A GATHERING OF FLOWERS: Stories About Being Young in America

by Joyce Carol--Ed. Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 30, 1990

A nobly diverse collection that represents various aspects of American culture: Kevin Kyung's ""Autumn Rose"" is about a Korean girl's romance with a Caucasian boy; ""First Love,"" by Gary Soto, depicts a Mexican boy's simple vault into couple-dom on the back of a bike; Thomas's own ""Young Reverend Zelma Lee Moses"" concerns an almost celestially blessed girl-preacher who believes she can fly; Lois Lowry's ""The Harringtons' Daughter"" is about an overwhelming first encounter with tragedy; and seven other stories touch on Native Americans, Latinos, etc. In fact, the collection is so eclectic and encompassing that readers may feel cheated by selections that thrust them wholly into a milieu only to tear them abruptly from it. Like a ten-city, five-day tour, it allows too little time to savor and consider, leaving tantalizingly blurred, overlapping images.

Pub Date: Oct. 30, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 236

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S