Resistance: An Anthology

RESISTANCE, the Ohio Writers' Association's latest anthology will inspire you, sadden you, sober you, disgust you, perhaps enrage you, and sometimes even make you laugh. The thirty-one contributors to this volume, all with current or past connections to Ohio, will also make you think about the nature of resistance--its varied forms and targets. What do we resist and how do we resist it? With their short stories, poems, and memoirs, these Ohio writers will provide you with plenty of ideas to ponder.

Most of the targets of resistance depicted in the volume are what you would expect: the sad and familiar litany of racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, religious bigotry, forced acculturation, and authoritarianism, including, of course, the current threats to American democracy and our constitutional rights. But it is the forms of resistance these authors depict that may surprise you, make you think about what is possible. Some of the resistance is of the bold and defiant variety (e.g., George Pallas' "The White Shield" and Christina Singerie's "Wheels on the Bus"), but much of it is more subtle. For instance, with exquisitely written prose, M.R. Vian shows us quiet, determined resistance in his short story, "Counterpoint." John Kachuba does much the same with "Breathes There the Man," a sobering story about boarding schools set up for the forced acculturation of indigenous Americans. And sometimes, just surviving, becoming our fully realized—if not perfect—selves, is the best form resistance can adopt, as Mistinguette Smith portrays in "Mam's Testimony," a masterfully told first-person narrative of living through the Jim Crow Era and escaping domestic violence. Stephen C. Kraynack's memoir, "Big Judy," addresses homophobia from a similar perspective.

Other favorites of mine were Steve Abbott's "Options for the Weary and Uncertain," a poem that examines the avoidance of resistance, or resistance to resistance itself, and Joe Graves' sci-fi short story, "Company Man," which explores the possibility of resisting generational injustice by travelling through time to change the past. And then there is Linda Davis's "Essay Ideas," the story of a woman who struggles to develop her talents and self-realize while caring for others and trying to meet the expectations her culture places on women.

In short, written by a collection of talented Ohio writers, Resistance is a timely and thought-provoking anthology well worth your attention.

Resistance - a collection of stories on the titular theme by Ohio writers - was a riveting read. The stories ran the gamut of resistance types, from characters struggling to resist the expectations of others to ones defying the status quo. There is also a range of length, type, and mood of stories; some were funny, despite their serious nature, some of the tales were flash fiction length, some were poems. Overall, I found the anthology went out of its way to be inclusive and cover as many hot topic issues as possible; immigration, racism, deportation, gentrification, climate change denial, and LGBTQIA+ issues. At the core of all these stories is the undeniable truth that everyone wants to do more than survive. We want a world moving towards freedom and safety, but not at the expense of others, a world that allows us to thrive.

I read the advanced review copy at no cost to me. I have left a voluntary review. I hope you find it useful.

Resistance: An Anthology is an ambitious undertaking that succeeds, overall, in its objective to illustrate resistance as a force for growth in our species. The vast majority of the fiction is very good and the few selections that weren't were still highly readable.

Both of John Kachuba's stories, "Breathes There the Man" and "A New Day at the Taliban Café," were exceptional; entertaining and on-point. Stephen C. Kraynak's "Big Judy" was most interesting and well-constructed. Brian Luke's contribution, "Don't Climb a Tree to Catch a Fish," with its captivating main character, would have made a great novella. Christina Singerie's "Wheels on the Bus" was engrossing. "Counterpoint" by M.R. Vian approached the realm of experimental fiction in its intricate crafting—a treat. And George Pallas' "Der Weiße Schild" was a good, tight short story although the footnotes would drive anyone reading it on an e-reader into a wall-punching fit.

Conversely, most of the poetry was disappointing with three exceptions: Candice M. Kelsey's "American Eros" was so full of imagery that it took three or four readings, Michelle Tackla Wallace's truly excellent "Indian Boarding Schools" blended realism and visualization perfectly, and R. Luce's "Das Vierte Reich" was nothing short of brilliant (despite the aforementioned footnotes). The remaining dozen or so poems struck me as either pretentious or as bad prose with random line breaks lashed together to meet a deadline. Bad poetry is incredibly easy to write, but good poetry pulls your heart and soul from your body and puts them through a meat tenderizer. I didn't get that vibe from most of the poems included in the volume.

Overall, the anthology was well worth a read and I'd recommend it highly—especially the works I detailed above.