ayari10's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this book. Robert Lopez has a distinct style and voice in his writing. I enjoy books by men, especially Latinos, that deconstruct toxic masculinity and put a lens on the terrible way men think about women or the terrible things men to do women and to each other. I liked how no one in this book could conceivably be called “good.” The first story “Family of Man on Isle of Wight” was my favorite. I loved the opening sentence, “let me understand something to you,” and how the whole story is essentially one very long sentence. Lopez’ prose has a lot of energy,
madtraveler's review against another edition
2.0
A collection of short stories all told in a first-person inner monologue of someone who has lost his marbles. It's fascinating at first, and well written, but by the end it just seems the same thing over and over again. Each story is mercifully short. Maybe best not to read this in one go but keep it around bedside for twenty days.
kaybee435b2's review
3.0
Good People is a collection of 20 short stories by Robert Lopez, a gifted writer from Brooklyn, NY. Mostly written as first person narratives, these are very human voices and they don't belong to people that are simply "good". Some are disturbed, some are funny, and some are meandering or fragmented.
Lopez says, “I think of writing, particularly when it comes to first person, as like an acting performance, where you improvise, try different things, assume roles that aren’t you. This is one of the great things about writing…I never set out to try something particular when I write. I try to let it happen.” This goal is very evident in these stories. Most do not have a firm sense of place or plot but listening to these voices still has a powerful impact.
Lopez says, “I think of writing, particularly when it comes to first person, as like an acting performance, where you improvise, try different things, assume roles that aren’t you. This is one of the great things about writing…I never set out to try something particular when I write. I try to let it happen.” This goal is very evident in these stories. Most do not have a firm sense of place or plot but listening to these voices still has a powerful impact.
More...