Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

3.5 stars Such an interesting and distinct collection about angsty Black characters, mostly women, navigating relationships with both themselves and others in an alienating world. There were three stories in collection that I rated as solid 4-star reads: “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” “Our Lady of Peac......more

This is a perfect example of reading the right book at the wrong time. A decade ago I read this collection of stories amidst about dozen other collections - I can see now that the ragged beauty and relentless, gritty storytelling was lost in the sea of other (lesser) works. But this time around I rea......more

After finishing up a string of dark and heady reads, I picked this up for some light summer reading, on my wife's recommendation. We had originally picked it to read together before bed. The conversation as best I remember went something like: Me: Oh man, that Gary Soto book of short stories for chil......more