It was the way she said it / Short stories, essays, an wisdom Terry McMillan.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"This stunning collection from one of the great writers on Black culture covers the gamut- aging, love, poverty, trauma and plenty of lightness in between."- People

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale comes a remarkable, career-spanning collection of previously published short fiction and nonfiction pieces, as well as never-before-seen works.

Before Terry McMillan found success as a novelist in the early 1990s, she published provocative, boundary-pushing short stories, capturing the struggles and triumphs of Black life in America with vitality and honesty, from the workaday factory man's malaise in "The End" to the cast-aside lover's resolve in "Touching" to the elderly woman's wiles in "Ma'Dear." McMillan's inimitable voice bravely explores the dark corners of human relationships with compassion, humor, and nuance. This collection also features five unpublished stories that reveal how she wrestled with controversial topics rarely addressed in short fiction, from domestic abuse in "Mama, Take Another Step" to extreme poverty in "Can't Close My Eyes to It."

Whether she's revealing life lessons, pontificating about aging, recalling her sources of inspiration, or laying bare the beginnings of her life as a writer, McMillan approaches every piece with enduring candor, wit, and fearlessness.

Devoted fans and new readers alike will be delighted to discover these treasures spanning McMillan's long, groundbreaking career. Indeed, it wasn't only what Terry McMillan has said that made her so beloved . . . it was the way she said it.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

In this collection of funny and authentic short stories and brief essays, readers will respond to McMillan's (It's Not All Downhill from Here) straightforward candor. She doesn't sugarcoat or try to make herself look perfect. The short story "The End" focuses on a Ford assembly line worker who hates his tedious job; his worries capture the fear, uncertainties, and upheavals of the 1970s. In the essay "This Is America," McMillan details her anger at racism and the acquittals of the police officers who beat Rodney King in 1991; she also tries to reconcile the expectations for individual patriotism in the U.S. She observes that being a well-known writer with plenty of money does not shield her from experiencing racism as a Black woman. In "An Icon, nut Not a Hero," McMillan describes her embarrassment and dismay at witnessing the public scandals of famous Black men like Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, and O.J. Simpson, and how they bring up memories of her father physically abusing her mother. Some of the collection's material can be dated to past and current events, but the work remains relevant. VERDICT McMillan is a sharp writer who never fails to give readers memorable, richly developed characters and powerful insights.--Leah Shepherd

Kirkus Book Review

The best part of reading this entertaining collection of published and unpublished fiction, sketches, and nonfiction is the sheer delight of immersing yourself in the works of a writer who has plenty to say and has never been afraid to say it. Author of 1990s megahits likeWaiting To Exhale andHow Stella Got Her Groove Back, McMillan has been chronicling the hopes, dreams, and defiance of Black women for decades, examining relationships between men and women, friends, neighbors, and family with hard-won wisdom and a rebellious authenticity. In these stories, economic woes figure prominently in the lives of her characters. Most of the protagonists are women, but in "The End," published in 1976, a weary worker at the Ford Motor Co. confronts his dull days and the myriad factors that trap and isolate him. In "Reconstruction," a man loses his job, and a couple's relationship deteriorates into physical violence and sexual abuse. In "Ma'Dear (for Estelle Ragsdale)," a scrappy elderly widow survives by taking in boarders she's not supposed to have. There are also characters struggling with love and its fallout--pregnancy scares, anger, regret, loneliness and loss--proving that McMillan has never shied away from frank assessments of sex and its power. In one of the best stories, "Can't Close My Eyes to It," a young girl spends time with her beloved grandmother and learns hard lessons about life. Even McMillan's quick sketches are so immediately absorbing that you wish she'd fleshed them out into full-blown stories. You won't want to skip the nonfiction pieces, which range from essays to a commencement speech, because the author's voice is always engaging. But it's through her fiction that McMillan shines brightest. "She reads the times we're living through," author Ishmael Reed writes in the foreword, a truth evident on every page. An entertaining reminder of McMillan's storytelling abilities and unflinching honesty. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.