Us and Them is a collection of short stories and poems that will open your heart to the lives of others, especially the mind of its author, Anthony J Langford. The collection will have you thinking about how you interact with others, and had this reader vowing to be more open to what might be going on in other people’s lives.
About half of the stories are autobiographical scenes from the author’s life, giving insight into events that have influenced the person he has become. They illustrate his quest for adventure and his genuine desire to understand others.
But among that desire to open up, it is a book of regrets, of things not said and done. In one story, he is haunted by a girl crying on the streets of New York and his failure to ask her what is wrong, instead being like all the other people who just walked past her. As he says in one of his poems, “It is always worth it, To reach out, Even if it doesn’t go well”. The collection also ponders aging and its effect on us.
It is a book about someone looking back at their life and contemplating what he could have done better.
Collectively, the poems and stories had me contemplating how well I have lived my own life.
One Response
Always interesting to hear other's perspectives.I didn't quite look at it that way but I suppose you're right. I'm too close to it. Thank you for reading, supporting the book and going to the trouble to review.