Break Any Woman Down: Stories by Dana Johnson

Break Any Woman Down: Stories by Dana Johnson

The nine stories collected here deservedly won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction.

In each, Johnson explores the interactions among men and women, women and women, parents and children, whites and blacks, young and old, and the living and the dying most vainly searching for a place to be, physically and/or emotionally. Some of the characters appear in more than one story; readers watch them age, gain knowledge, and continue to look for something they think is missing from their lives. The stories are full of the small details and disappointments of life, the missed opportunities and the inopportune moments that change one's trajectory. With its use of explicit language, this collection challenges the emotions and requires contemplation.