Click on picture for link to original source.
Summary of Break Any Woman Down
Break Any Woman Down is a series of short stories written by author Dana Johnson. In these stories Johnson explores aspects of a variety of relationships. Power distribution is a central theme that is found in all of the stories. Other themes explored in Break Any Woman Down include issues of race, gender, and even class, all of which can be connected back to the theme of dominances in relationships.
Summaries of the short stories in Break Any Woman Down:
"Melvin in the Sixth Grade": A story about a black girl in middle school who has a crush on a white boy named Melvin. Throughout the story, she struggles with racism and being an outsider at a school that is predominantly white.
"Three Ladies Sipping Tea in a Persian Garden": A story about Rosiland who was visiting Sharzad and her sister Nasim comes over and has cut off her hair.
"Breaky Any Woman Down": A story about a black female stripper who begins dating a black male porn star who is constantly controlling her and manipulating her to quit her job.
"Mouthful of Sorrow": A story that takes place in the South and is about Maybone and her friend Addie who killed Fella.
"Hot Pepper": A story told by an adolescent girl who is talking about a particular interaction between her uncle and his new wife.
"Clay's Thinking": A story about a white man named Clay who is dating a black woman named Mirabella. Mirabella is also in a relationship with another white man named Hank, who is very wealthy.
"Bars": A story about a woman who enjoys going to bars by herself, and she says it not because she wants to meet men. During the story, she meets a guy named Andre in a chat room titled Ebony and Ivory.
"Something to Remember Me By": A story about a young woman named April who spends a night out on the town with her dying cousin and his boyfriend.
"Markers": A story about a woman named Avery who the reader sees interacting with her mother as she takes her to get food stamps. As the story continues, the reader sees the relationship between Avery and her European boyfriend, Max, while they prepare for a dinner party.
Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Library Journal
"The nine stories collected here deservedly won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. In each, Johnson explores the interactions among men and women, women and women, parents and children, whites and blacks, young and old, and the living and the dying most vainly searching for a place to be, physically and/or emotionally. Some of the characters appear in more than one story; readers watch them age, gain knowledge, and continue to look for something they think is missing from their lives. The stories are full of the small details and disappointments of life, the missed opportunities and the inopportune moments that change one's trajectory. With its use of explicit language, this collection challenges the emotions and requires contemplation. Recommended for most collections."
Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence Campus Lib.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Dalton Conley, author of Honky -
“Whether it’s an awkward sixth grader with a crush, a pair of brazen Iranian sisters, or a male porno star who bakes a mean ziti, Dana Johnson’s characters breathe authenticity. Johnson has got range and she’s got depth. A remarkable new voice has emerged.”
Customer Reviews
V. Patterson (South Pasadena, CA) 2005 -
"I appreciate the honesty and bravery of these stories. Dana Johnson's writing is sensual and realistic. She approaches issues and topics that are difficult: namely race, class and sex. She writes about straddling cultures in a poignant, nuanced manner. She does not stray from writing about sex.
Her range of characters is impressive. She gives voice to characters that we don't usually get to hear from, and her characters have dignity. The characters seemed real and I cared about what happened to them. I love that. "Melvin in the Sixth Grade", "Three Ladies Sipping Tea in a Persian Garden", and "Markers" are my favorite stories in this collection. Dana Johnson is a brave, adept writer. I look forward to reading more from her."
Anonymous Reader 2002-
"It's hard to believe that the nine stories in Break Any Woman Down were written by the same author. Not since Salinger or Carver have we seen an author adopt so many fresh and clear and imaginative voices in the same collection- they're permanently stuck with me- make me want to tear up the New Yorker and open the book again and again, dive into the powerful, often erotic, always realistic prose. Dana Johnson is a sincere young writer who deserves every bit of the Flannery O'Connor award for short fiction, a writer to be recognized."
Break Any Woman Down is a series of short stories written by author Dana Johnson. In these stories Johnson explores aspects of a variety of relationships. Power distribution is a central theme that is found in all of the stories. Other themes explored in Break Any Woman Down include issues of race, gender, and even class, all of which can be connected back to the theme of dominances in relationships.
Summaries of the short stories in Break Any Woman Down:
"Melvin in the Sixth Grade": A story about a black girl in middle school who has a crush on a white boy named Melvin. Throughout the story, she struggles with racism and being an outsider at a school that is predominantly white.
"Three Ladies Sipping Tea in a Persian Garden": A story about Rosiland who was visiting Sharzad and her sister Nasim comes over and has cut off her hair.
"Breaky Any Woman Down": A story about a black female stripper who begins dating a black male porn star who is constantly controlling her and manipulating her to quit her job.
"Mouthful of Sorrow": A story that takes place in the South and is about Maybone and her friend Addie who killed Fella.
"Hot Pepper": A story told by an adolescent girl who is talking about a particular interaction between her uncle and his new wife.
"Clay's Thinking": A story about a white man named Clay who is dating a black woman named Mirabella. Mirabella is also in a relationship with another white man named Hank, who is very wealthy.
"Bars": A story about a woman who enjoys going to bars by herself, and she says it not because she wants to meet men. During the story, she meets a guy named Andre in a chat room titled Ebony and Ivory.
"Something to Remember Me By": A story about a young woman named April who spends a night out on the town with her dying cousin and his boyfriend.
"Markers": A story about a woman named Avery who the reader sees interacting with her mother as she takes her to get food stamps. As the story continues, the reader sees the relationship between Avery and her European boyfriend, Max, while they prepare for a dinner party.
Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Library Journal
"The nine stories collected here deservedly won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. In each, Johnson explores the interactions among men and women, women and women, parents and children, whites and blacks, young and old, and the living and the dying most vainly searching for a place to be, physically and/or emotionally. Some of the characters appear in more than one story; readers watch them age, gain knowledge, and continue to look for something they think is missing from their lives. The stories are full of the small details and disappointments of life, the missed opportunities and the inopportune moments that change one's trajectory. With its use of explicit language, this collection challenges the emotions and requires contemplation. Recommended for most collections."
Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence Campus Lib.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Dalton Conley, author of Honky -
“Whether it’s an awkward sixth grader with a crush, a pair of brazen Iranian sisters, or a male porno star who bakes a mean ziti, Dana Johnson’s characters breathe authenticity. Johnson has got range and she’s got depth. A remarkable new voice has emerged.”
Customer Reviews
V. Patterson (South Pasadena, CA) 2005 -
"I appreciate the honesty and bravery of these stories. Dana Johnson's writing is sensual and realistic. She approaches issues and topics that are difficult: namely race, class and sex. She writes about straddling cultures in a poignant, nuanced manner. She does not stray from writing about sex.
Her range of characters is impressive. She gives voice to characters that we don't usually get to hear from, and her characters have dignity. The characters seemed real and I cared about what happened to them. I love that. "Melvin in the Sixth Grade", "Three Ladies Sipping Tea in a Persian Garden", and "Markers" are my favorite stories in this collection. Dana Johnson is a brave, adept writer. I look forward to reading more from her."
Anonymous Reader 2002-
"It's hard to believe that the nine stories in Break Any Woman Down were written by the same author. Not since Salinger or Carver have we seen an author adopt so many fresh and clear and imaginative voices in the same collection- they're permanently stuck with me- make me want to tear up the New Yorker and open the book again and again, dive into the powerful, often erotic, always realistic prose. Dana Johnson is a sincere young writer who deserves every bit of the Flannery O'Connor award for short fiction, a writer to be recognized."