Edited by Edward P. Jones (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $14.95)
The most recent edition of this well-established anthology of
contemporary Southern literature includes 18 stories that are ". . .not
about the glands, but about the human heart."
Jones has handpicked stories that transcend the superficial layer of
everyday existence, delving into worlds filled with happiness, despair,
and everything in between. Big-name authors share the pages with
lesser-known talents.
In the opening tale "Goats," two boys struggle with transition while
raising livestock and caring for an elderly grandfather.
Whether narrated by a young Jehovah's witness in North Carolina or a
cheating basketball coach in Kentucky, every story is connected through
a common vein: a sense of Southern culture and place. The result is a
body of work that will touch any Southerner's heart. --Marti Buckley
Kilpatrick
