I Wrote This For English And Decided To Post It Here :B
Bringing a sense of what life in 20th century Harlem is like, Walter Dean Myers gives readers of 145th Street:Short Stories a collection of tales that are full of hope, joy, survival, will, sorrow, and melancholy. In this collection of stories, the reader is acquainted with a variety of interesting people like Billy Giles, a husband that works hard to earn money for his wife, Johnnie Mae, to live happy. Yet, Billy's wife dislikes what Billy does for a living; underground boxing. Billy is a good fighter but after he is defeated for his first time, his wife demands he stops. Now, everytime Billy gets in the ring, his focus is clouded by thoughts of his life; his education, his wife, his future. After reading the story of Billy, I was left with a bit of frustration towards Johnnie Mae for getting so worked up about Billy. In addition to reading about Billy, the reader also meets a 12-year-old girl named Angela who, after the mournful death of her father, begins to have sad dreams that end up making an impact on her community. A sense of overreaction and above-average coincidence is present in the story of Angela's bad dreams. The stories in this book seem able to attract the attention of any reader and manage to captivate the reader with enjoyable characthers whom seem to make the story themselves. I, personally, recommend this book to all fans of short stories and to people seeking a set of stimulating tales.