Well, I learned that Bullet in the Brain is one of the best short stories ever written. ( )

I was rather disappointed by these stories. I have heard so many great things about Tobias Wolff's writing, but most of these stories did not really speak to me. Although all the stories are about different types & constellations of people, the underlying theme seems to be alienation. There were lots of alienated or broken families in these stories. Many of the stories were about single, isolated men and those didn't really spark much in me. I preferred stories like "Flyboys", which was about families and childhood and friendships, or "Sanity," which was about families and two women (a girl and her stepmother), "The Other Miller," about death, families, and alienation from families. Overall though, I found myself frequently checking how long I had to go until I reached the final story - not generally a good thing. I think this was a book that I finished out of obligation, rather than genuine interest, but it was saved from a two-star rating by the presence of the few great stories that I mentioned. ( )

I can pretty much thank these short stories and my tutor who forced me to read these short stories for reviving my love for reading. Aside from 5th grade, when my teacher put such an appealling outlook on reading for me, I hated to read all my life. It was really never an issue, until I reached junior high school and high school. When I was 15 years old, the summer going into 10th grade, my mom decided it was time to get an English tutor and attempt to bring back my love for reading. Fortunately, it was successful. There was something about these short stories that was so interesting. I wanted to read one after the other until my eyes hurt. And then I just wanted to have discussions about each short story too. It was like I was back in 5th grade.

The English tutor I met with over the summer going into 10th grade recommended these stories. Each week I would read a story and analyze the rhetoric with him to a certain, mild, far-from-AP degree, and then we would go through the plot. What's nice about these stories is that they all have great plots; they are all completely different; they are enjoyable; and I was able to mildly analyze the rhetoric with my tutor, which helped the transition into 10th grade Honors and eventually 11th grade AP. My problem with reading up to that summer was that I was not interested in reading. The plot of these stories got me interested to read and then the rhetoric guided my respect for the authors. Eventually, reading became one of my favorite hobbies. These short stories were the base for my develop; they ignited my passion.

Short stories. Really good. I read "Bullet in the Brain" in The New Yorker and bought this book because I thought it was so good. That story was even better on second reading. ( )