A good collections of American classics, from Joyce Carol Oates to John Cheever. ( )

This was an audio book performance of the stories listed in the description. All the stories are classics, most of which I read some time ago. My favorite short story of all time "Where are you going, where have you been?" by [a:Joyce Carol Oates|3524|Joyce Carol Oates|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1454307466p2/3524.jpg] is included in the selections.

It was a joy listening to all of the stories. Some were quite funny. In particular, "At the Anarchists’ Convention" made me smile throughout. [a:John Sayles|59757|John Sayles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1247850006p2/59757.jpg] managed to respect being elderly and still suffuse the story with honesty. ( )

This audio collection pairs short stories by well-regarded American authors with (mostly) well-known actors. Most of the stories are written in first person, giving the presentations the feel of a dramatic monologue. My favorite stories in the collection are “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. The best performance is René Auberjonois' delivery of Edgar Allan Poe's “The Black Cat”. Stockard Channing's performance of Eudora Welty's “Why I Live at the P.O.” is nearly as good. “Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going?” by Joyce Carol Oates is the only story that fell flat. It's also one of just two stories written in the third person, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

The complete contents:
“Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan, performed by Freda Foh Shen
“Game” by Donald Barthelme, performed by David Strathairn
“Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty, performed by Stockard Channing
“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe, performed by René Auberjonois
“Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going?” by Joyce Carol Oates, performed by Christine Baranski
“At the Anarchist's Convention” by John Sayles, performed by Jerry Stiller
“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, performed by Carmen De Lavallade
“Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor” by John Cheever, performed by Malachy McCourt

Recommended for short story and American lit fans. ( )

“Selected Shorts: American Classics” is a terrific collection of audio stories, and ranks as one of my most enjoyable audiobooks of all time. It contains eight wonderfully entertaining tales, each of which was performed (not just “read”) onstage before a live audience. Authors of the stories range from classic writers (Eudora Welty, Edgar Allen Poe) to contemporary authors (Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Walker, Amy Tan), and the narrators include highly talented performers and professional actors. The stories were recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and on tour around the U.S. The listener shares in the delight of the audience at the performance of each of these stories.

The narrated stories range from downright hilarious to poignant to chilling to frightening. One of my favorites is David Strathairn’s stellar performance of Donald Barthelmo’s “Game” – a hilariously horrifying story of two US army soldiers trapped together for months in an underground missile bunker, apparently forgotten by their superiors. Another favorite is John Cheever’s “Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor” (performed by Malachy McCourt), a humorous tale of a high-rise elevator operator who is overcome by his riders’ holiday generosity with gifts of alcohol. Another is Eudora Welty’s immensely comical “Why I Live at the PO” -- performed to perfection by US actress Stockard Channing. Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a creepily fascinating tale of a teenage girl’s seduction by a drifter. Still another stand- out contribution is Jerry Stiller’s performance of John Sales’ “At the Anarchist’s Convention”.

I highly recommend this audio collection; it was a delight to listen to. What’s more, I intend to seek out other short story collections of the Symphony Space series.

The eight stories in “American Classics”, their authors, and performers are as follows: “Rules of the Game” (by Amy Tan) – performed by Freda Foh Shen; “The Game” (by Donald Barthelmo) – performed by David Strathairn; “Why I Live at the PO” (by Eudora Welty) -- performed by Stockard Channing; “The Black Cat” (by Edgar Allen Poe) -- performed by René Auberjonois; “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (Joyce Carol Oates) – performed by Christine Baranski; “At the Anarchist’s Convention” (John Sayles) – performed by Jerry Stiller; “Everyday Use” (Alice Walker) -- performed by Carmen de Lavallade; and “Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor” (John Cheever) – performed by Malachy McCourt.

Sadly, this work is not offered for sale at the Symphony Space website; however it is available from Audible.com. ( )

A wonderful collection of short-stories performed by professional actors in front of a live audience. From the NPR series Selected Shorts. My favorite stories in bold.

1. Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game" performed by Freda Foh Shen
A strict Chinese mother bedevils her chess prodigy daughter.

2. Donald Barthelme's "Game" performed by David Strathairn
Playing cosmic chicken in a nuclear bunker.

3. Eudora Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O." performed by Stockard Channing
Story of an independent young woman striking out on her own.

4. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" performed by René Auberjonois
Poe’s masterpiece told with new passion.

5. Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" performed by Christine Baranski
Creepy tale of a teenage girl’s seduction by a dangerous drifter, like "A Good Man is Hard to Find".

6. John Sayles' "At the Anarchists’ Convention" performed by Jerry Stiller
Comedy classic of a geriatric Jewish Anarchist convention.

7. Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" performed by Carmen de Lavallade
Siblings disagree about a precious piece of their family heritage.

8. John Cheever's "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor" performed by Malachy McCourt
A high-rise elevator operator discovers holiday generosity. ( )