What Kind of Fool? and Other Short Stories

What Kind of Fool? and Other Short Stories is a collection of twenty-four of the author’s published short stories that came from seven of his other books of short stories. The seven books of short stories include: Dream On: Persistent Themes in My Dreams; Promises I Must Keep: Maintaining My Family’s Legacy; Educated Misunderstanding; Hard Luck; Longing for Home and Other Short Stories; The Cotton is High and Other Short Stories; and Where the Pig Trail Meets the Dirt Road. These twenty-four short stories are considered some of his best short stories. The stories in this book have been re-edited and revised to improve their readability. They came in part from some of his life experiences. The author grew up on an isolated-dirt farm in a rural area of East Texas. The earliest he can remember was when he was approximately three-years old. He had on a dress and pigtails in his hair. His brother was plowing in the field. It was July and the corn was tall. Farm animals ran through the yard. They had no electricity, gas, plumbing, or telephone. He lived in a drafty-old, rusty-tin-roof shack, that existed in the middle of nowhere. The land was full of rocks and would only grow the hardiest of weeds. As he became of age, he would plow a mule from sunup to sunset until he was eighteen and left home. He did get electricity when he was in first grade but didn’t get gas until he was a freshman in high school, a telephone as a sophomore in college, and some makeshift plumbing many years after college. Until first grade there was no road to his house, only a three-mile trail. This trail had overhanging tree limbs, tall grass, and ditches wide as a house. When it rained the trail became a flood plain. He had to walk that three-mile trail to the bus stop every morning and evening. In first grade a dirt road was constructed that led to his front door. The school bus began to pick them up at their front door. The author’s parents left him to survive with the animals, and he made it the best way he could. His mother was unaffectionate and left him to his own devices. During his early years there were few visitors, mainly because of the trail situation. He was mostly isolated from other people. Once they got the dirt road, his brother came home for a brief period. This brother encouraged him in school, took him where he wanted to go, and bought him some of the things he needed. This brother was his saving grace. His isolation led him to stutter. There were no speech therapists in the area. The school also did not have a speech therapist. He would never get any help for his speech. There was mental illness, philandering, alcoholism, psychological, and physical abuse in his family. His father worked 300 miles away, and his mother only cared about the management of the farm. Neither his mother nor father cared much about their children getting an education. They only went to school because it was a requirement by the state. His brothers nor sisters got much education, and subsequently had difficulty finding a decent job. His mother tried to discourage him from attending school, but he was determined to get what he could from the educational system. The author got picked on a lot because he was scrawny, undernourished, and had a speech impediment. He was small and frail for his age. Boys three years behind him in school were bigger and stronger than he was. In addition, he was mostly ignored and looked over by his teachers. For most of his youth he was isolated from other children in the community and spent most of his time working on that dirt farm. When he was sixteen his brother bought him a car. This got him out of some of his isolation. He could at least get off that dirt farm and go where he wanted to go. His elementary, junior high, and high school experience was inadequate; but somehow, he grew up and went to college. Always behind the eight ball because he wasn’t prepared for the rigors of academia. For the most part he was out of place, and a stranger in a strange land. If it hadn’t been for his father’s Social Security benefits, it is unlikely that he would ever have had the opportunity to attend college. He had nine older sisters and brothers but received no help for college from any of them. He knew his parents could barely survive and would be unable to provide any assistance. He graduated college and joined the Navy and later attended graduated school in social work. After which, he moved to a South Suburb of Chicago. He has been in the south suburbs for the past forty-eight years. He studied toward a Ph.D. at two different universities while holding down a full-time job, but never was able to successfully complete the degree. Worked on several jobs in the Chicago area. Also, taught college classes part-time, and worked several other jobs part-time. He was in private practice for several years. He has been retired for the past twenty years. He was fortunate to be able to send two children to college, has a decent home, and adequate transportation. These stories mimic some of his experiences, but in no way depict the total reality of these experiences. They are only fiction and far from reality. The stories represent more of what the author wanted to happen rather than what happened in his life. The good, bad, and ugly times are represented. You will enjoy all these stories, while getting into the world of an African American male, who was hungry and determined to get from point “A” to point “B.”