From National Book Award winner Charles Johnson, âthe celebrated novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and essayistâŚcomes a small treasure, one to be read and considered and rereadâ (The New York Times Book Review), showcasing his incredible range and resonant voice.
Charles Johnsonâs Night Hawks presents an eclectic, masterful collection of stories tied together by Buddhist themes and displaying all the grace, heart, and insight for which he has long been known. Spanning genres from science fiction to realism, âJohnsonâs writing, filled with the sort of long, layered sentences you can get happily lost in, conveys a kindness; a sense that all of usâŚhave our own storiesâ (The Seattle Times).
In âThe Weave,â Ieesha and her boyfriend carry out a heist at the salon from which she has just been firedâcoming away with thousands of dollars of merchandise in the form of hair extensions. âNight Hawks,â the titular story, draws on Johnsonâs friendship with the late playwright August Wilson to construct a narrative about two writers who meet at night to talk. In âKamadhatu,â a lonely Japanese abbot has his quiet world upended by a visit from a black American Buddhist whose presence pushes him toward the awakening he has long found elusive. âOccupying Arthur Whitfield,â about a cab driver who decides to rob the home of a wealthy passenger, reminds readers to be grateful for what they have. And âThe Night Belongs to Phoenix Jonesâ combines the real-life story of a âsuperheroâ in the city of Seattle with an invented narrative about an aging English professor who decides to join him.
With precise, elegant, and moving language, Johnson creates an âarrestingâ array of âindelible moments that show Johnson to be a master of the short formâ (Library Journal, starred review). Night Hawks is âa masterpieceâŚ[that] ultimately offers a message of empowerment and hopeâ (Oprah.com).