Earnest N. Bracey

Petrified Life and Other Short Stories Earnest N. Bracey

This provocative book tries to give a modern-day voice to the Black American experience, as it vividly, painstakingly, and accurately depicts the sad and continuing struggles of the descendants of Black African slaves in the United States. This mesmerizing work further weaves the human tragedy, social boundaries, pathetic comedy, jubilation, alienation, and racial conflicts Black Americans face with whites or the dominant group every day, particularly in the Southern States. The fateful tales in this collection also realistically portray Black Americans in contemporary settings in the New South, especially in regards to their coping mechanisms and survival techniques. The background for most of these captivating stories centers, or focuses primarily in the Deep South. This remarkable book finally touches all the raw nerves as it presents the observable truth of black life and living, without restraint, cautious detachment, false candor, or disingenuousness.