Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories

"Girl," my mama had said to me the minute she entered my hospital room, "on the highway of life, you're always traveling left of center." (from Traveling Left of Center)

Nancy Christie's is a hypnotic, lyrical voice that captures your heart with its deep, rich humanity. In Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories, Christie writes about what happens when people face life situations for which they are emotionally or mentally unprepared. The characters in these eighteen short stories are unable or unwilling to seize control over their lives, relying instead on coping methods that range from the passive (The Healer) and the aggressive (The Clock) to the humorous (Traveling Left of Center) and hopeful (Skating on Thin Ice). But the outcomes may not be what they anticipated or desired. Will they have time to correct their course or will they crash? What happens when people face life situations for which they are emotionally or mentally unprepared? They may choose to allow fate to dictate the path they take—a decision that can lead to disastrous results.