The ways of white folks.

The ways of white folks.

1934 • 272 pages

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The Ways of White Folks is a collection of short stories by Langston Hughes, published in 1934.[1] Hughes wrote the book during a year he spent living in Carmel, California.[2] The collection, "marked by pessimism about race relations, as well as a sardonic realism or, contextually: humorous racism,"[2] is among his best known works.[3] Like Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman (1899) and Wright's Uncle Tom's Children (1938), it is an example of a short story cycle.[4]

The collection consists of 14 short stories:[5]

"Cora Unashamed"
"Slave on the Block"
"Home"
"Passing"
"A Good Job Gone"
"Rejuvenation Through Joy"
"The Blues I'm Playing"
"Red-Headed Baby"
"Poor Little Black Fellow"
"Little Dog"
"Berry"
"Mother and Child"
"One Christmas Eve"
"Father and Son"

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Really well written and insightful. These stories capture the realities of racism in the 1920s/30s so vibrantly. I love Hughes' writing style, and although not all of these stories worked for me, a super strong collection overall.

July 10, 2022