The Texas Stories of Nelson Algren
Edited by Bettina Drew

Before he wrote the urban classics associated with him, such as MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM and WALK ON THE WILD SIDE, Algren spent some time as a vagrant in Depression-era Texas. Some interesting stories, including a good take on Bonnie and Clyde, who were much in the news in those days.......more

I had never read any stories by Nelson Algren but became curious about him after learning of a writing competition named for him. Even though he is associated with Chicago some of his greatest work came out of time he spent in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the early 1930s. These were the years o......more

There is an authenticity to the narrative voice in each in every story that I find lacking in so much of what I read. I was completely transported to Depression era Texas and the lives of these vagrants, criminals, and down and outers. I particularly enjoyed So Help Me. On a side note, I listened to......more

Realistic semi-autobiographical stories of people destitute around the Rio Grande valley in depression-era 1930's trying to scratch out meagre livings and avoid ill-tempered lawmen and appalling prisons. Many were itinerant, riding the rails by evading the rail police. While Algren finds humor in som......more