Something About Ann: Stories of Love and Brotherhood

Something About Ann contains a novella by the same name and eleven short stories. Many of the stories continue the journey of The Seven, a group of Vietnam soldiers who survived a horrific experience in Cambodia. Violence and turmoil continue to haunt the soldiers as they try to normalize their lives after returning to the states. Sometimes relying on the help of each other, and sometimes relying on the skills they’ve gained in combat, most prevail. In the novella, Something About Ann, Clarence Bankston returns from the Vietnam War shaken by his experience. After meeting Ann Minh, a Vietnamese, at a party, his first instinct is to avoid her because she is a reminder of a war he doesn’t want to relive. Once they engage in conversation, though, they bond, recognizing both are affected by the conflict. The peace of mind each seeks, however, eludes them. In the story, The Education of Xavier Warfield, Xavier, a former veteran and promising pool hustler, finds the most important lessons in life aren’t learned in the pool room when he falls for a lady with a questionable past. The award-winning short story, The Last Time I Saw Willie, is a coming of age account of a young middle-class African American who learns the importance of dedication and persistence when he meets Willie Stinson, an orphan. In With One Exception, a militant Erving Robinson’s encounter with Harland Conrad, a white Vietnam veteran, begins on shaky terms but evolves as he helps Conrad fight his demons. In Slow Songs, Lieutenant Raymond Williams faces his worst fear in Vietnam, and it has nothing to do with his personal welfare.