Cheeseburger and Other Stories

Cheeseburger and Other StoriesWinner of the PEN/Southwest Fiction Prize, selected by Joyce Carol OatesIn 1986, a Time Magazine article about gang violence in the South included a quote from an 18-year-old member of the Folks gang-his nickname was Cheeseburger. That moment sparked the title story in this raw and lyrical collection by Charles Harvey. Set in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Cheeseburger follows a teenage girl infatuated with a gang member who barely knows she exists.
As her friendship unravels and her hometown grows more dangerous, one summer ends in quiet tragedy. This award-winning story is joined by a series of haunting and emotionally resonant tales: A mischievous boy tries to tape a fallen leaf back to a tree-only to fall to his death (Kirby Bob Understands Heaven) A couple is suddenly confronted by loss when an empty baby carrier lurches forward in the car (Day of the Porta Potties) A grieving man wears his mother's curtain as a holy robe, refusing to return to reality (The Left Behind Curtain) For readers of Tayari Jones, Jesmyn Ward, or Dorothy Allison, Cheeseburger and Other Stories is a quietly blistering look at youth, grief, and the strange beauty of memory.  ExcerptThe week that I wasn't in love with Cheeseburger,  I called him and them other boys dogs, and Mama seemed happy with me.
We talked about what a shame it was them thugs, from up north were comin' down south, bringin' that dope with 'em, and breakin' into people's houses. Everybody on the block was gettin' burglar bars and bad dogs. Hattiesburg was hirin' more police. It was just a shame, me and Mama agreed. Then I saw Cheeseburger's navel and fell back in love with him. And Mama started fussin' at me 'cause I was a girl and not a boy.
She said I was drawin' them nigguhs to her fence like shit draws flies. My Mama said that to me. And no matter how much I looked like I was ignorin' those boys (I really was ignorin' ol' Polo Mack), she fussed more. Even when they didn't paint the moon and stars on her fence, she fussed.