Gorilla, My Love Lesson Plan

Despite the fact that Bambara claims the stories are not autobiographical, are there aspects of the collection that makes you feel like you know the author better?

Based on her detailed descriptions of the neighborhood and the characters, students may guess that Bambara spent some time in Harlem, or a similar neighborhood in New York City. Students may also guess from stories like “Sweet Town” and “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” that Bambara liked telling stories even at a young age. These characters who like to tell stories seem to resonate with Bambara and there’s less psychic distance between the author and characters in those stories. Moreover, Bambara dedicates the...