Edited by Richard Ford, this anthology contains 44 short stories. I personally really enjoyed just about 42 of 'em. (There were a couple I didn't hang with, but I won't name 'em 'cause it was probably just my mood at the time -- and the beauty of an anthology such as this is that you can just skip all around in one book, an activity in which I love to engage!)
Anyway, the stories range from oldies by the Misses Welty and O'Connor to brand new ones by my man Junot Diaz and several other youngbloods. I especially enjoyed Z.Z. Packer's "The Ant of the Self" and "Grit" by Oxford, Mississippi's very own Tom Franklin.
There's no single consistent theme that ties these stories together, as admitted by editor Ford in his lengthy (a little too, if you ask me) introduction. But, always on the lookout, I did spot a couple of recurring themes: alcoholism, parenting (or being parented).
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