Chosen for Further Reading — December 2020
Read these brilliant stories from The Masterpiece
We always uphold stories that have personal insights. Why? Because we believe readers feel more connected to the stories where the writers are present with their most authentic voices.
Keeping that in mind, we have chosen some insightful stories published in The Masterpiece last month for further reading.
You may rediscover yourself reading the following stories as each of them is rich in the writer’s hard-earned life lessons and understanding. We are confident enough to say that these stories will enhance your knowledge and widen your worldview.
So, read the following stories chosen for further reading and be wiser than the people around you.
The So-Called ‘Black Way’ of Thinking is Ridiculous ~ Isaiah McCall
High school is weird. It’s the human version of the Discovery Channel. You have one group of savage primates next to another, and all of them are very anal about letting anyone into their folds. The hipsters bitch about the football players; the cheerleaders avoid the anime kids, and the stoners don’t care about any of it and keep getting baked. It all screams identity crisis.
Navigating a Quarter-life Crisis ~ Venessa Amber
I am twenty-five, separated from my husband, selling my house, questioning everything, and trying to find steady work in the middle of a pandemic. Did I mention I have no plans or funds for graduate school?
Sixteen-year-old me is weeping. Cue the existential crisis.
Disaster or Triumph? You Won’t Know Until It’s Over ~ Ryan Frawley
I remember sitting at the dining room table with a crudely handwritten account in front of me, listing our income and expenditures. We had no savings. Only debt.
Over and over again, I cursed the day I bought that place and signed up for this anchor that looked like it was going to drag me down into the poverty I had spent years trying to escape from.
Switzerland — The Most Wonderful Place on Earth ~ Felipe Xavier
We met a Brazilian woman on the train, and she explained several things about the country we had no idea about. One thing I’ll never forget is that if you see a water fountain, you can drink the water, it’s always cold and clean.
During the trip — by train — we saw such beautiful landscapes with beautiful mountains, waterfalls, lakes, cows with bells on their necks. It felt like we were on a train to heaven.
The Lessons I Learned From Being a Mother ~ Rabia Akram
Back in my college days, when I was studying unmathematical things just for the fun of it, I was very fond of children and used to be good at taking care of my nieces (which I still do).
Perhaps, this is the sole reason why at the early stage of coming to womanhood, I was prominent among my friends for being so dedicated to my nieces. They were even jealous of me. Oh yeah, they should. I was so perfect in what I was doing.
I Lent Some Money to a Friend and I Lost Both — the Money and the Friend ~ S M Mamunur Rahman
In the next month, I sent him a text message about whether he could repay me now. He deliberately made the inbox unseen. Then after a few days, he replied that he was having some financial trouble. So, it would take some more time. He said his business was not doing well.
I asked directly about how much time it would take as I needed a specific timeline. My friend promised me that in the first week of next month I would get the money, no matter what.
Did We Actually Know Ourselves Better As Kids? ~ Marija Martincevic
However, back then, it was very frustrating to try to comprehend why this was all happening, and my parents’ explanation of “this is their way boys show you that they like you” fell flat.
So I stopped trying to understand what was happening to me and focused on myself. I spent my time writing, doing theatre, and of course, shopping for shoes.
It Took Me Years to Realize That People Mistook Being an Introvert as You Being Weak ~ Shabaira Junaid
When I was in middle school, one of my teachers sent a note in my diary asking my parents to meet her. She’d written that she wanted to discuss something about their daughter.
I was super stressed and anxious. Firstly, I had no clue whatsoever about why my parents were summoned. Secondly, I didn’t know how to deal with their reaction and subsequent interrogation.
What the Chinese People Have Got Right That Other Cultures Haven’t About Success ~ Emmanuel A. Anderson
The Chinese concept of success is simple. You won’t accept it if you aren’t a deep thinker. While the rest of the cultures worldwide, especially western culture, think success is having material possessions, power, and fame. And anyone from it would do everything even to the detriment of their life to possess these things. The chinaman thinks the opposite.
Obsessive Reading: Even the Soundest Thing Can Go Wild! ~ Karmen Jurela
With my new self-imposed reading task, the German language came back to me quickly and easily. My improved language skills came along with a lot of benefits. I could get to know the other kids and play with them. I caught up in school, which was very important to me.
Beforehand, in Yugoslavia, I was among the best students in the class, and back in Germany, I did not understand a word. I felt like an alien and rejected by everybody in the beginning.
Add ‘Environment’ to Your New Year’s Resolution ~ S M Mamunur Rahman
We are the self-proclaimed best animal of all, but sadly, we are too self-centric to think about the world around us. We want to colonize Mars, but we don’t even think twice to destroy what we already have and what is far more beautiful than a lifeless planet in space.
Yes, we talk about the environment and wildlife, but only when we get threatened by any disaster and when it becomes trendy. Otherwise, who cares?
Listening — Not Talking — Is the Key to Comprehensive Conversation ~ Harry Male
When you read a book, all you do is consume the words, but you can never interrupt the book to voice out your opinion. When you listen to music, the best you can do is sing-along but never, again, interrupt. Then, as a hotel salesperson, I learned that listening to clients is very important. They need to be assured that you are paying complete attention.
Grover’s Lament ~ David Cenicola, M.Ed.
They gave her a bag of illegal street drugs and told her where to come when she wanted some more. I talked with my daughter Daisy that afternoon. Holding out the bag of drugs for me to see, she explained where she had gotten them and what had been said to her.
I drove to the sheriff’s house myself and knocked on the door. When he answered, I threw the bag at him and told him to tell his sons to leave my daughter alone. But they would not leave her alone.
Read and Expand Your World
As a publication, The Masterpiece always loves to publish stories that are rich in personal experiences and insights. We believe the stories mentioned above will expand your knowledge and raise your self-awareness.
Happy reading!
Meet The Masterpiece Writers
Masum Billah, Daisygwoods (Cocoa Griot), Orianna Nienan, Rhys McIntyre, Arun Suresh, R. Scott, Ryan Gradoville, Macey Malone, Claire Splan, Jay Krasnow, Mahmudul Islam, Rita Rodrigues, Heemeng Foo, Daniele Ihns, Obsidian Eagle, Rosalind Pagan, Karmen J., Luna Laz, Shayla D. Potter, CR Mandler MAT, Nizam Uddin, Rachid Bekhechi, Alexis Busso, Venessa Amber, Felipe Xavier, Manas Bhardwaj, Purushottam Banerjee, Niyatijain, Mike Alexander, Jennifer MacDonald, MsBirgith, Donnie French, Phil Rossi, Glyn Bawden, Walter Rhein, Emmanuel Addo Anderson, Venessa Tj, Varun Mallpragada, Quy Ma, Prajakta unKNown, Nanda Jurela, Angela K. Irvin, M.A., Jennifer Marie, Deepak Jayal, David Cenicola, M.Ed., Zane Dickens, Simona Cazanescu, Lori Miranda, Diana Smyth, Margarette Mathias, Sydney J. Shipp, Mary DeVries, Mahmudul Hasan Khan, Shyamdeo Ranjan, Harry Male, Muda El Masry, Geetika Sethi, keypressingmonkey, JM Miana, Azim Rushdi, Evan Wildstein, M. H. Rubin, Zac Malik, Nabil Alouani, Vanilla Being, Mike Maher, Fatimah Alayafi, Devin Arrigo, Drew Wardle, Andrew Jazprose Hill, Shawkat Islam, Dominic McIntyre, Cristina Stivala, Rene Cizio, Kerstin Krause, Ryan Frawley, Nazmus Sakib, Louise Peacock, Bryson Owens, Rabia Akram, Sean Smith, Josh “υя_ωιѕємαη* “ Lessie, Lynda Wallis, Jake Mura, Andrew Constable MBA, Indubala Kachhawa, Sophia Lill, Chetna Jai, Ashley Riley, Samantha McDowall, Isaiah McCall, Ashley Hague, Sandija Sproģe, Abishaik Mohan, Cristian Nunez, Marija Martincevic, Aigner Loren Wilson, Karen L. Jones, Shabaira Junaid, J.A. Longs, Todi Afo, Ibrahim K, Matthew Prince, Paul Marsh, Zach Klebaner, Michael Shook, Suntonu Bhadra, Maria (she/her), Jessica Donahue, PHR, Kayla Vokolek, Murad Zamanov, Subha Shrinivasan, Tatiana Santana, Darren Richardson, Edith Sam, Nicole Cooper, Kristina Jancar, Aaron Crow, Amen Naqvi, Muhammad Sakhawat, Melissa Kerman, Yve Laran
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