Don't Erase MeDon't Erase Me

Portrays the lives of Black teenagers in New York's South Bronx, where, in the title story, a woman recounts her life after learning she has AIDS
The first collection of short stories by a noted black writer portrays the lives of black teenagers in New York's South Bronx, where, in the title story, a woman recounts her life after learning she has AIDS.
This remarkable debut collection, including a story chosen by Tobias Wolff for The Best American Short Stories 1994, introduces a wholly original young voice to fiction by and about African Americans. Focusing her generous attentions on disenfranchised black teenagers, Ferrell gives pitch-perfect voice to characters not often found in short fiction, and she brings them to life with penetrating sympathy. Many of these vibrant stories are set in the South Bronx. In "Proper Library," a black high school boy finds that being gay, ironically, protects him from the macho culture surrounding him. In "Miracle Answer," the black daughter of a white mother views her double-edged life with both sass and sorrow. In the brilliant title story, a young woman traces backward through her life to the moment she learned she had AIDS. The world of these almost-adults is a treacherous one, yet they manage to find there uncommon strength, humor, and sometimes - amazingly - joy. Like Toni Morrison and Alice