Kathleen Collins (5) (1942–1988)

This is a slim volume, but when I started it a couple years ago I did not really connect with the first story, and instead of powering through I placed it back on the shelf. My decision to not just give away the book had more to do with how much I liked the cover than how much I liked the story. A few weeks back I picked it up, read the second story, and really liked it and so I moved on. The quality of these pieces in really inconsistent but the good stories are absolutely fantastic - earthy, revealing, honest and really beautifully written. Collins died of cancer in her 40's and her daughter found her writings and chose these to put in this collection. We can hope she left more.… (meer)

Kurze Inhaltsangabe
In der hitzigen Atmosphäre der Bürgerrechtsbewegung ziehen Studenten und Aktivisten durch New York. Schwarze und Weisse, die glauben, dass eine bessere Zukunft möglich ist, wenn man nur bereit ist, sich dafür einzusetzen. Junge schwarze Frauen fahren in den Süden, um gegen die Segregation zu kämpfen, für Gleichheit und Emanzipation. Sie entdecken neue Frei- heiten, ihren Vätern gegenüber und ihren Liebhabern. So vieles scheint möglich in diesem Sommer. Alle träumen von einer Welt, in der das Leben nicht entweder schwarz oder weiss ist. Und die Liebe? Kennt sie wirklich keine Farben? Kann sie der Wirklichkeit standhalten?… (meer)

In this posthumous collection of short stories, author Kathleen Collins focuses mainly on women like herself--intellectual and artistic New Yorkers or New Englanders who have light skin despite African heritage. In these stories, especially the title story and the closing piece, "Dead Memories...Dead Dreams," such men and women see themselves as an elite group, but they still face misunderstanding outside their own circles. Communication, and the difficulties thereof, is a major concern, and death, particularly by suicide, is a constant companion.

These very short stories are highly readable, although some feel unfinished. Recommended.… (meer)