Rating: 
Summary: Enlightening short-story collection!
Review: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is quite a unique and enlightening short-story collection centered on various aspects of being an African American in this day and age. The stories have a combination of earnest humor and tear-jerking poignancy. The stories and their characters make you feel the emotions and messages that they intend to convey. My favorite stories are "Speaking in Tongues," "Brownies," "Our Lady of Peace," "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere," and "Geese." The aforementioned stories are enriching and empowering. I love ZZ Packer's style. Her style is a cross between Zadie Smith and Toni Morrison. I will look for this author's work in the future. I cannot recommend Drinking Coffee Elsewhere enough.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Z.Z!
Review: Having been so disappointed recently with the many books I've purchased on Amazon, it was with great relief that I finally discovered three that did not disappoint: "Getting Mother's Body," "The Bark of the Dogwood," and "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere." It's hard to say which of the three is the most impressive, but pressed to pick, something tells me that "Drinking Coffee" wins the prize. The sheer abundance of talent displayed in this book is staggering. Packer's reputation was made a while back when
the work appeared in several magazines and literary outlets,
but now, with this publication, this author's reputation is beyond reproach. Well crafted and touching, this book contains insight into the human heart and the human condition not seen for quite some time. Do yourself a favor--buy this book and enjoy. Also recommended: "Getting Mother's body" and "Bark of the Dogwood."
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Z.Z!
Review: Having been so disappointed recently with the many books I've purchased on Amazon, it was with great relief that I finally discovered three that did not disappoint: "Getting Mother's Body," "The Bark of the Dogwood," and "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere." It's hard to say which of the three is the most impressive, but pressed to pick, something tells me that "Drinking Coffee" wins the prize. The sheer abundance of talent displayed in this book is staggering. Packer's reputation was made a while back when
the work appeared in several magazines and literary outlets,
but now, with this publication, this author's reputation is beyond reproach. Well crafted and touching, this book contains insight into the human heart and the human condition not seen for quite some time. Do yourself a favor--buy this book and enjoy. Also recommended: "Getting Mother's body" and "Bark of the Dogwood."
Rating: 
Summary: A blackadelic Flannery O'Connor in the making
Review: I gotta agree with Gregory Baird. These fics are very much hit-and-miss. EVERY TONGUE is a brilliant exercise in empathy. The protagonist is a Christian-fundamentalist creep, but ZZ treated her with a certain amount of respect. Clareese gets redeemed thru another person. (Instead of merely thru Jesus.)
Rating:
Summary: LOVE LOVE LOVE this collection
Review: I had previously read a few of ZZ Packer's stories in lit magazines such as ZOETROPE and The New Yorker and I have been anxiously awaiting this collection. I have not been disappointed. "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" is a collection of unique, startling and at times, brutally truthful stories by Packer, a new author. All these stories, in some way, touch upon themes of alienation, the search for truth (whatever that truth is for the characters), of approval, and of identity. Stories range from the title piece, "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere," about a young black woman who enters a ivy league university and must struggle not only with alienation and her identity but the death of her mother, to "Geese," a story about a sister who travels to Tokyo to make loads of money only to find herself destitute and in the company of people just as down and out as she is. What I enjoy the most about these eight stories is that Packer tells stories about black people, but she does so multiculturally, or "realistically". The world isn't full of just black people or just white people. The worlds in Packer's stories travel the globe from Baltimore, to Yale University, to Tokyo. We see a vast array of people and places and situations, and Packer is not afraid to show us all these facets, nor is she afraid to show us the bleakness of reality. Her stories do not end with cotton candy and happily ever afters. Sometimes, life is hard, and Packer portrays these times exquisitely. Anyone who is interested in reading well written stories about the facets of black life, will no doubt enjoy ZZ Packer's debut collection as much as I have. Shon Bacon
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surprise
Review: I have to admit that I was, at first, turned off by the idea of reading a collection of short stories. I just really was not in the mood to be getting to know new characters every 30 or so pages. I had become used to being held mentally hostage by the plot twists of a full length novel. The roller coaster of emotions and multiple climaxes I experienced while reading ZZ Packer's Drinking Coffee Elsewhere totally changed my perception of short stories.
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a collection of short stories about the transition of the human spirit and how the single choices that one makes can effect one's perception of the world. These stories are written with an honest voice about real subjects that are not often discussed. There's "Speaking in Tongues", about a young girl who runs away from her sheltered religious life and is faced head on with the real world. Packer's story illustrates that religion is a choice that is made with the soul and is not afraid to examine what happen when one reaches the "age of accountability". The title story "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" allows you the opportunity to meet a female freshman at Yale University and examines how she chooses to deal and not deal with situations she faces in her young, troubled life. Each clever title invites you to delve deep into the story to discover its meaning and, in turn, to discover something about yourself you may not have realized. The range of characters and storylines increases the chance that you, as the reader, will relate to this book. Short stories leave you to imagine the effect of the events in the story on the character. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere will leave you to live the effects these stories will have on your soul.
Rating:
Summary: I Loved This Book
Review: I heard about this book from someone who saw Z.Z. Packer on tv. I initially resisted buying it once I found out that it was a collection of short stories, but I am so glad that I relented. This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. It comes from a place that I understand and relate to which is a rare find. I would love to see more novels by Z.Z. Packer, she is a tremendous writer.
Rating:
Summary: a great new talent
Review: I was very impressed by ZZ Packer's talent as presented by "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere". Her characters are vivid, honest, funny and best of all very real. They are all struggling to find their true identities. ZZ Packer has no trouble portraying characters that are completely different than herself. Black or white, young or old, her characters are drawn with honesty and respect.
I especially liked her treatment of the African-American characters in the book. They are not caricatures, nor are they stereotypical. They are like people you know; they talk about things that real black people talk about. Go out an buy this book; you'll really enjoy it. p.s. There is not one "racist" thing about this book.
Rating:
Summary: Left me hanging...
Review: I'd heard so much about this author, even read an excerpt of "Brownies". Packer is an excellent writer but the characters in these stories are not very well developed and the endings were soft. Each story drew me in but once there I lost interest in the characters because there wasn't enough to hold onto. I kept thinking as I read the stories that I would love to see how this writer develops over the next ten-twenty years. I see great things for her future work. This one didn't quite do it for me.
Taxes, Death & Trouble author CM Miller
Rating:
Summary: william h. ellis
Review: in 1895 as researched by karl jacoby at Brown U.
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