
It Was the Way She Said It
Short Stories, Essays, and Wisdom
$41.44
- Hardcover
240 pages
- Release Date
14 October 2025
Summary
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale comes a remarkable, career-spanning collection of short fiction and essays about love, aging, culture, and all the things in between.
“This stunning collection from one of the great writers on Black culture covers the gamut—aging, love, poverty, trauma, and plenty of lightness in between.” — People
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of <…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780593357149 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0593357140 |
| Author: | Terry McMillan, Ishmael Reed |
| Publisher: | Random House USA Inc |
| Imprint: | Ballantine Books Inc. |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 240 |
| Release Date: | 14 October 2025 |
| Weight: | 391g |
| Dimensions: | 210mm x 140mm |
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Critics Review
Praise for It Was the Way She Said It
“This stunning collection from one of the great writers on Black culture covers the gamut: aging, love, poverty, trauma and plenty of lightness in between.”—People
“Terry McMillan … has assembled a collection of short stories and essays that portray candid vignettes of Black American life. With unflinching honesty and verve, McMillan writes stories that suck readers in from start to finish.”—Harper’s Bazaar
“Decades after Stella got her groove back, Terry Mcmillan just gets better… . McMillan’s new book shows the author at the top of her game… . This collection contains a multitude of truths.”—The Washington Post
“The best part of reading this entertaining collection of published and unpublished fiction, sketches, and nonfiction is the sheer delight of immersing yourself in the works of a writer who has plenty to say and has never been afraid to say it… . An entertaining reminder of McMillan’s storytelling abilities and unflinching honesty.”—Kirkus Review, starred review
“McMillan is a sharp writer who never fails to give readers memorable, richly developed characters and powerful insights.”—Library Journal
Praise for It’s Not All Downhill From Here
“A wise and wisecracking novel of aging, heartbreak, and the quest to ‘pump up the volume’ in late midlife.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“[A] baldly honest, laugh-out-loud story.”—Good Housekeeping
“A hopeful and hilarious novel.”—Travel & Leisure
“I couldn’t put this book down.”—BuzzFeed
“This is a story of the power of women and the inspiring lives they lead.”—She Reads
“McMillan proves once again that she is a skilled master.”—Associated Press
“Lively, perceptive … Terry McMillan writes with a staggering depth of feeling, credibly capturing the characters’ emotions as she unpacks their interpersonal conflicts. This delightful novel balances inspiration for renewal with the hard facts of aging.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
About The Author
Terry McMillan
Terry McMillan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It’s Not All Downhill From Here, I Almost Forgot About You, Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and other novels, and the editor of Breaking Ice- An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction. Four of her novels have been made into movies- Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Disappearing Acts, and A Day Late and a Dollar Short. She lives in California.
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