Cora and Martha and Other Stories

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(83 90 98 1)>Spanning from the Civil War to the near present Cora and Martha and Other Stories follows Black protagonists from all walks of life-yard children urban bootleggers domestic servants barbers seminarians teachers soldiers truck drivers and even fairies in a fairy tale.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(83 90 98 1)>Set in a range of societies-homogeneous Black communities racially segregated and interracial spaces and racially indistinguishable worlds-these stories explore the universal struggle between good and evil. Through Reconstruction life in the projects church-centered neighborhoods the American South Vermont in the 1960s Washington D.C. in the 1970s and into the new millennium each character embarks on a journey to discover their quintessential humanity.</span></p><p></p><p>--</p><p></p><p>Quill says: A lyrical deeply affecting collection <em>Cora and Martha and Other Stories</em> marks Thomas Penn Johnson as a powerful voice in literary fiction. These stories ache with beauty and honesty--readers will remember them long after reading. - <em>Feathered Quill</em></p><p></p><p>Readers seeking juxtapositions of time place purpose and discovery will welcome how <em>Cora and Martha and Other Stories</em> weaves together the social fabric of these individual lives and times. This makes for a powerful collection of reflective experience that will appeal widely to audiences interested in American lives and emerging community changes. - <em>Midwest Book Review</em></p><p></p><p>Each piece captures human vicissitudes in a uniquely microcosmic way. The narratives are fluid traversing time and space; however they are all uniquely American encouraging readers to think about the essential themes of American literature in the context of racially marginalized groups. - <em>Kirkus Reviews</em></p>