Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned: The Socrates Fortlow Stories

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned: The Socrates Fortlow Stories

After serving twenty-seven years in an Indiana prison for killing two people in a drunken rage, tough, brooding ex-convict Socrates Fortlow lives in a tiny apartment in an abandoned building in Watts, struggling to make sense of the anarchic violence in the world and in himself. From Library Journal Esteemed actor Paul Winfield impeccably reads these "unabridged selections" from the cycle of 14 nonmystery stories in which Mosley introduces a new character, Socrates Fortlow. He is a brooding ex-convict who is stuggling to make sense of the violence, crime, fear, and disrespect in the black community where he lives. Each story focuses on a moral issue with which we witness Socrates argue, question, and fight his way to a dignified and responsible position and course of action. A winning production; highly recommended for all fiction collections.?Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IowaCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From AudioFile On rare occasions, the skill and talents of author and narrator are both fully realized in one production; Mosley's latest is a shining example. Socrates Fortlow, having survived 27 years of hard time in prison, has settled in LA. Although he's low on money and job opportunites, the people and situations he encounters and examines, as he considers the meaning and worth of existence, make up a life that is far from ordinary. Paul Winfield's narration is rich, powerful and gentle, in turn, multi-layered and expressive. His skill at finding the right cadence for conversation, the voice for each character and his ability to quietly convey Socrates's strength and determination are matched by the cast of believable people created by the author. (This is no small feat in the short-story format.) The people met here--especially Socrates--are highly memorable. M.A.M. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine