Variously funny frightening poignant and exhilarating these collected stories displays the best American writers at the peak of their powers and the national narrative at its most eloquent truthful and inventive. The thirty-three stories in this volume prove that American short fiction maybe be our most distinctive national art form. As selected and introduced by Tobias Wolff they also make up an alternate map of the United States that represents not just geography but narrative traditions cultural heritage and divergent approaches. Contributors and stories include: Mary Gaitskill A Romantic Weekend ; Andre Dubus The Fat Girl ; Tim O Brien The Things They Carried ; Raymond Carver Cathedral ; Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going Where Have You Been? ; Mona Simpson Lawns ; Ann Beattie A Vintage Thunderbird ; Jamaica Kincaid Girl ; Stuart Dybek Chopin in Water ; Ron Hansen Wickedness ; Denis Johnson Emergency ; Edward P. Jones The First Day ; John L Heureux Departures ; Ralph Lombreglia Men Under Water ; Robert Olmstead Cody s Story ; Jayne Anne Phillips Home ; Susan Power Moonwalk ; Amy Tan Rules of the Game ; Stephanie Vaughn Dog Heaven ; Joy Williams Train ; Dorothy Allison River of Names ; Richard Bausch All The Way in Flagstaff Arizona ; and more.