American Fiction Short Stories

The collection contains 12 provocative tales that explore the emotional and mental terrain of a diverse cast of characters, from the innocent to the insane. In each, Jones displays her unflinching ability to dive into the most treacherous of psyches and circumstances: the title story examines the identity and relationship conundrums of a Black man who can pass for white, earning him the name “White Rat” as an infant; “The Women” follows a girl whose mother brings a line of female lovers to live in their home.

The woman she’s had a crush on for years needs a fake girlfriend, and Elana is ready to volunteer for the job! Toya is in a bind. Her little sister is getting married, and her mother is insisting she bring her girlfriend to the wedding. She’d told a little white lie to get her mom off her back, but now it’s backfiring. Her mom thinks she’s in a committed relationship, so Toya needs to find a pretend girlfriend, and fast. Elana fell in love with Toya the minute she set eyes on her. Unfortunately, she somehow went right into the friend zone. Elana has been hesitant to rock the boat, ...

The Best American series, launched in 1915, is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction, and it is the most respected—and most popular—of its kind. Don Winslow, the Raymond Chandler Award-winning author of City in Ruins, picks the best twenty mystery and suspense stories from the previous year.

Set in Soweto, the urban heartbeat of South Africa, Innards tells the intimate stories of everyday Black folks processing the savagery of apartheid with grit, wit, and their own distinctive bewildering humor. Rich with the thrilling textures of township language and life, it braids the voices and perspectives of an indelible cast of characters into a breathtaking collection flush with forgiveness, rage, ugliness, and beauty.

This collection of short stories includes the works of three famous American writers who contributed a great deal to world literature.

Are you ready to embark on a thrilling journey of self-discovery? Dive into "17-Years," a mesmerizing short story that will leave you questioning the boundaries of time and the power of the human spirit. Immerse yourself in this captivating short story that will leave you inspired, questioning the essence of time, and reflecting on the boundless potential within us all. Don't miss out on the chance to experience the remarkable tale of "17-Years" – a story that will stay with you long after you read the final page.

A girl who believes in UFOs; a boy who might have finally found his Prince Charming; a hopeful performer who dreams of being cast in her school’s production of The Sound of Music; a misunderstood magician of sorts with a power she doesn’t quite understand. These plotlines and many more compose the eclectic stories found within the pages of this dynamic, exciting, and expansive collection featuring exclusively Black characters.

Following in the footsteps of its successful predecessors, Around the Way Girls Seven showcases three popular Urban Books authors and their versions of some very tough, street-smart girls. Nina and Mouse are a couple just trying to survive the hater nation. Only problem is Nina's a little paranoid when it comes to other women, and Mouse is usually guilty as charged. Fed up with Mouse's cheating, Nina begins to creep a little herself, but will her revenge blow up in her face?

This tender love ballad is set deep in the jungles of Mexico and tells the story of Victoriano and Mira Bella, a young couple madly in love with "enormous proliferations of passion". Laid out in colorful, poetic text with a creative ending told in two letters - one written by Victoriano, the other written by an American artist visiting their beautiful world.

From a single mother who gets lured into her pastor’s twisted den of lies, to a deadly revenge plot gone wrong, and an illicit affair that leaves a bloody trail of evidence, author and filmmaker N’Tyse presents Chain of Fools: Prison Bids, her most gripping, collaborative work thus far - featuring crime-of-passion tales served by best-selling authors Briana Cole, Shakir Rashaan, Brandie Davis, Erick S. Gray, and India Williams.

Traplines is extraordinary fiction that presents the menacing underside of family life. In crackling prose, Eden Robinson describes homes ruled by bullies, psychopaths, and delinquents; families whose conflict resolution techniques range from grand theft to homicide; and kids who just can't get a break.

In Crush, three of today’s hottest romance authors offer tempting tales about crushes that compel women to risk it all for love. In Wanted: You by Lutishia Lovely features a man receiving erotic letters at his place of employment that shock his assistant. In White Mocha by Michele Grant, a woman who’s normally conservative about romance gets all fired up after enjoying an eyeful of a handsome coffee shop owner. And Cydney Rax’s From One Lover to Another stars a woman who shows her badgirl side when her ex refuses to take no for an answer.

Based on traditional Vietnamese folk tales told to Violet Kupersmith by her grandmother, these fantastical, chilling, and thoroughly contemporary stories are a boldly original exploration of Vietnamese culture, addressing both the immigrant experience and the lives of those who remained behind. Lurking in the background of them all is a larger ghost—that of the Vietnam War, whose legacy continues to haunt us.

In this followup to his hugely popular Midnight Storm Moonless Sky: Indigenous Horror Stories, Blackfoot storyteller Alex Soop plunges us again into enthralling tales that mix reality with dark terror. Within its stories, Whisper at Night and They Will Come reveals ancient theories of the paranormal, post apocalyptic scenarios, impossible wells of grief, and monstrous phobias. Soop scares the wits out of listeners, all the while uncovering overlooked social anxieties and racism affecting Indigenous Peoples across North America.

Five great American short story writers, dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, are represented here. Different in atmosphere and writing style, they nevertheless caught the mood and concerns of the day in a way that was distinctly American.

On the heels of the best seller success of her novel The Wedding, Dorothy West, the last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance, presents a collection of essays and stories that explore both the realism of everyday life, and the fantastical, extraordinary circumstances of one woman's life in a mythic time.

From the remarkable Ha Jin, winner of the National Book Award for his celebrated novel Waiting, comes this collection of comical and deeply moving tales of contemporary China that are as warm and human as they are surprising, disturbing, and delightful. In the title story, the head of security at a factory is shocked, first when the handsomest worker on the floor proposes marriage to his homely adopted daughter, and again when his new son-in-law is arrested for the "crime" of homosexuality.

What is Katie’s career-ending mishap? Will she get over it in time to find a suitable husband? What is the secret of Jane? Will it hinder her from Mrs. Eva’s Services? To what ends will Mrs. Eva go to find a suitable match for Jane? Meet Katie and Jane, the latest enrollees in Mrs. Eva Crabtree’s Matrimonial Services. Katie is a school teacher who encountered an event that ended her career, which forces her to join Mrs. Eva’s Matrimonial Services. Jane is an adventurous and choosy girl who has a secret that even Mrs. Eva doesn’t know. Read all books by bestseller and Kindle All-...

In James William Gardner’s new collection of short stories, the listener will gain authentic insight into the fascinating world of the American south. With humor and sensitivity, the writer grapples with important cultural themes. His characters live and breathe, places become real, tradition is revealed and you may never feel the same way about the south again.

The story of Wyoming rancher, Sam Murray, who raises his son the only way he knows how. Through the trials of life and family secrets, the cowboy kid will come of age. Celebrating the western lifestyle and all who live it. "Cowboys & Indians" Magazine May/June 2021: A western page-turner doesn't always have to involve tense, ongoing conflicts between heroes and villains. Sometimes a story can be authentically "cowboy" but more grounded, emotionally complex, and a closer reflection of what life looks like for those who live in wide open spaces and work the land every day. "The Cowboy Kid" (...