A War of Eyes: and Other Stories - Softcover

Coleman, Wanda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0876857357 ISBN 13: 9780876857359

Publisher: Black Sparrow Press, 1988

Synopsis

In this extraordinary collection of short stories, Wanda Coleman, a poet who grew up in the Watts area of Los Angeles, turns a baleful eye on lives that "mainstream" America wishes would somehow go away: She chronicles the not-so-quiet desperation of the poor and black urban dweller and gives voice to their unending struggle to keep afloat in a hard-scrabble environment circumscribed by racism and poverty.

With surgical precision, she cuts through the many-layered myths and mysteries that make up the American Dream and lays open the lives of the underclass. She plunges in deeply and plucks from this subterranean stream a record of pain and the humor and grace necessary for survival.

About this title

About the Author

Wanda Coleman - poet, storyteller and journalist - was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. She is the recipient of grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. She was awarded the 1999 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for Bathwater Wine and was a bronze-medal finalist for the 2001 National Book Award for Poetry for Mercurochrome.

From Publishers Weekly

Coleman ( Heavy Daughter Blues, etc.) pens knowing tales of the black urban poor, describing hardworking waitresses looking for a way out, a man who literally starves himself to death supporting a luxury car, and a future world where the lower classes must pay the government or be executed. Her best pieces, such as "Dream 5281," about a group of women accosted by toughs, and "The Big Little Gang," concerning underage criminals, are distinguished by smooth plotting, effective suspense and deft characterization. The title story, a psychological fantasy, is both striking and elegant, while the delightful "Take It Up at the Bridge" succeeds as a jazz riff in words. All too often, however, the narration waxes amateurish and stilted, the action is jarring and the principals fail to ring true. An egregious example is "Reba," in which the heroine's odd behavior is explained by the revelation that she has eaten her baby. A more restrained editorial focus would have resulted in a slimmer volume and a better showcase for Coleman's talents.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Black Sparrow Press
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0876857357
• ISBN 13: 9780876857359
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 242