All Aunt Hagar's Children: Short Story Collection - African American Literature for Book Clubs & Reading Enthusiasts

This is a review of both Lost in the City and All Aunt Hagar’s Children. These short stories in these two collections can be read separately, but are subtly linked in such a manner that they are best read together. In fact, each collection contains 14 short stories, and each story is related to its pair in the other collection. The links, usually in the appearance of a major or minor character, enrich both stories by entwining them to each other. Read them side by side if you can.Oh the stories are so rich! The author has immense empathy for all his characters, even the ones who do awful things. The stories often have multiple threads woven into a tapestry that immerse the reader as if in a novel. Jones’s unique voice weaves the world of Black people living in Washington, D.C. into a narrative that feels as real as if you were walking among the characters, yourself (in my case a White southern man in his 50’s) one or two haunted generations away from a former life left behind in the Jim Crow South. The stories generally take place in the 1950’s to 1980’s, but have a timeless, rooted quality.These stories and Jones’s fantastic novel The Known World comprise his whole published oeuvre. I consider him among my very favorite authors, though his works be few. Treat your heart to all his books.