A Walk in My World: International Short Stories About Youth

I recommended this book to our multi-generational family book group based on the strong reviews and for lack of finding a similar collection to compare it with. When the book came, and I read it, I was disappointed. The stories are, without exception, bleak accounts of children struggling to cope in a hostile adult world. Sadly, this is a not-uncommon experience, and children growing up in loving and sheltered homes need to learn that their comparatively secure lives are not what every child knows. But this book drives the point home like a sledgehammer and provides a disturbing and skewed vision of human society and the prospects of children. Not one story is funny, or describes an encounter with beauty, or discovery of a vocation, or a description of struggle leading to success, or of sheer delight. These experiences are also meaningful and formative for people of all ages. Why no story dealing with any of these nearly universal experiences was included is a mystery to me. My extended family bought copies of this book on my recommendation, and I had to apologize to them for my poor choice. Two stars because the individual stories are well written.

The author of the SLJ review is wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. A cretin, really. This collection is remarkably consistent. The writing is quite fine and the stories, often relatively obscure, offer a huge breadth of theme, tone and subject matter. I've read many collections of this sort with an eye towards teaching them. This is by far the best. Both weak and strong readers can find much to enjoy. All of these writers are top drawer, and these stories selected carefully to fall within the understanding of young adults. This should be a standard text in all schools, libraries, etc.