Dark Blue Suit And Other Stories

The Columbia Guide to Asian American Literature Since 1945

With overview essays and more than 400 A-Z entries, this exhaustive encyclopedia documents the history of Asians in America from earliest contact to the present day. Organized topically by group, with an in-depth overview essay on each group, the encyclopedia examines the myriad ethnic groups and histories that make up the Asian American population in the United States. "Asian American History and Culture" covers the political, social, and cultural history of immigrants from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and their descendants, as well as the social and cultural issues faced by Asian American communities, families, and individuals in contemporary society. In addition to entries on various groups and cultures, the encyclopedia also includes articles on general topics such as parenting and child rearing, assimilation and acculturation, business, education, and literature. More than 100 images round out the set.

Martin Greenfield, the middle-aged professor in “A Teacher of the Holocaust,” enters into a romantic relationship with Rachel Klein, a therapist with children and a Holocaust survivor. Gradually, Greenfield confronts the unhealed wounds of the survivor and—more disturbing—the limits of his own compassion. In another story, Michael Arnold, returning to Jewish observance after an aimless life, fills his days with acts of loving kindness, and then makes a decision that costs him the wife he

"The Lotto Winners" presents a handsome young man who has squandered his first two year of college and finds himself financially cutoff by his father. Josh’s future looks grim working the night shift at a fleabag hotel. “Out of Rhinehart”: Two Newcomb College girls decide to become pregnant their senior year and select the perfect male to sire their children, thus preventing their families from mating them with some dreadful geek from their inner circle of friends. “A Silver Dime for Sarah”: While feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, the silhouette of a handsome young man turns on Sarah Parker’s memory of her wartime romance. “The Tontine Day”: An elderly woman in an upscale retirement home reminisces and make plans for Tontine Day, when the investment banker takes Alice and her two friends to Commander’s Palace for lunch to review their annuities. “Vincent’s Offerings”: A wife with values firmly planted in the 1960s suspects that her mate of twenty years is being unfaithful. Her true soul mate is her cat Vincent, who each morning leaves an offering for her on the doormat.

Are damaged people destined to inflict damage? A young boy sidelined for being different, an artist unable to distance herself from her past, a famed actress past her prime, a Casanova who plays women but is acutely aware of his loneliness. These are some amongst the various tales of damaged people seeking escape, fulfilment or acceptance. Some long, some short, these sixteen stories have common themes of unhappy marriages; of secrets and lies, pleasure and guilt; of children letting down parents and vice versa; of women of a certain age, and whether they’ve still ‘got it’; of entitled and misogynistic men; and of the hypocrisy and double standards within Indian society. With original and unexpected angles, these tales explore the darkness that underpins the often ordinary lives of people. Thought-provoking, intense and evocative, these stories will transport you into the heart of India where tradition and modernity collide, often with devastating results.

"Five stories about how people choose to navigate life's problems."