Childhood and Other Neighborhoods : Stories

Rating:
Summary: So happy to see Dybek back in print
Review: I'm very happy to see an extraordinary writer get some recognition, as Dybek has with his new collection "I Sailed with Magellan." I hope his new readers will pick up this book as well, which is, quite simply, the best collection of short stories I've read.
Dybek captures the magic, wonder, and fear of childhood and adolescence precisely, transporting us back to that time in our own life where we still hoped anything was possible, but had seen enough of the world to know otherwise.

Rating:
Summary: Magical Realism in the Realest of Cities
Review: This is my favorite collection of short stories by any contemporary author. Stories like "Blood Soup" contain bizarre, unforgettable characters and the author's unique, horrified yet loving view of Chicago mainly through the eyes of children. The neo-gothic setting of the "city of big shoulders" (as Carl Sandburg put it) is a perfect backdrop to stories of love, violence, and growing up.