Short Story by Nhat Tien. Set during the Vietnamese Buddhist Crisis of 1963, an old man’s contented existence is shattered when he learns his daughter is involved in anti-government activities. The story contrasts the idealistic expectations of the daughter and her revolutionary boyfriend with what comes after.
Novelette by D. H. Lawrence. A woman living in an English coal-mining village feels trapped in an unhappy world of her husband’s making. Her speech and behavior suggest that she had aspired to a better life. His accidental death gives her a new perspective on their life together.
Short Story by Luigi Pirandello. Passengers in a train carriage talk about sons who are going or have gone off to war, and its possible impact on their lives. There is much talk of duty and patriotism until the one man who has already lost a son breaks into tears.
Short Story by Charlotte Gilman. A chilling psychological horror story about a woman suffering post-natal depression. Following her physician husband’s medical advice, she takes a holiday “resting” in a colonial mansion amid idyllic countryside. While there, her fragile mind becomes obsessed with the creepy wallpaper in her prison-like bedroom.
Short Story by Robert Olen Butler. A jealous husband who did not communicate his love or concerns enough is resurrected as a parrot and purchased as a pet by his recently widowed wife. Ironically, he now realizes how much he loves her, but doesn’t have the vocabulary to tell her.