num_pages: 164
description: This remarkable debut collection, including a story chosen by Tobias Wolff for The Best American Short Stories 1994, introduces a wholly original young voice to fiction by and about African Americans. Focusing her generous attentions on disenfranchised black teenagers, Ferrell gives pitch-perfect voice to characters not often found in short fiction, and she brings them to life with penetrating sympathy. Many of these vibrant stories are set in the South Bronx. In "Proper Library," a black high school boy finds that being gay, ironically, protects him from the macho culture surrounding him. In "Miracle Answer," the black daughter of a white mother views her double-edged life with both sass and sorrow. In the brilliant title story, a young woman traces backward through her life to the moment she learned she had AIDS. The world of these almost-adults is a treacherous one, yet they manage to find there uncommon strength, humor, and sometimes - amazingly - joy. Like Toni Morrison and Alice
language: English
title: Dont Erase Me: Stories
titlecomplete: Dont Erase Me: Stories
genres: Contemporary, Fiction, African American, Short Stories
ratings_count: 89
awards: awardedAt: 852105600000
name: Los Angeles Times Book Prize
category: Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction
publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co