American Short Stories

This is a useful collection - not least because it prepares pupils for the realisation that literature has more to offer than an examination pass. It would be a churlish reader indeed who failed to be attracted by at least one of the writers here, and the Wider Reading List at the end of the book makes further exploration possible. The bedrock of ideas from which American Literature draws its inspiration is well-represented, as are male and female, black and white authors. Activities based on the stories are generally well-structured and relevant, though there is occasional recourse to the cliched, too. The dullness of the 60s-style cover belies the excellence of the contents of this anthology: a useful addition to any KS4 stock cupboard.