‘Shot of Short’ #3: The Rockpile
October 2, 2008 by Rob
Filed under 100 Shots of Short
Title: The Rockpile by James Baldwin
Date Read: 29 September 2008
Briefly: A story centering on two brothers – Roy and John, a natural rockpile found across from their house in a poor African-American neighbourhood of New York, and the boy’s relationship with their parents.
Afterthoughts: Certainly well-written but a little strange. I’m sure there is more allegorical or political meaning to the story, than I’m seeing (there’s plenty of reference to fighting), so maybe this story was somewhat wasted on me.
Notable Quote: “They fought on the rockpile. Surefooted, dangerous, and reckless, they rushed each other and grappled on the heights, sometimes disappearing down the other side in a confusion of dust and screams and upended, flying feet.”
Rating: 
*Story read as part of my 100 Shots of Short reading challenge.
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Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation. He gets unnaturally excited over anything book-shaped, and if book sniffing were a crime then he would have been locked up years ago (which wouldn't bother him in the slightest provided his cell were lined with books)
