Slapboxing with Jesus
Twelve original and interconnected stories in the traditions of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie. Victor D. LaValle's astonishing, violent, and funny debut offers harrowing glimpses at the vulnerable lives of young people who struggle not only to come of age, but to survive the city streets.In...
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Twelve original and interconnected stories in the traditions of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie. Victor D. LaValle's astonishing, violent, and funny debut offers harrowing glimpses at the vulnerable lives of young people who struggle not only to come of age, but to survive the city streets.In "ancient history," two best friends graduating from high school fight to be the one to leave first for a better world; each one wants to be the fortunate son. In "pops," an African-American boy meets his father, a white cop from Connecticut, and tries not to care. And in "kids on colden street," a boy is momentarily uplifted by the arrival of a younger sister only to discover that brutality leads only to brutality in the natural order of things.Written with raw candor, grit, and a cautious heart, slapboxing with jesus introduces an exciting and bold new craftsman of contemporary fiction. LaValle's voices echo long after their stories are told.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780375705908 (0375705902)
Publish date: October 5th 1999
Publisher: Vintage
Pages no: 224
Edition language: English
At last! A book I've read that's listed on Booklikes. I was wondering whether I'd have to manually add all my recent reads, but I have to admit I just didn't bother adding the others. This collection of short stories was powerful and sometimes upsetting. They seemed in many ways autobiographical a...