I love a short story series that connects the stories together in ways that aren't obvious to the reader, leaving the reader to piece it together on their own -- and that's what this book was. More than that, though, it's beautifully written with well-developed characters.

Ladee Hubbard does it again. Great storytelling, although this collection demands a reread and discussion. What seems disconnected are part of a greater context.

There is no denying how strong the writing is in this short story collection. However, some of these stories really connected with me and hit the mark whereas others fell flat. Also, the weird add-in of the titular story was disappointing..Iwas really enjoying the story and curious to see where it would go and then it took that turn. 3.5 stars.

I really wanted to love this, even though I don’t usually love short stories. This one didn’t make the cut, unfortunately.

Review - The Last Suspicious Holdout: Stories by Ladee Hubbard
Title: The Last Suspicious Holdout: Stories*


Author: Ladee Hubbard


Rating: 4 stars / 5 stars


*This post contains affiliate links. If you make purchases after using these links, I will earn a percentage of your purchase without any further cost to you.


Favorite Quote: “[M]emories mold themselves to the shape of our will.” Hubbard, Ladee. The Last Suspicious Holdout: Stories. E-book ed., Amistad Press, 2022.


Review: Thank you to the publisher, Amisdad Press, and the NetGalley platform for the free e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.


As y’all probably know, short story collections aren’t usually a favorite of mine. But I found the premise of these stories compelling enough to give the collection a try, and I am so glad I did. Hubbard’s stories follow a myriad of characters as they experience life in America, throughout generations, as Black folks living in areas and eras of racism and discrimination, both blatant and discreet. Although not being a “linked” collection in the expected use of the term, various characters do appear in different stories, creating the sense that these stories and their characters do not exist in the vacuum of the four corners of the book.


One of the aspects of this book that is working particularly well is that way that Hubbard successfully engages in rich, layered character development, even when the stories themselves are relatively short. These characters come off the page in a way that sometimes authors don’t achieve in longer formats that more easily lend themselves to greater character development. One character, in particular, that I continue to think about long after finishing this collection is Claudette from the titular story, “The Last Suspicious Holdout.” Claudette is torn between allegiance to a community she is actively trying to separate herself from, torn between work and a community that is begging for her help, and at the same time she is balancing her work life with a personal life that she doesn’t seem particularly content in. Claudette is a picture of discontent, and although “The Last Suspicious Holdout” is not ostensibly about her and her own struggles, her struggles are mirrored with the greater conflicts of the story.


This collection also successfully tackles a number of topics while continuing to not be disjointed. As mentioned previously, some of the stories are linked, at least vaguely, but even those that are not, even those that tackle completely disparate topics and are filled with completely disparate characters still seem to fit into a cohesive collection.


My only complaint for this collection is that, like with many story collections I read, I found my attention drifting at times. That might be more of a me problem than a book problem, but I did want to share why this wasn’t quite a 5 star read for me.


About that Quote: So much of this book comes down to memory - it’s what drives many of the characters and makes up a bulk of the narrative. So, this quote just perfectly encapsulates what this collection and what it does. And I also think it makes the reader question the reliability of the narrators throughout the collection, if, after all, memories are shaped to the narrator’s will.


Have you read The Last Suspicious Holdout? Share your thoughts below!

I was given a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. There were 13 short stories written about or relating to black families. The 13 short stories covered a wide range from raising children to foods and society. They were interesting but not anything I would reread or had me anxiously awaiting the next. One dealt with Ketchup and I understood some people won't eat anything without ketchup but I did not feel it warranted a story.

Absolutely loved Ladee Hubbard's writing. Each story was incredibly interesting with fully developed characters that I would get attached to. I was sad when each story ended because I wanted to know more about all of them. This was why I particularly enjoyed the stories being interconnected as I was able to glean more information about characters from previous stories. I will definitely be recommending this and picking up Ladee's backlist.

THE LAST SUSPICIOUS HOLDOUT is a remarkable collection of 12 interconnected short stories centering on an unnamed Black community in the south, stretching from the Clinton administration through to the election of President Obama. Hubbard weaves together detailed character studies with sharp critiques of systemic racism's slippery ability to transform and persist over time. The post-Katrina stories are particularly haunting in this regard. The standout gem of the collection is the titular story, which pulls all of Hubbard's themes and concerns together in one tightly-written narrative; in a relatively short span of pages, she offers a searing critique of everything from corporate racism to neoliberal hypocrisy to Uncle Tom-ism to misogynoir to the ability of one person to make a difference (for better or for worse) on their world. I will certainly be first in line to read Hubbard's next book!

A book of short stories with some characters connecting with the lives of characters in another story

I never know how to review short stories, and I very rarely rate them anything other than a 3. I fully recommend this because the stories I liked were truly amazing, but of course there are always a couple you don't like as much. The writing throughout is very well done, especially the character work in each story.

I typically do not love collections of stories but this changed that fact for me. This tells the stories of black communities in such a gripping way that always left me wanting more. Whether the pieces that were left unsaid were a greater strategy, it really worked here so kudos to the author for keeping attention in this way.

Hubbard is a fantastic novelist, and now I can confirm a fantastic short story teller as well. I enjoyed all twelve stories, a rare thing for a short story collection! The characters were so memorable, and I was pleased that these are slightly interconnected so I could trace their stories. This was great.

I fell in love with Ladee Hubbard's writing last year with The Rib King, this year she is back with the short story collection The Last Suspicious Holdout. Told within twelve interconnected stories, Ladee weaves the narrative of those living in a Southern suburban Black community across generations. In the past I've struggled with short stories because I don't always feel like I get a grasp of the characters the author is trying to convey in each story.
In this short story collection; however, each character portrayed in each short story feels fully realized as a character and can stand alone within the story. I can't wait to see what Ladee Hubbard comes up with next.

I really wanted to love this book based on the synopsis but found it to be poorly written, with unsympathetic characters. It was difficult to finish.

Thank you for giving us an advanced copy of THE LAST SUSPICIOUS HOLDOUT. It was a pleasure to be able to interview Ladee Hubbard about this wonderful collection. Please hear interview in its entirety here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ladee-hubbard/id1511650673?i=1000553673246

This is a collection of interconnected short stories following Black neighbors from an unnamed suburban community from 1992-2007 which is roughly from the Clinton administration and the war on drugs through the Obama administration where we see the results of those and other policies affecting entire communities.

The running theme throughout this collection of short stories is about the things ways things affect the black community: disparities n social class, gentrification, and systematic racism.

The stories were vivid, and I raced through them all, even though some held my attention more than others. My main problem with this series of short stories is that they were SHORT. I love good story development and I felt like I only got slices of life and story before I was cut off and thrust into the next story. Even though they are all interconnected.

My favorites were “Bitch: An Etymology of Family Values, Flip, and the Book’s namesake were my favorites.

Even though they were short stories, again,I did love how they all interconnected and came together to tell a broader story of a black community. Reminding everyone we are not a monolith. Even in the same neighborhood.

I want to thank Net Galley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Here’s to another great short story collection for 2022!
Y’all, I loved everything about these intertwined short stories!
Each story pins on a timeline starting in the 1990’s to Obama’s presidential election. From the hype of kool-aid to major corporations trying to disrupt local communities, I thoroughly enjoyed the attention to detail to keep each story authentic to where it fell within the 15 year time span.

I felt Ladee Hubbard did a phenomenal job of keeping the concept of community front and center in each story. Her characters will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading this book. The stories that stood out to me were: Crack Babies!, Houston and the Blinking What, False Cognates and the novel’s namesake The Last Suspicious Holdout.

Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Last Suspicious Holdout will be a must read for any avid short story readers and I cannot wait to purchase my own physical copy for my collection.

Discover historical fiction through relationships in a Black neighborhood from the late 1980s to the eve of President Obama's inauguration. The story takes place in an unnamed Southern suburb. Each story features Black families, friends and neighbors. They explore education, healthcare, politics and the "war on drugs." (Remember that, 80s babies?)

I am not a fan of short story collections but The Last Suspicious Holdout held my interest throughout. It disregards stereotypes and gives a fuller look into the life of Black Americans. It celebrates Black resilience and I am here for it! This is a good short story collection for Black History Month.

Happy Early Pub Day, Ladee Hubbard! The Last Suspicious Holdout: Stories will be available Tuesday, March 1.

~LiteraryMarie

A very mixed bag. I quite enjoyed some of these stories but others I felt indifferent toward or fell completely flat for me. 3 stars might actually be too generous, so call it 2.5.

Taking place over the span of 15 years in the same unnamed community, this collection is one that explores Blackness and timeless issues like the drug war and the prison industrial complex system with deftness and honesty, and occasionally striking prose. I feel the author loses the way in the gimmick a bit, though—these stories are interconnected, and while I like collections of interconnected stories I feel it somehow took a toll on the overall quality here? I can’t put my finger on why.

This was an enjoyable enough read—and it’s short!—but I don’t think I’ll remember much about it in months to come. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

After reading the Rib King, I was excited that this author had released more of her work. I felt that the stories really exemplified the minute changes in landscape over time in this unnamed urban neighborhood. The stories captured many of the subtle nuances that offers that connection to a community. The demonstrated strife, brokenness, and damage of inequality throbs from the pages. The execution of the book was compelling and captured something so unique and well known to so many. This author has crafted an interconnected series of stories that relate to directly to being a black person in America Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.