The Best of Simple

"When Christ comes back this time, I hope He drives the Jim Crowers out of their high places.... I hope He smites white folks down."
"You don't mean all white folks, do you?"
"No," said Simple. "I hope He lets Mrs. Roosevelt alone."

"I might be old enough to know better, but I am not old enough to do better..."

"... it wasn't the whipping that taught me what I needed to know. It was because she cried--and cried. When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul."

"... every time I saw a picture in the colored papers of colored soldiers receiving medals..., a white officer was always doing the pinning. I have not yet seen a picture in no papers of a colored officer pinning a middle on a white soldier."

At first these show more were vignettes, almost anecdotes, and they stood alone, and so they read better with at least a few hours break in between each. Clearly they worked well in the original format. But then Hughes got to know, and care about, his characters even more, and a narrative developed.

I really enjoyed this glimpse of some of the experiences and perspectives of some of the residents of Harlem in the 1950s. Hughes has written some wonderful poetry, and it's good to see what else he's done. show less

I loved this book! I loved the illustrations because they remind me of old ads from the 50s. Simple will have you laughing because of his common sense-laced humor.

The intro states that there are hundreds of Simples in the world. As you read these stories, Simple will remind you of an uncle, brother, or that funny old man who hangs out in the same place everyday in your neighborhood, telling exaggerated stories about his life.

This is a gem of literature, especially black literature. This was a wonderful blast from the past and I look forward to reading other Simple books.

Funny, wry, droll. Boyd plays straight-man to Jesse B. Simple.

Langston Hughes in perfect harmony with his subjects. A wonder of a collection.

If you ever get to Paris and go to Shakespeare and Sons they have a copy of this in the read only section upstairs. That's where I started reading it. I never finished it but what I read was great.

Short Story Collection