Madonna Stories: A Short Story Anthology by Gary Paulsen – Powerful Tales of Human Vulnerability

by Gary Paulsen

In this collection of stories that reveal the strength and frailty of the human spirit, the award-winning author offers up the subject of human vulnerability with a spareness of language and an intensity of emotion that are the hallmarks of his fiction.

Genres: Short Stories

120 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 1993

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Alesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man, can this guy ever write. Gary Paulsen is the author of Dogsong, which was a young-adult novel that Joey read in high school. I read it then too, and loved it. This book I found in the Bukit Merah library and it's a collection of very short stories. The range on a variety of subjects, but many have to do with growing old with dignity and facing death. What I love about his style is that it's so crisp and simple. In just a few pages, he captures an entire feeling, and always circles back at the very end to connect the dots with where he started. When I read his work, I become jealous of his ability, and want to copy him. He makes a person proud to be a human being.

[Nancy Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of 11 short fiction essays. Each essay gave me a glimpse into the mind and heart of Gary Paulsen that I had not seen before in his other writing.

[Beth Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to downsize my book collection, and I read these stories last night with the thought that I'd read this book and then pass it on. Instead, the stories were so heartfelt that I'm reluctant to let go of it. Each story is very short but gets to the core of some aspect of our human condition. I was moved by the author's succinct writing which manages to portray the respect he has for all of us as we travel through this life.

[Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of bleak stories by this author who is better known as a three-time winner of the Newberry Honor awards.