<b><i>"There is no one else, Mr. Jackson. It is either you or nothing."</i></b>

Anybody who knows me knows I love Walter Mosley. I try to get my hands on every single thing he writes just about as soon as he writes it. Sometimes I use his books as gifts to myself.

<b>The Awkward Black Man</b> is seventeen short stories about - you guessed it - awkward black men. These men are bright and sometimes brilliant, but they are unassuming. They are often overlooked and taken for granted. Don't get me wrong here. They may lack the bravado and smoothness of Mosley's first man Ezekiel Rawlins or the brawn of his Fearless Jones, but they are no less endearing. I found some of them to be rather charming despite playing second fiddle to someone else's alpha male character. In these stories we see these men struggle through life. We watch some face bouts with mental illness or alcoholism and we are witness to their betrayal by the women they love. But Mosley reminds us through these stories why he is so treasured in the literary world. As with his other works of fiction <b>The Awkward Black Man</b> serves as a mirror for the black male experience. Through the eyes of Rufus, Felix, Otis and the others we the reader are reminded of their worth and singularity. By the end of The Awkward Black Man hopefully we realize just how invaluable these men are.

Published by Grove Press on September 15, 2020

Walter Mosley is known for crime fiction that has the depth, complexity, and prose style of literary novels. The protagonist in the story “Haunted” submitted 1,000 stories to literary journals. Each was rejected because of its “genre” themes. Perhaps Mosley wrote that story as a reminder that fiction of literary quality can still engage themes that are common to genre fiction. Mosley’s fans (and fans of other extraordinary writers of genre fiction) understand that a literary work does not cease to be literary because its characters are not upper middle-class New Yorkers who spend their time regretting failed marriages while doing little to interest readers who are not upper middle-class New Yorkers in failed marriages.

Notwithstanding Mosley’s excellence as a writer of crime fiction, most of the stories in this collection do not fit within a genre. These are stories of life. The protagonists are educated black men of varying ages. Some work for banks or insurance companies. Others are professors. They are awkward for many reasons. The younger ones are uncertain of how they might fit into the world. The older ones don’t know how to talk to women or bosses. Some are insecure. One feels “sure that any woman who showed any interest in me were the ones who had given up, deciding that they’d never get the kind of man they’d really wanted.” When a woman does seem to take an interest in that character, she turns out to be a thief.

Many of the men have been betrayed by women in various ways, although the long-married salesman in “The Letter” is getting over the end of his third affair. Some of the men are going through a crisis, wondering about their relationships or the purpose of their lives. They often question themselves, wonder about the choices they made. Sometimes they question their faith in humanity.

Some of the men struggle with their place in a society that holds them apart. They are burdened by the complexity of life, incapable of glib or superficial responses to social or workplace situations. A man who feels “stuck” has two therapists and lies to them both.

The men are often philosophers, some drawing on the classics and others on the street to inform a perspective on purpose and meaning. Some of the men decide it is time to make a break from the past and to begin a new life. One protagonist, pondering the concept of equilibrium and balance, renounces everything material and, like a Buddhist monk, becomes a beggar during an interval in his search for identity. Another quits his job, walking away from a retirement package, and invites a woman he barely knows to join him as he travels to Italy. Yet another resists a promotion because he wonders whether the position will have a corrupting influence on his life.

Only a couple of stories in this collection might be a comfortable fit within genre fiction. “The Sin of Dreams” involves a murder trial, but it flirts with a common science fiction theme by imaging the transfer of data from a brain to digital storage. The story asks whether a human soul exists independently of memories and explores the ramifications of replacing natural with synthetic bodies. The writer in “Haunted” dies angry and unpublished. He returns as a ghost to pay for his “small-minded, selfish ways.” It takes years of death to learn how to let go of the anger that consumed him in life.

Mosley’s stories dig into the heart of life. They are heartwarming and heartbreaking. Some of the protagonists have suffered a run of hard luck. Some have fathers who are killers or brawlers. Some of the men might have responded to adversity with alcohol or silence. They might lose hope for a while, but in the end, they might find a reserve of strength that helps them carry on.

Each story in this collection is thought-provoking and each reflects the intelligence and compassion that is emblematic of Mosley’s fiction. Mosley drills a deep hole into the interior of his characters to find the humanity that we have so much trouble discovering within ourselves. Decency is a common theme in the stories. Even when they disappoint themselves, characters generally behave decently because that’s how they are wired. Most of the men refuse to be anything less than caring or understanding when the chips are down, no matter how indecently they are treated by others. These awkward black men are, on the whole, models for all men as they confront the awkwardness of living.

RECOMMENDED

I love Walter Mosley's books and I loved this collection of short stories.
They're all well written, compelling and interesting. I can't choose one because I love them all.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

One of my current regrets is that I haven't come across legendary Black author Walter Mosley until this collection of short stories. By turns bizarre, comedic and tragic, "The Awkward Black Man" is a series of musings by an aging Black man. Every story has a powerful voice, a new perspective, a wild plot chase. My personal favorite was the love affair with mad scientist who kept altering people to achieve their "God Potential". What a tongue in cheek, adventurous narrative! Like the best literature, "Awkward Black Man" is a collection that will force you to look at the world just a little bit differently, with newer, fresher eyes and perhaps a little jolt of energy. Take a walk with Walter Mosley and you might never know where you'll end up.

The Awkward Black Man is a book of short stories about different black men and their life circumstances / stories. I have read other books (novels) by this author and I love his writing. These stories are varied in subject matter but all are compelling. I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.

In these 17 short stories, Mosley turns his attention to a series of stories involving, most often, awkward black men. Most stories are set in New York City. A few are set in Los Angeles. All of them involve racism as a daily occurrence, but the characters aren’t stereotypical and racism doesn’t define them. Each story is unique, including one that is a western shoot-out taking place in Manhatten. And what I liked best about most of these stories is that they had happy endings.

This short story collection focuses on different Black men who have awkward situations. The reader sees each of these men navigating careers, interests and relationships. Mosely is known for his mystery writing. Some of the stories have hints of mystery. Most of the stories showcase his skill as a story teller. Fans of short stories will enjoy this collection.

I was given the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

4 stars

I love Walter Mosley and have never been disappointed by a Mosley novel. He creates flawed but endearing characters, is a master of tone and mood, and employs a straightforward style to explore challenging concepts. I wondered if I'd have a similar love for his short stories...and I did!

This is a great collection. I was mildly intrigued by the title, but by the end, I found it utterly endearing. These characters really live up to the titular awkwardness and all in different, creative ways.

Overall, this is a solid collection that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

I was drawn to this book because I had read 2 previous mystery books by this author. I like to read mysteries. However these short stories are not mysteries, but character studies, each one about an "Awkward Black Man" in today's American society. These short stories were uneven, ranging from depressing, about a homeless alcoholic, to the paranormal. In some cases, the man achieves a better place in life.
This quote is from the book blurb: "Mosley presents exceptional characters as they struggle to move through the world and navigate relationships, and paints a subtle, powerful portrait of each of these remarkable black people."
The stories do give the reader some insight into the lives and perspective of Black people in the US today.
One quote: "But a man like me, a man whose ancestors were kidnapped, chained, and dragged over here centuries ago is not and cannot be a hyphenate. At least not the kind of hyphenate that you say. You might call me an Abductee American, an originally Unwilling American. You might say that I'm a partly Disenfranchised American."
3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheAwkwardBlackMan #NetGalley

Although I liked Mosley's previous novels, I can't say that I was a fan of these stories. While his writing is on point, his portrayal of female characters leaves a lot be desired. And the amount of casual sexism in these stories was really off putting. More than once a male manger or boss is made seem somewhat pathetic for his inability to confront a female employer breaching the work place's dress code as he doesn't want to receive accusations of sexual misconduct. Oh yes, nowadays a woman just has to go to HR and say 'this man said something inappropriate to me' and *snap* he is disgraced.
Maybe male readers won't be as bothered by this but I was all too aware of how sexualised the female characters were.

3.3 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/09/06/the-awkward-black-man-by-walter-mosley-review/

The Awkward Black Man collects the stories of Walter Mosley, an author who’s been telling stories of inner city African American men since before I was born. While I’ve read some of his science fiction, it’s his mysteries that have always drawn my attention. My dad introduced me to Mosley’s books about a decade ago, when he started me on the Easy Rawlins series. While i was never the fan that my father was, I enjoyed some few of Mosley’s books because of the culture that they referenced were so dissimilar to my own.

Most of the narrators are black men (unsurprisingly), and most of them are also awkward. You can glean as much from the title. While Walter Mosley doesn’t shy away from talking about the disparity of racism, neither does he neglect that the bigotry cuts both ways. But while the Awkward Black Man isn’t about race, but it’s also not not about race. Prejudice colors the undercurrents of many of the tales. While sometimes it’s overt, other times it’s casual. It was always depressing.

Mostly these are just stories about life. Not how to live, nor how not to live. Mostly just how to be human. The characters within are entirely human (save the science fiction), which is probably the best thing I can say about the book itself. It paints a realistic picture of life—one that could be anyone’s life, and might as well be.

Several of these stories were just depressing, though. Some even seemed pointless. Rufus and Frank both appeared multiple times, enough that I learned that I didn’t want their lives, even though they proved to be equal parts entertaining, exciting, depressing and super, super awkward. Another thing to note is that I’ve never been a fan of the author’s science fiction—mostly it seems too far out there, too unrealistic, even silly—and the few scifi reads within didn’t disprove this.

My favorite stories were: Almost Ayce, where a man’s life spirals out from under him, but he does his best to claw it back, while staying true to himself. Between Storms, when a disaster strikes, a man’s life takes an unexpected turn, but when it is pulled from the ashes, he must decide whether or not to own up to the fear that led him to the brink. Local Hero, about a boy who always idolized his cousin, and what happened when that idol was laid low. Reply to a Dead Man, which reminded me of several different movies, and yet fit none of them.

TL;DR

The Awkward Black Man paints a realistic picture of life—be it through the eyes of an old, black man, dying in his bed; a young, white woman who is shallow but not awful; a young, black man that has the life he’s always wanted, even if it isn’t his own; and many more. There exists racism within, yes, but it’s a double-edged sword, one that proves horrid no matter which end you’re on. Walter Mosley has never shied away from the awkwardness of race—and why would he start now? But while some of these stories center around racism, few of them are defined by it. Some are depressing for the racism within. A lot are just depressing. Others are ridiculous. Some are even pointless. But most are at least humanizing. At the end of the day, these are stories about people being people. A decent read—even if several of them are really depressing.

Master storyteller Walter Mosley introduces a collection of seventeen short stories in his latest works, The Awkward Black Man. In Mosley’s unique style he brings readers stories negating the stereotypes of black men that have defined them in the world. His stories bring to life characters that feel deeply and think hard.

Some of the stories like “Local Hero”, “Sin of Dreams” and my personal favorite, “Reply to a Dead Man” where a financially struggling man receives a letter from his deceased brother through a company that delivers posthumous messages. The message this man receives from his brother is life changing in more ways than one way. There are life changing developments in each story for the reader to ponder and possibly relate to in some way. This author has an amazing ability to create characters that make you sit back and shake your head for a moment.

At no time did Mosley sway from his ‘tell it like it is’ characterizations related to racism and the fight against injustice against people of color. It would be a wonderful thing if these pieces of fiction could be made into short films. As a Walter Mosley fan, I am thankful to have not just one story, but several to keep me going until his next book comes out.

I already knew I liked the way Walter Mosley puts words down on a page. I’d read a few of his novels and whilst I didn’t always love the story (actually, I really did like most of them) without fail I loved the way it was told. The man invents interesting characters and the dialogue is always snappy and clever. In the same way, I do like short story collections – the way you can work through a single story over a cup of coffee or immerse yourself more deeply by consuming a few in a longer sitting. So this book was a no-brainer for me, seventeen stories written by this talented man.

Each story is of a similar length and all put the spotlight on a black man (unsurprisingly) who finds himself in a wide variety of situations and/or conundrums. What drives these men and how they cope with the challenges that face them - or fail to - is where the focus lies. Some are looking for something, although they may not know what it is, others suffer bad luck or are wrestling with a problem and a few are simply adjusting to the ebb and flow of life. Many seem at first dark and yet end on a positive note whilst others throw up moral or social dilemma, the sort of thing we all have to deal with at some point in our lives.

I often stopped and just thought for a while after completing one of these tales. There are words of wisdom and lessons in life and there’s humour here too. Illness, mortality and death are all visited but I really didn’t feel that the tone was endlessly downbeat. As I’ve already reflected, there’s often a silver lining found in the dark cloud. The racial issue is, of course, present but it doesn’t crowd the stories, many of which are mini-masterpieces. In my opinion this is a book for everyone, we can all take something from these stories. The best short story collection I’ve ever read? Yes, I truly think it is.

Walter Mosley has written an amazing collection of shorts stories that I really enjoyed. I have always been a big fan of his work and this collection deserves a spot right at the top!

Each novella in the book gives the reader a glimpse into the mindset and actions of black men. Some of the stories and lessons are disheartening, light and funny. The men battle illnesses, seek love and understanding, and some just want to be seen and heard. Mr. Moseley does a fantastic job with these tales of awkward black men. A must read and a great addition to any collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this advanced readers copy of The Awkward Black Man by Walter Mosely.

I knew very little about this book going in except that I knew the author's name and that it was a collection of short stories. I love short story collections and so was very excited to dive into this one. As short story collections go, it's a good read. All of the stories are well-written and enjoyable. Each story occupies its own universe rather than the stories being interconnected in any way. I enjoyed each story equally, with no specific story standing out as better than the others.

That being said, I waited a couple of days to think about what I wanted to write in this review and I find that I remember very little about the actual stories. There is nothing wrong with this book but for me, it wasn't very memorable. It's an easy read, like most short story collections are, since the plots are all self-contained and if you don't like one story you know it won't last for long.

For short story fans, this is a good read. Worth your time but not worth moving to the top of your TBR.

I haven't read Walter Mosley in way too long so when I saw this offering at NetGalley, I leaped at the chance to rectify that error.

This is a fine collection of stories all built around the title. As a result, the genre may change, but emotions don't as you largely feel sympathy for these men who life has ignored, tortured, or abused in some way. Yes, some are victims of their own ineptitude or ego, while others are born this way and never receive help from a society that they desperately need.

The writing is sharp and clear-eyed, with just enough detail to draw you in but he lets the dialogue or first-person narration carry most of the weight.

While all are set in modern-day, they veer all over the map so you go for the inner city to the upper-class portions of the city. In every case, these men just do not fit in, no matter how much they try. They fail at relationships, jobs, parenthood -- and their skin color is often only part of the reason.

Recommended not just for fans of Mosley but of good short stories.

I'd seen movies based on Walter Mosley's books, but until I read The Awkward Black Man, I'd never read anything he authored. I was delighted to read his fine and sensitive writing. I hadn't realized that he wrote other things besides detective books. What impressed me was, even though several of the stories had the same base of an older man contemplating his eventually physical deterioration and death, all of the stories seemed different. I've read lots of collections of stories that felt like I was reading the same story over and over, but each of Mosley's stories were fresh even if they touched on the same topics.

Although most of the stories dealt with older men facing life choices, one of my favorites was about a Black, teenage cowboy and his honorable Cowboy Code. There were also a couple of supernatural stories, one of my favorites being about a man who's hatred for a literary magazine editor was so great that his hate stayed around as a ghost after he died.

For anybody like me who has not yet read Mosley, this is a good introduction. Looking forward to reading more Mosley in the future. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this collection of short stories.

A collection of seventeen short stories featuring unique and interesting characters as they navigate the world around them.

This is my first time reading a book by Walter Mosley and I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. Each one felt different in its own way but the writing was always strong and kept me engaged throughout.