This collection from Walter Mosley was different than the Easy Rawlins novels that I've read, but was also enjoyable. Enjoyed the various characters, plots, and pacing. Will need to read more short stories from Walter Mosley. "Showdown on the Hudson" and "Reply do a Dead Man" were my two favorite stories in the collection. #TheAwkwardBlackMan #NetGalley

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

First off the dedication... that right there is where I knew I was in for an amazing heartfelt ride.

Secondly the stories I loved:
Almost Alyce
Starting Over
Cut, cut, cut
Local Hero
Otis (I read this one twice)
Showdown on the Hudson (I read this one twice)
Reply to a Dead Man (read twice)
The Letter (it was so sad...😞 )
The Sun of Dreams

Damn, that’s most of them... I guess that’s why it’s a five star for me.

Sadly not for me. I don't think I get along with Walter Mosley's writing, and the topics and themes of these stories didn't interest me.

A thoughtful, beautifully written set of stories. Each is unconnected to the others, yet build emotionally one to the next.

Title: The Awkward Black Man
Author: Walter Mosley
Pages: 336

A collection of short stories describing different people in different stages of the lives, each with a touching narrative and a deep lesson for all who reads it.

Ahhhh, I made a mistake in picking up this book. Not because of the book, but because I know myself well enough to have known that I would not enjoy it.

In high school we were forced to read short stories, every year, for the entire year for our English class. I HATED every second thereof. I hate short stories. I am never smart enough to discover the intention behind them, I hate that the characters either have miraculous character development or growth or none at all. I hate that sort stories are bland and that should the be an interesting one it is done after 10-11 pages.

Now that you know how I feel about short stories in general, I can tell you, hopefully without judgment, that I did not enjoy this book and I did not finish it. BUT, this is not because of the writing, which I found quite engaging and captivating. I really wish there were longer books written by the author available to me, because I do believe I would enjoy that.

Further, this is out of my genre of Romance/Fantasy out into a world of gender and race politics. I world I find myself very careful to enter. I deal with politics all day long and truly I am not in the mood to dive deeper into it when I am trying to shut off for the evening.

As such this book was entirely wrong for me, while still being a well written and put together anthology of short stories by the amazing author.

As such I would definitely recommend the book to readers who enjoy the topics being discussed, who enjoy short stories and who enjoy the author's writing.

Thoughtful, funny read .. normally a collection of short pieces frustrates me because I want really to get wrapped up... but these are so readable and the voices so enticing .. from the fat man in love with his nurse to a hopeless lovelorn relationship .. money is always (more or less) a side issue. Skilful storytelling wins me over every time .. Mosley's a master...

It's Walter Mosley! So what could go wrong? Well nothing except 3 hours of delightful reading! A wonderful collection of short stories offering a wide range of human foibles by one of the best masters in the genre writing today in America & to be enjoyed without moderation!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this wonderful collection of short stories.

This was my first time reading a Walter Mosley book, despite the fact that he’s considered an American legend who’s penned 50+ novels. In the past three decades, Mosley has won a myriad of awards and is best known for “The Devil In a Blue Dress.”

But this book—The Awkward Black Man—is his first anthology of collected short stories. When it first came out last September, the title didn’t draw me in. But then I took a second look once the rave reviews came in! So I recently downloaded the audio book from my library and read along with the ebook from the publisher.

Mosley’s stories involve Black protagonists who are shy, socially awkward introverts. In an interview about the book, Mosley said he wanted to create pedestrian, everyday characters. Ones who haven’t existed in literature before. His protagonists are individuals with unique worries, insecurities and career sensitivities. And they’re not the stereotypical Black men seen in other books. Meaning, Mosley's characters don’t meet the typical sidekick buddy, criminal, macho man, or lover. Instead, these guys say and do things that buck society. And sometimes do crazy enough things that you may just want to say “No Way” or “OMG” or “Stop it” or “I cannot believe it.” (I always love a book that makes me emote and/or talk to myself)!

Some of these 17 short stories are from the past few years. While one of the most memorable from the collection is the award-winning story, “Pet Fly.” It was published in The New Yorker magazine 25 years ago. In it, Rufus is an overweight, socially inept, inexperienced young guy. Despite his intelligent and having earned a bachelor’s degree, he works in the mailroom for a big company. And one day he falls for someone at the office. He thinks she might feel the same, so he totally stalks this woman. He starts leaving her gifts and notes and then gets called into HR, almost losing his job. But someone high up in the organization gives him a break and a better job—something that meets his qualifications better. And meanwhile, oddly, he becomes friends with a fly in his house. And he talks to this fly like they’re BFFs. It’s a rare glimpse at awkward innocence and intimacy.

While I didn’t love ALL of Mosley’s awkward characters, there were some shining stars in the collection. I highly recommend the book and especially the audio version.

Special thanks to Grove Press for the complimentary readers copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Walter Mosley is an OG in the Black Literature Canon. Since I've been reading more short stories the last few years, this collection was especially appealing. The theme across all the stories center on a Black man who in one way or another dealt with various circumstances, some lonely, some hurt by the love of their life. Others confronted with illness and the human need of companionship. Some of my favorites were Almost Alyce, Reply to a Dead Man, and Cut,Cut,Cut (that one was surprisingly sci-fi and I could have kept reading).

Walter Mosley is wonderful, as always. The book was very insightful and educational to me as a white woman, and I'm grateful to have had the chance to read it.

I had intended to read this author’s work for some time now, and collected a couple of his paperbacks that have sat unread for years. I’ve been so busy reading galleys, with the goal of being done by their dates of publication, that I read very few of the books I’ve bought for myself. When this galley came available, I figured my problem was solved; and in a way, it has been. My thanks go to Net Galley and Grove Atlantic for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

Like some other reviewers, I assumed that these short stories would be from the detective fiction genre that has made Mosely famous. As it happens, they aren’t. I could live with that; they aren’t especially compelling, but they’re not badly written. If not for one problem, I would go with three stars, or perhaps even three-and-a-half and consider bumping it up. However.

Mosely seems to have a problem regarding women. It isn’t that he hasn’t gotten the memo that women would like to be regarded as human beings; his writing gives one the impression that he simply disagrees. The first story of the collection is the title story, and it’s one of a physically large but socially clumsy African-American man that takes a liking to a receptionist where he works. His duties take him to her desk now and then, and he begins finding extra reasons to drop by. He chats with her a bit, but her response is unenthusiastic, and she doesn’t make eye contact. Believing that his intentions aren’t plain, he commences leaving a gift at her work station each day, beginning with a simple token and culminating, at the end of the week, with a Bonsai tree that costs him hundreds of dollars. She never thanks him for any of these, which confuses him. When he approaches her, she deals quickly with his work business, and then asks if there’s anything else she can do for him. His every overture is politely turned aside. Eventually, he is called into the boss’s office; he is accused of sexual harassment. The young woman he’s been trying to woo is scared to death of him, and only then does he realize that she actually can’t leave her station when he approaches her. It’s her job to be there. But he is distraught at having his reputation at work sullied, his position nearly terminated. He’s pretty sure it’s because he’s large and Black.

Huh. Well, perhaps the thing to do here, would be to not hit on women he works with. Maybe that’s the best plan for any man in any work setting, unless someone is clearly, plainly interested in him, has, for example, offered him a phone number. But I remind myself not to dismiss an author, especially one so well regarded for so many years, on the basis of a single story. So I read the others.

Indeed, the other stories don’t overtly demonstrate the same dismissiveness toward sexual harassment in the workplace, but the stereotypes never stop with this guy. Women that appear in his stories do so exclusively in relation to men. Even when they show up as mothers, their worth is in relation to their families; sons, grandsons, nephews, and of course, husbands. Women can be vixens, scheming and deceiving for their own evil ends; they can be victims. What women never are in Mosely’s stories are respected professionals, or community members, or anything else that suggests that they make a valuable social contribution that stands alone, that doesn’t bear directly on the life of whatever male character the story is really all about. It’s almost as though the last fifty years of the women’s movement and its achievements never. Fucking. Happened.

So, who wants my paperback copy of Devil in a Blue Dress? Cause now I know I won’t be reading it.

Recommended to those that love short stories and have no respect for women.

In this vivid short story collection, acclaimed novelist Walter Mosley presents a diverse cast of Black male characters who strive, but all too often fail to find meaning and connection in their relationships with others. In one story, a man is able to feel a sense of closeness only with women whom he hires. While hiding out in the woods, a brilliant high school student unexpectedly befriends a stranger with a dangerous anger problem. In another story, a man’s discovery of his wife’s intimate relationship with their financial advisor triggers a devastating downward spiral. Mosley explores loneliness and longing against a backdrop of various contemporary social problems, including climate change, homelessness, and racism with compassion and insight. This collection is rich with astute observations of human nature and offers us much to ponder and appreciate.

I really enjoyed seeing male characters, especially black male characters, with a realistic twist instead of stereotypical portraits we've come across so often. The author gives voice to the nerd, the self conscious, the odd ball.

As ever, Walter Mosley has given us another wonderful book. It's truly a pleasure to see a master at work, and still working, and prolific as can be.

I heartily recommend #TheAwkwardBlackMan by Walter Mosley, and though I was given an ARC by #NetGalley as described below, I intend to buy a paper copy for my bookshelf.

Have you ever seen a piano setting out on the street unattended? Little girls run up to it giggling, and do their scales; maybe some boys chase them off and hit a few dark chords. Then a guy sits down and runs some riffs, and everyone stops–they just heard a bit of magic on the air, but the guy was only testing the piano, only warming up his fingers. Then he shoots some notes out to the left to see if the air will hold them, then he sends some down by the sidewalk where the pigeons strut, and he sends a few more notes to circle through the air. He’s just playing–testing–but he’s drawn a crowd because even his warm-ups, titles, and first lines are hypnotic delights. I imagine inevitably he picks one out of the air, a composition, a characterization–a string of words that sings to him, the voice he was looking for, and perhaps an Easy Rawlins is born.

These seventeen short stories comprise a masterclass in characterization as Mosley writes his so-called awkward Black men into various realities. I delighted in reading cases of stolen and/or mistaken identity, a western and a couple of science fiction stories, along with tales of genius and extraordinary intelligence, office workers, and professors–and the too often unused college education.

Mosley’s magic was in full force by the time I hit Breath, a nightmare that is, at times, teetering on the border of Poe’s premature burial. Breath is followed quickly by Reply to a Dead Man, the story of a company that will deliver your letters a specified period of time after your death, which is great for those things you’re afraid to tell someone while you’re still alive–perhaps for fear they might kill you? Or for fear of something worse?

Another one of my favorites was Haunted–there’s a rumor that authors never tire of rejected-author revenge stories–could that be true?

The Sin of Dreams explores the soul's location and precisely what the feeling is that makes us believe we have a soul.

An Unlikely Series of Conversations is the final story. You’ll have to read this for yourself to understand why a bank teller would turn down a VP position at a Wall Street investment firm. Warning, once you wade in, it may be deeper than you expected.

Thanks to Grove Press, #NetGalley, and the author of #TheAwkwardBlackMan for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback; this is it!

A collection of 17 of Mosley's most accomplished short stories with black, male protagonists. I found this very interesting as the writing is very good and really gave me a sense of experiencing different situations from the point of view of a black man, something I can never actually experience first hand.

The first story, 'Pet Fly', demonstrated how easy it is for a black man to find himself in trouble in a situation where he meant no harm. Each of the stories depicted black men who were awkward in some way, whether it was through mental illness or misunderstanding and the perceptions many white people project based on race alone.

Though a couple of stories had their slower bits, overall it's a good collection and very insightful for someone not of that demographic to get a sense of a different person's experience.

I included The Awkward Black Man in my roundup on fall preview titles for the Boston Globe, but I've since gone back to read it more closely and thoroughly for pleasure. Walter Mosley is a genius and I love his quirky, funny characters, their sensuality and compelling worldviews. He is a master of characterization and writing awkwardness on the page, which I especially enjoy.

Mr. Mosley's latest work consist of 17 short stories. Each story centers around and tells a tale of a black man that by most standards is considered a little awkward. Some of the stories confused me a little, and some of them I enjoyed very much. they all have to deal with some situation in their life, whether it has to do with a woman, job or life situation. It was an enjoyable read.

Please check out my review of Walter Mosley's Awkward Black Man at the link below:

https://ericalwilliams.com/walter-mosley-and-the-awkward-black-girl/