{"product_id":"the-awkward-black-man-1","title":"The Awkward Black Man","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA masterful collection of stories that showcases one of the country's most beloved and acclaimed writers--award-winning author, Walter Mosley.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBestselling author Walter Mosley has proven himself a master of narrative tension, both with his extraordinary fiction and gripping writing for television. \u003cem\u003eThe Awkward Black Man\u003c\/em\u003e collects seventeen of Mosley's most accomplished short stories to showcase the full range of his remarkable talent.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMosley presents distinct characters as they struggle to move through the world in each of these stories--heroes who are awkward, nerdy, self-defeating, self-involved, and, on the whole, odd. He overturns the stereotypes that corral black male characters and paints a subtle, powerful portrait of each of these unique individuals. In \"The Good News Is,\" a man's insecurity about his weight gives way to a serious illness and the intense loneliness that accompanies it. Deeply vulnerable, he allows himself to be taken advantage of in return for a little human comfort in a raw display of true need. \"Pet Fly,\" previously published in the \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, follows a man working as a mailroom clerk for a big company--a solitary job for which he is overqualified--and the unforeseen repercussions he endures when he attempts to forge a connection beyond the one he has with the fly buzzing around his apartment. And \"Almost Alyce\" chronicles failed loves, family loss, alcoholism, and a Zen approach to the art of begging that proves surprisingly effective.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTouching and contemplative, each of these unexpected stories offers the best of one of our most gifted writers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Grove Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44292991418467,"sku":"9780802149565","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0621\/7515\/0179\/files\/imageloader_179970b6-d060-4f56-8209-75d3dc3c63ed.jpg?v=1782461928","url":"https:\/\/redricebooks.com\/products\/the-awkward-black-man-1","provider":"Red Rice Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}