New Stories from the South
Nov 18, 2009
New Stories from the South
2009: the Year's Best
Selected from US Magazines
Edited by: Madison Smartt Bell
Series Editor: Kathy Pories
Publisher: Algonquin Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-1-56512-674-9
New Stories from the South has published an annual edition since 1986. One has to admit, not many things last that long in this new nanobyte society.
On the back cover of this compilation, Madison Smart Bell writes, "The South, a place once easily identifiable by accents, longstanding traditions, and the desire to stay close to one's roots, is now not necessarily identifiable by any of these things. What the Southern experience used to be has already passed. Whatever it is now, this too shall pass."
I agree with that completely. These are stories of the "New South".
These are gripping tales of struggle after the flood, abuse, adultery, crime, murder and much more. Post-Katrina; many different races and religions involved; hostile, angry poverty - not the genteel poverty of the Old South and other subjects that generally were not written about when a Southern story was put to paper.
It's a nice thick sized book that you can really sink your teeth into and experience many different writing styles and storylines.
Different, new and brazen.........but most definitely Southern.
A keeper for my bookshelf.
