Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Finding Jesus by Barry Aitchison

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 24, 2008
Posted in Barry AitchisonShort Story Read in 2008  | 9 Comments

Fun and Thought Provoking

Father Padraic O’Casey will be 80 years old next month. He would like to retire, but the higher ups refuse to let him. They don’t want make someone else take over a diminished parish.

Recently, the church crucifix has gone missing off of its hanging place and shown up in different and unusual places around the church. Is someone playing tricks? That’s what the church thinks. However more and more parishioners are coming back to church, looking for a miracle. Things spiral out of control as more and more people show up and the media get involved.

When I first heard about this story, I couldn’t help but think about the toast with the resemblance of Jesus that turned up on Ebay. Bids were in the thousands of dollars. That is a true story and it seems to me that this one pokes a bit of fun at it.

Aitchison writes with a thought provoking sense of humor that pokes a little fun at all sides. With his little twist of an ending he had me laughing out loud. Aitchison at the same time writes in a respectful manner that won’t offend.

4/5

Note: If you would like to read this short story, it is only available on Amazon.com, for 49 cents. However, Aitchison does offer a free download of one featured short story per month on his website. Here is the link.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

An Ex-Mas Feast by Uwen Akpan

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on August 25, 2008
Posted in Short Story Read in 2008Uwen Akpan  | 22 Comments

Brutal Reality in Modern Day Africa

This is one short story in Uwen Akpan’s short fiction collection titled Say Your One of Them

Jigana, an eight-year-old boy whose family lives in a makeshift shack in the outskirts of Nairobi, narrates the story. They are dirt poor and send their 12-year-old daughter out on the street to sell her body to feed the family. They also want to send Jigana, as their eldest son, to school. Short on food, the mother gives her children kabire (glue) to sniff to curb their appetite. “She and Baba hardly ever took kabire. Kabire is for children only.”

It is not an easy story to read and does make the reader feel really uncomfortable. However, it tells a story that must be told. It is well written and gets the point across.

5/5

Also reviewed by:

caribousmom

Note to my fellow bloggers who also reviewed this book: If you would like me to link your review at the bottom of my review, please leave a comment with the link to your review.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Mr. Bones by Paul Theroux

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on July 7, 2008
Posted in Historical FictionPaul TherouxShort Story Read in 2008  | 6 Comments

A Short Story in Review

This short story appearing in The New Yorker on September 17, 2007. Thanks to Wendy at Caribousmom for reviewing this story and bringing it to my attention.
The narrator of the story reminiscences about growing up with his “impossible” to know father. Around 1956 his father lost his job and became a shoe salesman, which he hated. He bought a house in disrepair without consulting his wife.
He joined up with some men who decided to perform a minstrel show. His solo rehearsal started at home, making his wife play piano for him. After awhile he started making up his face in the traditional black and called himself Mr. Bones. He became Mr. Bones, to the horror of his family and would not take anything seriously. He teased his family members mercilessly and would not address real household concerns.
The story touches on themes of race and a dysfunctional family life. This was a kind of bizarre story, but I quite liked it. The writing was rich and immersed the reader in the story.

To read the full short story, go here or click on the picture.

4/5

Also reviewed at:
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.