Miss Muriel and Other Stories

By Ann Petry

Book Overview

A young black girl watches as her aunt's multiple suitors disrupt her family's privacy. The same girl, now on the cusp of adulthood, shares her family's growing fears that her father has disappeared. Acclaimed author Ann Petry penned these and the other unforgettable narratives in Miss Muriel and Other Stories more than seventy years ago, yet in them contemporary readers recognize characters who exist today and dilemmas that recur again and again: the reluctance of African Americans to seek help from the police, the rage that erupts in a black man worn down by brutality, the tyranny that the young can visit on their elders regardless of race. Originally published between 1945 and 1971, Petry's stories capture the essence of African American experience since the 1940s.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810135566
• ISBN13: 9780810135567
• Release Date: July 2017
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Remarkable Storytelling

The New Mirror was my favorite. The `dun, dun, dun' start and the ending was absolutely exceptional! To start and end the way this one did, which included thought-provoking messages, none more stirring than`our folks' gracefully (and I point this out respectfully) learning to live a lie, truly is to be commended. Here's where I, too, learned both the rewards and sacrifices of retaining dignity. Other stories that resonated were The Migraine Workers, Mother Africa, and The Necessary Knocking on the Door. Miss Muriel (the short story, that being) initially threw me for a loop... until I got to the end... as was the case for all the stories, where each time I was left with the "wow" factor. The descriptiveness of the characters and potent settings were handled so skillfully quiet that there is no denying Miss Muriel and other stories are nothing short of "Phenomenal!"