Crooked Out of Compton

Overview

Crooked Out of Compton illuminates the lives of people Frank O’Connor called “submerged population groups.” The book serves as a reminder in this era of retrograde discourse that many American institutions have failed to live up to their promises, and the plot will thicken once basic protections and service levels are curtailed or eliminated together by the threat of autocratic regimes. Many Americans oppose hard reality and seek to escape it by any means, including but not limited to conspiracy theories, alcohol, and other drugs. Stories in Crooked will remind the reader of work still undone and point to some consequences when society denies or obfuscates the goal of freedom for all.

Reviews

Crooked Out of Compton is a semi-finalist for the Chestnut Review Stubborn Artists Contest and a Black Lawrence Press 2020 Big Moose Prize finalist.
His short story “Don’t Worry” was a finalist in the 2021 Prime Number Magazine Award for Short Fiction.
“Bruised” is a Tulip Tree Merit Prize winner.
Ron’s poetry collection, “Watts UpRise,” is a finalist for the 2022 Press 53 Award for Poetry, and a featured poem,
“Compton, An Energy-Fueled Dark Star,” was nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize.

Crooked out of Compton is a phantasmagoria of fantasy, horror, and urban life centered around the iconic city. Dowell has an ear for street talk, which shows in his realistic characters in this collection of short stories. These tales reflect the community’s concerns from the 1960s to the present. ~ Dr. Maxine Thompson, CEO, Black Butterfly Press

CROOKED OUT OF COMPTON explores South L.A. in all of its grim yet vivid glory, populated by a community fighting to be seen and understood — and Ron Dowell does just that, depicting the inhabitants of South L.A. with powerful urgency and humanity. These are characters intent on remaking themselves one small step at a time despite the violence that pervades their worlds and the justice and social services systems far too broken to offer anything but heartache. An unforgettable collection that will indelibly imprint itself on your brain. ~ Colette Sartor, author of Once Removed, winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction.

In “Crooked Out of Compton,” Ron Dowell masterfully takes us on a journey to the Hub city of Compton, a rabbit hole adventure like no other. Once we land in this potholed, drug-infested war zone, we are hit with another world’s sights, smells, and sounds. We are introduced to some unforgettable characters as we navigate a land peopled with rogue cops, uncaring politicians, crooked government officials, lost mental health workers, apathetic foster parents, crackheads, and gang members. The sight of young love and sibling tenderness touches me. I get an adrenaline rush fleeing the cops but hold on to your seats – every chapter pulls you into another dimension. The landscape is familiar – dilapidated parks, crowded living spaces, irresponsible churches, and hospitals. It seems like a nightmare for Blacks and Hispanics trapped in this never land. This is a look at racism at its best. If Mr. Dowell sent us a special invite, it would undoubtedly read, “From Compton with love and squalor.” ~ Patricia Forte, Author, Screenwriter, and Instructor at A.C. Bilbrew Writers’ Workshop

Ron Dowell is a brilliantly imaginative writer who does not hesitate to take chances. “Crooked Out of Compton” demonstrates that fact. The first story in the book of short stories is a KafKaesque work that begins in the Palm Lake Projects Circa 1962, Watts, Los Angeles—got that? What follows is a blizzard of seventeen stories. None of them are “easy” to read; the nuances insist that we pay close attention to what’s being said. Or simply hinted at. Ron Dowell’s poetic use of different language styles, from nerdy ghettoese to international jargon, takes us ‘way outside of the UNUSUAL. For example: A first generation – surface reading of the stories might seem to indicate that the works are concerned only with besieged people being forced to self-medicate “by any means necessary.” ‘Til we delve into the motivations of those who are supplying the medication. There’s no getting around it; the brother is deep. When was the last time you’ve smelled the funk, the aroma of a person, place or thing? If a sensitive reader takes the time to feel into what they are reading, what the writer is really writing about – check out “Crooked” to experience how it’s done. ~ Odie Hawkins, “The Underground Master,” has written thirty-two novels, short story collections, essays, television scripts, and radio and film scripts. 

Author Biography

Ron lives in the hills above the Port of Los Angeles but was born and raised in Watts, Los Angeles, before he moved to Compton, where he attended secondary schools and community college. Crooked Out of Compton is a semi-finalist for the Chestnut Review Stubborn Artists Contest and a Black Lawrence Press 2020 Big Moose Prize finalist. Visit him at https://crookedoutofcompton.com/