What an excellent book to read for Black History Month. We think that we know all we need to know about the African American experience in the 50s, but this book does so much more. It illuminates the stories of the time in a way that no other author could do. Petry is a master at her craft.

I think like with a lot of short stories, this is hard for me to rate properly because there are definitely some stories that I vibe with and others that just didn't hit hard for me. I very much enjoyed the middle stories, but the opening chapters and final chapters were a bit slower for me to get through, personally. The writing is truly wonderful, though; I only heard of Ann Petry but never got to read anything from her so this was delightful to read.

This collection of stories by the great Ann Petry was first published in 1945 and six other times until 1971. Tomorrow it will be published again and I would say that speaks volumes. Ann Petry is a genius in how she is able to write about the black experience. Perry’s writing is encompasses the perspective of each character. The book begins with a few stories each telling of a young girl and her family living in an all white neighborhood. Then all the other ones are of different characters, but in all the tales, each character is simply living, struggling and surviving.
Although these stories were written over 50 years ago, they are very much prevalent today. In Mother Africa, a man mourns the loss of his wife and child during childbirth. He wonders had they not been a black family from Harlem, would they have survived. A concern many still have today.
As you read each story, you not only see in your mind but a you also feel with your soul, the depths of each character.

Miss Muriel and Other Stories by Ann Petry was originally published in 1971 by Houghton Mifflin and reissued several times though I've never had a chance to read the full collection until now. I read the short story, Miss Muriel, in undergrad which centers the voice of the daughter of a Black pharmacist in the 1940s and her observations about the men in the community interested in courting her Aunt Sophronia. It was nice to reread this story and to remember how much I enjoyed it many years ago and still do!

The collection consists of 13 short stories that each stand on their own (save Miss Muriel and “Has Anybody Seen Miss Dora Dean?” where we meet the same protagonist grown up).

Each story provides a unique look at an aspect of Black life on the diaspora and each story is written with the wit and skill of Ann Petry's pen. I love the new cover and hope that it will attract a new generation of readers!

Thank you so much net galley and publisher for the e-arc copy!