Página inicialGruposDiscussãoMaisZeitgeist
Pesquise No Site
Este site usa cookies para fornecer nossos serviços, melhorar o desempenho, para análises e (se não estiver conectado) para publicidade. Ao usar o LibraryThing, você reconhece que leu e entendeu nossos Termos de Serviço e Política de Privacidade . Seu uso do site e dos serviços está sujeito a essas políticas e termos.

Resultados do Google Livros

Clique em uma foto para ir ao Google Livros

Carregando...

The Graybar Hotel: Stories

de Curtis Dawkins

MembrosResenhasPopularidadeAvaliação médiaMenções
985275,010 (3.75)18
"In this stunning debut collection, Curtis Dawkins, an MFA graduate and convicted murderer serving life without parole, takes us inside the worlds of prison and prisoners with stories that dazzle with their humor and insight, even as they describe a harsh and barren existence. In Curtis Dawkins's first short story collection, he offers a window into prison life through the eyes of his narrators and their cellmates. Dawkins reveals the idiosyncrasies, tedium, and desperation of long-term incarceration--he describes men who struggle to keep their souls alive despite the challenges they face. In "A Human Number," a man spends his days collect-calling strangers just to hear the sounds of the outside world. In "573543," an inmate recalls his descent into addiction as his prison softball team gears up for an annual tournament against another unit. In "Leche Quemada," an inmate is released and finds freedom more complex and baffling then he expected. Dawkins's stories are funny and sad, filled with unforgettable detail--the barter system based on calligraphy-ink tattoos, handmade cards, and cigarettes; a single dandelion smuggled in from the rec yard; candy made from powdered milk, water, sugar, and hot sauce. His characters are nuanced and sympathetic, despite their obvious flaws. The Graybar Hotel tells moving, human stories about men enduring impossible circumstances. Dawkins takes readers beyond the cells into characters' pasts and memories and desires, into the unusual bonds that form during incarceration and the strained relationships with family members on the outside. He's an extraordinary writer with a knack for metaphor, and this is a powerful compilation of stories that gives voice to the experience of perhaps the most overlooked members of our society"--… (mais)
Carregando...

Registre-se no LibraryThing tpara descobrir se gostará deste livro.

Ainda não há conversas na Discussão sobre este livro.

» Veja também 18 menções

Exibindo 5 de 5
Short story collection by an author who has both an MFA and a life prison sentence.

Each story tells a slice of life in a men's prison. The author makes the inmates sound sympathetic and very human.

My favorite story tells of a man who randomly dials phone numbers to see if he can find anyone to talk to. After reading this book - and this story in particular, I will certainly accept the charges if I'm ever called collect by some lonely soul in prison.

Really well done. ( )
  sriddell | Aug 6, 2022 |
I went into reading The Graybar Hotel without much knowledge of the book. I read the pitch and thought it sounded interesting and requested the ARC without much else going in. I am not a huge fan of short story collections, but this is definitely the best I have read. The stories were interesting and the writing was great. The details about what life in prison is like had me captivated and interested. I found myself thinking about them weeks after finishing the story. One in particular, about a man who would spend his days randomly calling phone numbers until someone answered, really resonated with me.

After finishing the book and reading more about Curtis Dawkins, I love this book even more. I gave The Graybar Hotel four stars, but only because the pacing in some of the stories was a bit slow for my taste. I definitely would recommend this book.
( )
1 vote ChelseaMcE | Mar 19, 2020 |
This collection of fourteen stories, centers around life in a penitentiary. Most are presented in the first person and the reader is taken along as the prisoner makes his way through his daily grind, living behind bars. There are two big surprises here: First off, I was amazed at the author's high level of craftsmanship. The writing is strong and fluid. It is introspective and laconic, with flashes of well-needed humor. The second revelation, is that the author, is serving a life sentence for murder. Dawkins earned an MFA, from Western Michigan University in 2000, but had always struggled with substance abuse issues. One night, in 2004, he smoked crack and was involved in a botched robbery and shot and killed an innocent man. He expresses his deep remorse in the acknowledgments.
I am very glad to have discovered this collection and I hope to spread the word. ( )
  msf59 | Sep 5, 2017 |
This book first caught my attention because it's written by a convicted killer, serving life in prison. And so the stories hold a bit of voyeuristic intrigue, allowing a glimpse behind those fences and gray walls.

Curtis Dawkins is a gifted writer. There is beauty in his words, despite the darkness of the pictures he paints for us. I was prepared for a visit to a violent world. What I didn't expect was Dawkins' powerful portrayal of the utter boredom and what it does to the mind. We also see the inability to escape the chatter of people with whom you're forced to live in close contact, despite the fact that you'd probably never choose to hang out with them if given the choice.

These stories could be fiction, fact, or a mixture of both. They all have a strong component of realism, along with a surprising amount of depth. Curtis Dawkins shows us the humanity within the cold, uncertain world where we lock away our problems.

*I receive an advance ebook from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* ( )
  Darcia | Jul 11, 2017 |
First, thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster publishers for the opportunity to read and enjoy this e-book. This book caught my attention right from the start, and not easy to put down. Most readers like to read about prison life, and this book was a delightful way to accomplish that. Short stories, very quick to get into, and very easy to like. Some quite humorous, some more serious about the life and problems of prisoners. Author Dawkins has been imprisoned since 2005 so is telling these stories from the front line. I would definitely recommend this book by Dawkins to friends and family. ( )
  annwelton | Jan 14, 2017 |
Exibindo 5 de 5
sem resenhas | adicionar uma resenha
Você deve entrar para editar os dados de Conhecimento Comum.
Para mais ajuda veja a página de ajuda do Conhecimento Compartilhado.
Título canônico
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
Título original
Títulos alternativos
Data da publicação original
Pessoas/Personagens
Lugares importantes
Eventos importantes
Filmes relacionados
Epígrafe
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
Cold blood
flowing through the veins of
me and all my friends.
Still love
can be pumped out of our hearts.
This start might be the end.

--The Dears
Dedicatória
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
To my people in Portland --
Kim, Henry, Elijah, and Lily Rose
Primeiras palavras
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
Italian Tom was a saucier until a Cadiallac doing sixty hit him and knocked the recipes out of his head. (County)
Citações
Últimas palavras
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
(Clique para mostrar. Atenção: Pode conter revelações sobre o enredo.)
Aviso de desambiguação
Editores da Publicação
Autores Resenhistas (normalmente na contracapa do livro)
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
Idioma original
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês. Edite para a localizar na sua língua.
CDD/MDS canônico
LCC Canônico

Referências a esta obra em recursos externos.

Wikipédia em inglês

Nenhum(a)

"In this stunning debut collection, Curtis Dawkins, an MFA graduate and convicted murderer serving life without parole, takes us inside the worlds of prison and prisoners with stories that dazzle with their humor and insight, even as they describe a harsh and barren existence. In Curtis Dawkins's first short story collection, he offers a window into prison life through the eyes of his narrators and their cellmates. Dawkins reveals the idiosyncrasies, tedium, and desperation of long-term incarceration--he describes men who struggle to keep their souls alive despite the challenges they face. In "A Human Number," a man spends his days collect-calling strangers just to hear the sounds of the outside world. In "573543," an inmate recalls his descent into addiction as his prison softball team gears up for an annual tournament against another unit. In "Leche Quemada," an inmate is released and finds freedom more complex and baffling then he expected. Dawkins's stories are funny and sad, filled with unforgettable detail--the barter system based on calligraphy-ink tattoos, handmade cards, and cigarettes; a single dandelion smuggled in from the rec yard; candy made from powdered milk, water, sugar, and hot sauce. His characters are nuanced and sympathetic, despite their obvious flaws. The Graybar Hotel tells moving, human stories about men enduring impossible circumstances. Dawkins takes readers beyond the cells into characters' pasts and memories and desires, into the unusual bonds that form during incarceration and the strained relationships with family members on the outside. He's an extraordinary writer with a knack for metaphor, and this is a powerful compilation of stories that gives voice to the experience of perhaps the most overlooked members of our society"--

Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas.

Descrição do livro
Resumo em haiku

Current Discussions

Nenhum(a)

Capas populares

Links rápidos

Avaliação

Média: (3.75)
0.5
1 1
1.5
2 1
2.5
3 4
3.5 2
4 4
4.5 1
5 5

É você?

Torne-se um autor do LibraryThing.

 

Sobre | Contato | LibraryThing.com | Privacidade/Termos | Ajuda/Perguntas Frequentes | Blog | Loja | APIs | TinyCat | Bibliotecas Históricas | Os primeiros revisores | Conhecimento Comum | 203,187,057 livros! | Barra superior: Sempre visível