Strangers In Another Country by Lawrence G. TaylorMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book came to my attention through BookTasters. It is different from my usual picks. It is a collection of short stories about life. I enjoyed them. I felt that they rang with honesty. The stories deal with some of life's heavier topics; love, loneliness, racial discrimination, feeling you don't belong anywhere. Yet I did not find the book depressing.
The stories are set in the late 1960's and the main characters are West Indian. The settings are London and Sweden, (my point of view is as an American - I have not been to London or Sweden and speak of things as I see them in the U.S.). I felt they were relevant today, which is sad. You would think with so many years gone by that things would be more balanced with equality. I think books like this one need to be read. It opens your mind to things that still need to be changed. It was, for me, a listening to the other side of things...without anger. In my opinion, this is when we can figure things out. When there is no angry accusations, just listening and reflecting. My favorite story in this collection was Betty and The Black Puppy.
The book is not that long and can easily be read in one afternoon. The stories are not connected so you can also choose to read them between appointments or while riding to work. They are stories that you will want to think about, so give yourself time for that.
Thank you to BookTasters and the author for bringing the book to my attention. A pdf copy was loaned to me for review purposes.
View all my reviews
