From School Library Journal YA-Folklorist Johnson-Coleman's theme of knowing and respecting one's ancestral roots is clearly recorded in these unforgettable short stories. Based on interviews the author conducted while traveling through her homeland of North Carolina, the selections celebrate the cultural heritage of rural blacks. The author introduces everyday people who lived during times of slavery, Reconstruction, the Depression, and the Civil Rights era. What they have in common is a sense of pride, loads of wisdom, and values that are still applicable and needed in today's world. Six chapters cover family members, neighbors, female/male relationships, young people, Jim Crow laws, the religious populace, and even a version of the folktale "Wiley and the Hairy Man." Each one ends with an "Afterthought" that puts the story in context. For example, in "Call Me by My Name, the author tells of her childhood dislike of her name until her grandfather explains its origins. In the conclusion, she explains the history of the African-American naming custom. The tales are hilarious and harsh, and the dialogue moves at a rapid pace. Young adults will find rousing music, love in all shapes and sizes, and genuine characters here.Connie Freeman, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This collection of short stories and essays portrays the experiences of rural African Americans?not community leaders and notables but ordinary people. Johnson-Coleman, a lecturer and workshop leader, includes stories about the child no one wants; the man whose wife, a witch, goes out every night to cause mischief; the preparations for the annual family reunion; and others. Several of these recollections show the evidence of the rich African American folk tradition. Perhaps most memorable is Johnson-Coleman's own account of how she came to appreciate her name, Lorraine Harriet, after learning a little more about her family. Johnson-Coleman manages to make commonplace events and people interesting, partially through her excellent storytelling abilities. She reads with a musical lilt that captures the rhythms of North Carolina speech and makes the people seem like your next door neighbors, folks you've known or would like to know. The tape quality is excellent. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at GeneseoCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. See all Editorial Reviews
评分
评分
评分
评分
我通常喜欢那种结构精巧、逻辑严密的叙事作品,所以对这种更偏向“生活片段集锦”的作品抱持着审慎的态度。然而,《Just Plain Folks》成功地打破了我的固有偏见。它巧妙地利用了“共同经验”这一无形的纽带,将一个个独立的小故事串联起来,形成了一张巨大而温暖的情感之网。每当我读到一个关于“第一次学会骑自行车”或是“给爱人准备惊喜却搞砸了”的段落时,那种强烈的代入感让我几乎能闻到空气中尘土的味道和烤箱里食物的香气。这本书的“普通”是它的盔甲,也是它的利剑。它毫不留情地剥去了生活中的所有滤镜,只留下最真实、最接地气的内核。对于那些觉得当代文学过于前卫或疏离的读者来说,这本书无疑是一剂强效的“精神镇定剂”。它没有试图教育你什么人生哲理,它只是安静地展示了生活本身是如何运作的,而这种展示本身,就是最深刻的哲理。
评分这本书的阅读体验,就像是突然受邀参加了一场多年未见的、小学老同学的重聚会。你可能会惊讶于某人发际线的变化,感叹某人依然保持着当年的活力,也可能为某些人如今的境遇感到一丝唏嘘。但无论如何,那种血液里流淌着的共同记忆,使得所有的交流都变得异常真诚和坦率。作者在这本书里,成功地创造了一种极度私密却又普世共鸣的阅读空间。他从不扮演高高在上的叙述者,更像是那个坐在你身边、用茶壶倒满热茶,然后轻声对你说“你还记得吗……”的朋友。它没有宏大的主题,没有需要解构的符号,它的价值在于其存在的本身——那就是对“此时此刻正在发生”的温柔确认。对于那些在快节奏生活中感到迷失和焦虑的人,我强烈推荐你们停下来,读读这些“完全普通”的故事,找回脚踏实地的力量。
评分这本书的叙事节奏,说实话,一开始让我有些抓狂。它完全不遵循主流小说的“钩子”原则,开篇就像一位老朋友拉着你的衣角,在你还没准备好的时候就开始絮絮叨叨地讲述他家后院那棵老橡树的变迁史。但奇怪的是,一旦你适应了这种近乎“慢炖”的叙述方式,它便展现出一种难以言喻的魅力。文字里没有华丽的辞藻堆砌,却处处透露着一种对“生活本质”的深刻理解。作者似乎在提醒我们,那些被我们匆忙略过的“日常”才是构成我们人生的真正基石。我尤其欣赏作者处理“遗憾”的方式——不是大张旗鼓的控诉或自怨自艾,而是用一种带着释然的幽默感去描绘那些“本可以如何”的岔路口。那种感觉就像是在翻看一本泛黄的家庭相册,看到的不仅是过去的影像,更是时间本身留下的温柔刻痕。这本书读完后,我居然开始反思自己最近一次认真观察窗外云朵是什么时候,这种向内审视的力量,着实令人敬佩。
评分天哪,我简直不敢相信自己竟然会爱上这样一本看似平淡无奇的书。初次翻开《Just Plain Folks》时,我甚至有些怀疑,书名里的“完美普通”和“相当常见”是不是一种故弄玄虚的营销手段。然而,随着故事的展开,那种熟悉而又陌生的感觉如同春日暖阳般缓缓浸入心底。那些讲述着邻里间的琐碎日常、不期而遇的温情瞬间,以及那些在时间长河里被悄然冲刷的青春梦想,都以一种近乎散文诗般的笔触娓娓道来。作者似乎拥有洞察一切的魔力,能将那些我们习以为常的生活碎片——清晨第一缕阳光洒在厨房地板上的角度,孩子们在巷口追逐嬉戏时的那串清脆笑声,或是黄昏时分老人们坐在门廊下交换的低语——捕捉得如此精准而又充满诗意。读完后,我感觉自己像是刚从一场漫长的午后小憩中醒来,带着一丝慵懒和满足,世界仿佛被重新擦拭过,一切都显得格外清晰和珍贵。这本书不是那种会让你为跌宕起伏的剧情而屏住呼吸的类型,它更像是一杯温热的红茶,需要你静下心来,慢慢品味其中的回甘与层次。
评分坦白讲,这本书的封面设计差点让我错过了它。那种朴素到近乎乏味的排版,完全没有吸引当代读者的目光。但如果我仅凭封面就将它束之高阁,那将是我阅读生涯的一大损失。作者的语言风格,在表面上的朴实之下,隐藏着惊人的细腻和精准。例如,描述一次家庭聚餐时,他能精准捕捉到不同辈分之间那种微妙的肢体语言——祖母习惯性地将食物推到你盘子里的小动作,或者父亲在听到某个特定笑话时才会露出的、连他自己都未察觉的嘴角抽动。这种对人类行为模式的观察入微,让“普通人”的故事拥有了史诗般的重量。这本书不是为了娱乐大众而写的,它更像是一种对“活过”这件事的庄重致敬。它让我感觉,我的生活,即使平淡如水,也值得被如此细致地记录和珍视。
评分 评分 评分 评分 评分本站所有内容均为互联网搜索引擎提供的公开搜索信息,本站不存储任何数据与内容,任何内容与数据均与本站无关,如有需要请联系相关搜索引擎包括但不限于百度,google,bing,sogou 等
© 2026 book.wenda123.org All Rights Reserved. 图书目录大全 版权所有