In this story by Piri Thomas, best friends from a poor neighborhood share a passion for boxing. They are both so good that they must compete against each other in a match to decide who will represent their club in the famous ‘Golden Gloves’ boxing championship. Although the boys have different fighting styles, they are very evenly matched. The fight becomes so brutal that instead of cheering, the crowd falls silent. The match ends with both boys bloodied and in pain. The judges must choose a winner, raising the question: How will their decision affect the friendship? More…
Weight
In this story by John Edgar Wideman, a writer calls his mother and reads her a draft of a story he has written. It opens with the metaphor My mother is a weightlifter, and goes on to admire the way she has shouldered so many burdens throughout her life. She is not impressed. Two days later, she dies. As he reflects on the call he realizes it wasn’t the story that upset her, but his opening words: This is about a man scared he won’t survive his mother’s passing. Themes include motherhood, love, racial inequality, suffering, strength, dependence, grief, fear. More…
Cell One
Some websites describe Nnamabia, the young protagonist in this story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, using terms such as ‘a wayward, rebellious son’. This is treating him too kindly. At the beginning of the story, Nnamabia is an entitled, spoiled, manipulative brat… too weak-willed to resist imitating the petty thefts of his peers, yet so cowardly that the only person he is game enough to steal from is his mother. Although he did not deserve the punishment he received at the hands of the so-called Nigerian justice system, he learnt some important lessons and came out of it a man. More…
The Chef
You don’t need to get far into this story from Andy Weir to realize that things aren’t as the protagonist describes them. When the doctor finally reveals the truth following some unnecessary theatrics involving the difference between a teaspoon and tablespoon, most readers experience a mild “aha moment” and move on to something else. It is only the very perceptive and those who take the time to follow Weir’s advice and read the story again knowing the outcome, who realize the true horror of the life the poor woman must have lived. More…
He-y, Come On Ou-t!
In this parable by Shinichi Hoshi, a landslide opens up a seemingly bottomless hole in the ground. A businessman obtains the rights to fill the hole. He gets permission to dispose of toxic waste, and soon hazardous materials from nuclear power plants and contagious disease experiments are being poured into the hole along with domestic waste and classified government documents from a nearby city. The city and ocean are cleaner, and even the sky seems clearer than before. That is until a workman atop a tall city building hears a voice from above shouting: He-y, come on ou-t! More…