All Problems Are Simple — Robert Benard

Gr 11 Up-- These 19 stories share a common thread: all are views of college experiences, attitudes, and expectations mainly from the perspective of students either at school or temporarily away. The stories are set at various times in this century, but the situations have a universality that makes them easy to relate to. Much of the uncertainty and anticipation of young people at the brink of full adulthood is reflected in this collection. It has much of the same mood as the pieces in Harriet Harvey's Stories Parents Seldom Hear: College Students Write About Their Lives and Families (Delacorte, 1982) and will find the same readership. A wonderful array of authors are represented, such as Shaw, Updike, and Fitzgerald. Stephen King's ``I Know What You Need,'' which originally appeared in Night Shift, is eerie fun. Alice Walker's ``A Sudden Trip Home in the Spring'' is a beautiful portrait of realized self-confidence as Sarah Davis returns home for her father's funeral. A fine collection of stories about college life, relationships, friendships, and discovery. --Diane P. Tuccillo, Mesa Public Library, Ariz.