Elbow Room Summary
James Alan McPherson

Elbow Room Summary

Elbow Room is an anthology of twelve independent and unrelated stories about the experience of diverse groups of black Americans.

"Why I like Country Music" portrays a loving married couple sparring about the legitimacy of square dancing as a valid art form, using it as a symbol for radically differing worldviews coming from upbringings in the North and South. The husband tells about a fourth grade crush that results in him besting the class know-it-all to square-dance with the girl on May Day, and to this day, the scent of lemon and the sound of country music remind him of those heady days.

"The Story of a Dead Man" is about the family loyalty one straight-as-an-arrow cousin feels for another, an accomplished liar hell-bent on finding an exciting death. The narrator, William, feels obliged to set the record straight. The story sketches how their lives diverge and comes to a... View more of the Elbow Room Summary