freshman short story collections
Discover the best freshman short story collections for new readers! Explore curated lists of must-read books perfect for beginners diving into short fiction.
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Krik? Krak!
by Edwidge Danticat
When Haitians tell a story, they say "Krik?" and the eager listeners answer "Krak!" In Krik? Krak! In her second novel, Edwidge Danticat establishes herself as the latest heir to that narrative tradition with nine stories that encompass both the cruelties and the high ideals of Haitian life. They tell of women who continue loving behind prison walls and in the face of unfathomable loss; of a people who resist the brutality of their rulers through the powers of imagination. The result is a collection that outrages, saddens, and transports the reader with its sheer beauty.
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The Boat
by Nam Le
The seven stories in Nam Le's masterful collection take us across the globe, guiding us to the heart of what it means to be human. From the slums of Colombia to Iowa City and from the streets of Tehran to a foundering vessel in the South China Sea, here are thrilling versatile tales that herald the arrival of a remarkable new writer.
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Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
by Wells Tower
In Tower's debut collection of stories, families fall apart and messily try to reassemble themselves in an America that is touched with the seamy splendor of the dropout, the misfit, boozy dreamers, hapless fathers, and wayward sons.