Review of A Bag of Diamonds and Marbles

[Vidhi Adhikari]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Bag of Diamonds and Marbles" by C. Yusef Wells.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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A Bag of Diamonds and Marbles is a collection of short stories by C. Yusef Wells. It mainly focuses on the struggles and racial issues from the 20th century and how people navigated their lives while dealing with such injustices. With less than ten stories in under 70 pages, it’s a quick and thought-provoking read that is sure to make one question societal norms.

Each story in this book carries a message with it. Be it racial injustice or poverty, the tales highlight the struggles and joys of man in the 1950s and show how many such problems prevail in the 21st century. My favorite one was the evergreen love story of Sonny Boy and Nita. It proved the power of destiny and showed how the things meant for you shall find you. Each tale is rich in humor and emotions, making it an enjoyable read.

I loved the fact that each story began with a stimulating quote and ended with an inspiring lesson. The tales are short and crisp. The first story about a professor forced to start his life anew after losing his family was quite touching. It's commendable how the author created more than a dozen characters with unique personalities. Be it a devastated professor or a lovesick boy, all readers would relate to at least one of the characters in the book.

Although the author has managed to convey his ideas clearly in under 70 pages, I believe there is still room for improvement. To begin with, the writing style used in some stories was too fancy for my taste. Instead of using phrases like, "My family was snatched from the core of my heart," I believe readers would empathize with the character if he expressed his grief more conversationally and honestly. Also, the text had missing punctuation in numerous sections, which hampered the flow of reading multiple times. Some of the stories were dragged on and could have been finished sooner. In addition, the significance of some characters was not clear to me. For example, I couldn’t understand the importance of the owl in the story of the grief-stricken professor. Lastly, although the book’s description promised humor, it wasn’t as impactful as I expected.

Because there wasn’t anything particularly punchy in the short stories, I shall rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I have deducted another star because of the grammatical and punctuation errors in the book. I also believe the book will do better with some pictures corresponding to the stories. They shall help grab the reader’s attention.

People born during the 1940s and 50s shall find the book nostalgia-invoking. Otherwise, I recommend this book to all age groups, as it would sensitize them toward the struggles and racial discrimination faced by marginalized communities in the 20th century.

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A Bag of Diamonds and Marbles
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[Ogunkoya Mayowa]

A collection of short stories that focus on the struggles and racial issues from the 20th century. The author creates a dozen characters with unique personalities but the writing style used in most story are too fancy. I hope the author uses this review to make some changes. Thanks for the honest review.

[Temi Book]

One would have that these racial injustice would have stopped in this century, but it’s still very much in existence, which is so saddening.