A Flannery O’Connor “Starter Kit”
My 5 favorite Flannery O'Connor stories, in honor of her birthday
Flannery O’Connor would have turned ninety yesterday. The Georgia-born writer authored two novels and over thirty short stories that continue to shock readers through her grotesque, often violent, characters and scenes that highlight the need for grace and redemption. A devout Catholic in the Protestant-dominated South, O’Connor was a distinctly Christian writer whose works would never see the light of most Christian bookstores.
Some love her works, others just find them disturbing (which was the point, actually), but all should read her. But, where to begin? In honor of her birthday, here is a Flannery O’Connor “starter kit” – my five favorite O’Connor stories, undefended.
- “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
- “Good Country People”
- “Parker’s Back”
- “Revelation”
- “Wildcat”
If you are already an O’Connor reader, what are your favorites? If you are new to her writings, give them a read and post your responses below.
Brian Phillips
Dr. Brian Phillips serves as a pastor in Concord, NC, where he lives with his wife and their four children.
