THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2000

For those skeptical about authors reading their own works, this short story collection serves as a partial rebuttal. While the author-readers may lack the dramatic range or vocal flair of professional actors, it would be hard to argue that they lack feeling for or intimacy with the material. Allan Gurganus, for example, may not voice distinctions among characters, but his reading of his story about a son watching the decline of his father, a man only animated by his work life, is quite moving without such flourishes. Similarly, Z.Z. Packer infuses much humor in her story about an African-American Brownie troop encountering the larger world. Some authors are less successful than others, and this collection does have some able professionals standing in for authors, including Raymond Carver and Walter Mosely. The selections, by the way, were made by E.L. Doctorow, whose introduction provides a hearty testament to the continued vitality of the short story form. M.O. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 01]