I found it refreshing to read short stories with clear endings. I would also recommend this book to anyone wanting to write short stories, especially stories with a definite beginning, middle and end. So, whether the student is a jock or not is immaterial.Īdults may find these stories worthwhile reading. I should also note that the title does not entirely reflect the content of the stories: sports are certainly a part, but the bigger issues are at the heart of Crutcher’s stories. I can see this book being used in high schools as a motivator for reluctant readers, male or female. The ending of the story found me closing the cover of the book with a tear in my eye. By the time I read this, I had no doubt absorbed Chris’ style, and developed an appreciation for each lesson he wished the reader to learn in each story. My favourite story, written in 1991, and the final story in this slim volume, is “In the Time I Get”, a story about AIDS.
I must admit that I experienced some discomfort reading the social slurs that Crutcher so breezily makes use of in “The Telephone Man.” In the prologue to the story he says that he “has fears in writing about racism that basic lessons are best taught by reflecting the truth……think kids should not be exposed in print to what they are exposed in their lives.” I accept his argument on that point.
These stories are easy to read despite dealing with social situations and moral dilemmas: self-esteem, reaction to death and dying, prejudice and discrimination, or family relationships. This short story collection serves as my introduction to Chris Crutcher as an author. I must admit that I experienced some discomfort reading the social slurs that Crutcher so breezily makes use of in “The Telephone Man.” In the prologue to the story he says that he “has fears in writing about racism that
Crutcher's straightforward style and total honesty have earned him an admiring audience and made readers of many nonreaders.more They are tales of love and death, bigotry and heroism, of real people doing their best even when that best isn't very good. As with all Crutcher's work, these are stories about athletes, and yet they are not sport stories. They also introduce some new and unforgettable personalities who may well be heard from again in future books. Th These six powerful short stories chronicle bits of the lives of characters, major and minor, who have walked the rugged terrain of Chris Crutcher's earlier works. These six powerful short stories chronicle bits of the lives of characters, major and minor, who have walked the rugged terrain of Chris Crutcher's earlier works.
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