nebsullivan's review
4.0
I discovered a few things about myself in reading this book. I typically don’t enjoy short stories because I prefer the deep character and plot development that is typical of novels. Therefore, my rating is a reflection of this preference and not due to the book itself. I found that I do, however, enjoy short nonfiction pieces and my interest gravitated towards the short explanatory portions that highlighted the political struggles and literary trends of each literary movement. Also, I found that I much preferred the contemporary pieces which took on difficult and heartbreaking issues in a brave and deeply vulnerable way.
muccamukk's review
3.0
As with most anthologies, it's a mixed bag. The historical essays were great for setting up the context, but then the inclusion of stories written before 1950 was very slim, and not much more before 1980 either. I also wish there had been more short stories and fewer novel excerpts (especially ones depicting graphic rape and on-page gay bashing leading to death). However, I also found a lot of great new-to-me authors, and revisited some old favourites.
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