“What They Found: Love On 145th Street” by Walter Dean Myers

Mr. Myers has won countless awards, and it is easy to see why. This collection of 15 short stories, following up on his previous collection about 145th Street, is accessible, warm, simple and touching. Love is explored in all its forms. We see a good deal of loss but a tremendous spirit and heart within each of the characters. The first story, about a family and a beauty shop, sets a framework for lives intertwined. Much like Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “An Island Like You”, these folks live in a community where culture supports them as much as anything else. This is a neighborhood where the insiders know one another and accept the down-and-out as part of their family. Alternating between deeply serious and hysterically funny, the language would make this a good middle-school book, but the situations place it a bit higher. We see familial love, new love, crushes and heartbreak, all wrapped in the quilt that makes up Harlem. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Myers once. He is quiet, gentle and kind, and these stories not only speak of love between people, but the love he has of his community. It is to his credit that his writing feels fresh and contemporary, speaking to young and old. I recommend this book to any who enjoy short stories, as I do. I feel they are often overlooked, but stories distilled can be very pure and rich, as these are. Enjoy.