of experiences no doubt inspired by myth/folklore, actual events, and the author’s vivid imagination. It took me a while to finish. Admittedly, at times, I found it to be a bit disjointed, but I eventually sensed a pattern/rhythm and meaning behind the collection. The writing style isn’t for everyone, thus I recommended it for those with patience and willingness to stick it out to get through the stories.
May 30, 2022
Prestigious and prolific, Wideman's stories read as modern essays. He is raw and his language is captivating. He is angry and poetic. A writer's writer, he paints scene and character and emotion with depth that attests to his many literary awards. Take time with each story... he is worth it.
November 23, 2021
This is a tremendous book, but it just wasn't for me. The author is an extremely talented writer but I found his writing style to be a bit difficult to follow. As soon as I thought I was getting the flow of a story, it felt like the author would abruptly change course, leaving me confused and unfulfilled. Though I can certainly recognize a work of art when I see one, I was not the right audience for this book.
Many thinks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.
Many thinks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.
October 22, 2021
No Stereotypes Here
I like short stories and believe they are the most difficult to write. The author has to introduce a character or two, set up a situation and either resolve it or leave it mysterious in its denouement. All of this is accomplished in about 1/10 the pages of a novel. Not an easy feat.
John Edgar Wideman packs in definitive situations woven with beautiful prose of his themes. His themes are deep and troublesome. He is usually telling us about the realities of Black American life, so we know these stories are going to tug at your heart with unlikely and painful resolutions. This particular collection is difficult to read. His writing is a stream of consciousness as he is recounting the background to the reader. For instance, “Separation,” tells us about a boy standing near his grandfather’s coffin while we are told about the family’s heritage.
One other story is about serving time for murder and another about reuniting with his formerly incarcerated brother.
Mr. Wideman’s prose is singular, I have never read his style but his words flow and in between is the story.
My gratitude to NetGalley and Scribner for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.
I like short stories and believe they are the most difficult to write. The author has to introduce a character or two, set up a situation and either resolve it or leave it mysterious in its denouement. All of this is accomplished in about 1/10 the pages of a novel. Not an easy feat.
John Edgar Wideman packs in definitive situations woven with beautiful prose of his themes. His themes are deep and troublesome. He is usually telling us about the realities of Black American life, so we know these stories are going to tug at your heart with unlikely and painful resolutions. This particular collection is difficult to read. His writing is a stream of consciousness as he is recounting the background to the reader. For instance, “Separation,” tells us about a boy standing near his grandfather’s coffin while we are told about the family’s heritage.
One other story is about serving time for murder and another about reuniting with his formerly incarcerated brother.
Mr. Wideman’s prose is singular, I have never read his style but his words flow and in between is the story.
My gratitude to NetGalley and Scribner for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.
January 19, 2022
Thanks to the author/publisher for the goodreads giveaway.
I would love to give this book more stars but the truth of it is I hated it. While it seems to hold some powerful stories and writing the style simply isn’t for me. It felt like I was inside the mind of a severely ADD individual with no way to escape. The author actually voiced my thoughts on the book within the pages… “Nothing here except me pretending that maybe it’s not just me in a room making stuff up, me pretending that maybe by-and-by, those things, those words I’m looking for are reassembled elsewhere in clearer, better order, in their own good time and place.” How I wish I had read this book after the words had been reassembled in a clear order.
I would have stopped reading this book after the first or second story were it not for some misplaced self-imposed rule that I don’t quit books I start, especially those a product of a giveaway. Each page was a struggle for me and I wanted to understand and make sense of what I was reading but just couldn’t. Having read other reviews, I understand this is intentional - so if you enjoy experimental writing, or feeling like you’re reading the author’s very first draft (just ideas and nonsense thrown onto a page) this would be a great read for you.
I would love to give this book more stars but the truth of it is I hated it. While it seems to hold some powerful stories and writing the style simply isn’t for me. It felt like I was inside the mind of a severely ADD individual with no way to escape. The author actually voiced my thoughts on the book within the pages… “Nothing here except me pretending that maybe it’s not just me in a room making stuff up, me pretending that maybe by-and-by, those things, those words I’m looking for are reassembled elsewhere in clearer, better order, in their own good time and place.” How I wish I had read this book after the words had been reassembled in a clear order.
I would have stopped reading this book after the first or second story were it not for some misplaced self-imposed rule that I don’t quit books I start, especially those a product of a giveaway. Each page was a struggle for me and I wanted to understand and make sense of what I was reading but just couldn’t. Having read other reviews, I understand this is intentional - so if you enjoy experimental writing, or feeling like you’re reading the author’s very first draft (just ideas and nonsense thrown onto a page) this would be a great read for you.
November 26, 2021
I enter a lot of the Goodreads giveaways for short story collections (from which I won this book), often from writers with whom I'm unfamiliar, because I'm a big fan of the short story. I struggled a lot with this book at the beginning. In fact, I struggled so much that I reached out to a friend of mine who is an author and well-read to see if he was familiar with Wideman. He said he'd read a couple of his novels but found him "too experimental." I also contacted an English prof friend who said she thought he was great but mentioned his "scattered structure" and "experimental style." So I'll say from the outset that I'm not particularly a fan of an experimental style, especially if it's simply for the sake of experiment (another friend referred to this - although not in connection with this book or this writer - as "literary wanking"). Many of the stories in this collection aren't really stories at all. Most read more like essays. Plot is secondary, if it's used at all, to style. In a number of the stories here, Wideman writes about the process of writing the story itself (not in general terms, but for the specific story). I understand that Wideman is widely respected and revered, but this just did not click for me at all. I did like a couple of selections here (but only a couple): "Arizona" and "Penn Station" dealt a little more with plot and character, and the last three stories were more traditional type stories, although most of those didn't do much for me, though "Another Story," the last piece here, was my favorite. Wideman draws directly from his own life in many stories ("Arizona" is about his son; "Penn Station" about a man waiting to meet his brother who he hasn't seen in 44 years since he (the brother) went away to prison) but I feel like he uses it more to talk about the writing process than giving the reader a finished story.
September 19, 2021
Look for Me and I'll Be Gone is a powerful and nuanced collection of short stories from John Edgar Wideman. If you're familiar with his short fiction you will be delighted with this new collection, if this is your introduction to him, it will serve very nicely.
In any collection of short stories by a single author I fully expect to have some I love, some I don't care for, and most somewhere in the middle. In this collection, the ones that I might say I liked least were still too good in some respect for me to say I didn't care for them. Let me explain. There were a few stories that didn't draw me into the scene or narrative, which usually would put them in my lower category. Yet those stories in this case still made me ponder what I was observing and come away with a better understanding. That understanding might have been of the protagonist or of the society that person, and by extension myself, inhabits. Upon rereading those stories I never failed to immerse myself more completely in the story. So this is one of those collections that doesn't, for me, have a truly weak story, just ones that speak to me differently (or in different time frames).
I realize that some readers don't care to put forth the effort to engage with short fiction that doesn't look and sound like every other short story in tone and form. I do understand that, if one is reading just to get from the beginning to the end and not really engage with what lies between then even as short as some of these are they will require too much work. But, if you read primarily to spend time in that space between the beginning and end, then you will enjoy that these reward an active reading rather than a passive one. When a line or word choice trips you up, ask why Wideman may have chosen what he did. Will you know his reason? Probably not, but you will likely come up with possible reasons and each of those will offer you more avenues into and through the story.
I would highly recommend this to readers (and writers) of short fiction. Especially those readers who want to dwell within a story and not simply rack up a page count. Those who study, formally or not, the intersection of various art forms and the larger society within which they are produced and consumed will have a lot here to think about. As an aside, a book I am also finishing up fits very well with this one. Antagonistic Cooperation: Jazz, Collage, Fiction, and the Shaping of African American Culture by Robert G O'Meally.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
In any collection of short stories by a single author I fully expect to have some I love, some I don't care for, and most somewhere in the middle. In this collection, the ones that I might say I liked least were still too good in some respect for me to say I didn't care for them. Let me explain. There were a few stories that didn't draw me into the scene or narrative, which usually would put them in my lower category. Yet those stories in this case still made me ponder what I was observing and come away with a better understanding. That understanding might have been of the protagonist or of the society that person, and by extension myself, inhabits. Upon rereading those stories I never failed to immerse myself more completely in the story. So this is one of those collections that doesn't, for me, have a truly weak story, just ones that speak to me differently (or in different time frames).
I realize that some readers don't care to put forth the effort to engage with short fiction that doesn't look and sound like every other short story in tone and form. I do understand that, if one is reading just to get from the beginning to the end and not really engage with what lies between then even as short as some of these are they will require too much work. But, if you read primarily to spend time in that space between the beginning and end, then you will enjoy that these reward an active reading rather than a passive one. When a line or word choice trips you up, ask why Wideman may have chosen what he did. Will you know his reason? Probably not, but you will likely come up with possible reasons and each of those will offer you more avenues into and through the story.
I would highly recommend this to readers (and writers) of short fiction. Especially those readers who want to dwell within a story and not simply rack up a page count. Those who study, formally or not, the intersection of various art forms and the larger society within which they are produced and consumed will have a lot here to think about. As an aside, a book I am also finishing up fits very well with this one. Antagonistic Cooperation: Jazz, Collage, Fiction, and the Shaping of African American Culture by Robert G O'Meally.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
January 1, 2022
A master of the jazz narrative.
March 25, 2022
First off, I won this book through the Goodreads Giveaway Program.
This was a challenging and complex book. I wanted to get insight into his life through his short stories but it was, at times, elusive. Wideman had a tendency to ramble and I found it hard to mentally stay on track. His writing was powerful and it took me to places I did not expect.
A number of stories stood out. His writing about unknowns William Sheppard, Lucy Sheppard and Samuel Lapley in the Congo during King Leopold's brutal regime could be expanded and be a book in and of itself (Whose Teeth/Whose Story and Sheppard). Penn Station refers to the release of Wideman's brother from prison after 44 years. BTM is a nod to the Black Lives Matter movement. Atlanta Murders is a painful writing about James Baldwin and his investigation of the overlooked slayings of young children. Someone to Watch over me is a playful look at words ending with -ment (figment and segment for example).
Even with the feeling of reading a disjointed collection of stories, I appreciate the depth of his writing and I am glad to have found him. The fact that he spent time in Laramie, WY and learning of his other academic/athletic adventures, makes him, to me, an intriguing and meaningful African American writer.
This was a challenging and complex book. I wanted to get insight into his life through his short stories but it was, at times, elusive. Wideman had a tendency to ramble and I found it hard to mentally stay on track. His writing was powerful and it took me to places I did not expect.
A number of stories stood out. His writing about unknowns William Sheppard, Lucy Sheppard and Samuel Lapley in the Congo during King Leopold's brutal regime could be expanded and be a book in and of itself (Whose Teeth/Whose Story and Sheppard). Penn Station refers to the release of Wideman's brother from prison after 44 years. BTM is a nod to the Black Lives Matter movement. Atlanta Murders is a painful writing about James Baldwin and his investigation of the overlooked slayings of young children. Someone to Watch over me is a playful look at words ending with -ment (figment and segment for example).
Even with the feeling of reading a disjointed collection of stories, I appreciate the depth of his writing and I am glad to have found him. The fact that he spent time in Laramie, WY and learning of his other academic/athletic adventures, makes him, to me, an intriguing and meaningful African American writer.
February 9, 2022
One of my favorite writers melancholy collection of stories about story. Meandering, conversational meditations about how and who does the telling-- what they leave out and what they lean on. We sit in Wideman's mind as time and sentences drift and grow and change direction mid-thought like a house fly. As Roger Ebert pointed out in regards to film, "Sometimes its now what its about, but how it goes about it." And one reads Wideman for his process as much his point. Atlanta Murders, George Floyd, James Baldwin, Freddie Jackson, chickens crossing the road... These often gorgeous stories read like the mental pre-writing an author thinks his way through before actually sitting down.
October 13, 2024
A true and tremendously talented heir to Baldwin. American racism and it's poisonous effects are never far from (most) of these stories, especially their impact on both individual and collective consciousnesses and the family unit. He's a master of the grim yet somehow humorous observation - i.e., re the near perfection of Brittany days, "close enough to remind me that being alive a couple of minutes not a bad deal, even if price is being confused often, then dead forever." A scholar/linguist/reader extraordinaire as well as writer-ditto, Wideman's observations about, nods to and tweaks of the masters - Joyce, Conrad, Hemingway et al - provide both grit and grins.
March 12, 2022
Impressive and powerful stories. Some almost read as interconnected essays/ memoir. Wideman does interesting tricks with language that comes out well in the audio. He touches on race, identity, family, literature, the justice system and more. The stories were well done but also slightly over my head as I would lose track of where the story started and how it got to where it was in the middle. I did appreciate the interesting links and transition and highlights. I hope it isn't really autobiographical because it is a sad story but also one with hope.
August 25, 2022
I found myself getting lost in the artistic genius in the writing of these stories. The words flowed together and stirred up indescribable feelings within me as a reader. The stories were powerful. I highly recommend this, but I will admit that I did at times get confused which took away from my experience. I recognize that this writing style is abstract and not meant to be straightforward, but it was difficult for me to read and confusing at times. Overall, this was a phenomenal read that makes an impact on the reader.
November 27, 2022
These short stories were phenomenally written and thought provoking. Blurring the line between real and imagined conversations, taking pieces from what felt like the authors life story and fictional histories, dropping into lives and stories and leaving before all the details are revealed, this was an intricate dive into so many different lives, and while not all connected, there was a prominent common thread throughout of having to acknowledge yourself and your own actions, how they affect you and everyone around you in ways you may not have noticed.
December 10, 2021
Highly experimental, thought-provoking, repetitive, this is a collection of short stories if you are looking for something very different than the norm. Wideman is such a skilled writer that even his stories that don't really work still have a lot more talent than most fiction out there. My biggest hang up with this was reading it all at once lessened the experience as it went on as opposed to reading a story or two and coming back to it later.
January 22, 2022
This simply didn't resonate with me. I read a few of the shorter stories in the collection, and while there are some wonderful sentences (I do love how the author occasionally uses very long sentences, the lyricism of it), the overall narratives fell flat for me. I was looking for more traditional "stories" (and perhaps some of the longer pieces fall into that category?) but the sampling I read came across as essays or treatises with almost no scene or character arc.
February 14, 2022
An extremely well-written and powerful collection. The description says "short stories" and lists it under fiction,, but so many of them appear to be mostly autobiographical and others are mostly thoughts and essays on race in the USA that flow so abstractly, many pages had to be re-read because I didn't understand how I got to point B from point A. But that's probably just on me and my feeble mind.
Want to read
October 10, 2021A very strong collection of stories from a prolific and talented author. These are varied and subject and scope, all well written, even though I didn't love all of them. Sometimes I just admire the talent coming thru the story. Recommended to literary fiction fans, even those that don't normally read short stories.
I really appreciate the free review copy!!
I really appreciate the free review copy!!
November 29, 2021
Won in a goodreads giveaway!
OK this book...THIS book...some prose sings, some prose screams. Wideman's ululates and shrieks and whispers and cries. There's just so much here, not just to read and internalize but to study if you're in the business of wordsmithing. Just some truly interesting story structures that really help carry the message across. I had a great time reading this book
OK this book...THIS book...some prose sings, some prose screams. Wideman's ululates and shrieks and whispers and cries. There's just so much here, not just to read and internalize but to study if you're in the business of wordsmithing. Just some truly interesting story structures that really help carry the message across. I had a great time reading this book
February 6, 2026
"I own no words in this underworld where my people are being systematically imprisoned and destroyed. My words do not stop the killing. Nor open prison doors. I am permitted to name people, places, things only because the powers that be have decided people like me less dangerous, less of a threat, perhaps, if we believe words and languages belong to us."
gave-up
September 18, 2021Received as an ARC from the publisher. Started 9-17-21. Gave up the same day after about 80 pages. Did not rate this book since I didn't finish it. It's writing style is free-flowing connected sentence fragments that I found difficult to follow. Often a whole paragraph or even a whole page is one sentence with a lot of commas.
May 9, 2022
I like the attempt to unique style of writing but besides ruminations and vague thoughts there is nothing there, No substance, no format, no point to these stories. They are empty shelves signifying nothing.
September 7, 2021
Review tk
December 8, 2021
A masterpiece.
March 20, 2022
A challenging and important collection of short prose pieces that fictionalize reality and turn essays into fiction, and vice versa.
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