The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)

I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, and shared them with my teenagers. They depict with wit, tenderness and irony identity crises of African Americans during and after Reconstruction, and the racism that persisted in both North and South. They read like a mixture of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe with a touch of Jane Austen.

This story is beautifully written. Mr. Chestnutt carefully presents the two different worlds of light-skinned educated blacks and dark-skinned uneducated blacks. He shows how for both groups the Reconstruction era meant an unclear identity. He also shows how both groups are victims of circumstance, but that truth, love, and fidelity can over come those circumstances. I liked this book because as an African-American I know about the "color" problem among our people. I also liked it because it was a true love story and a tear jerker. I suggest you read it aloud to a literary group. It's a wonderful story.