Joyce Carol Oates's evocative short story, "Four Summers," first graced the pages of The Yale Review in the spring of 1967, and a year later, found its place in The American Literary Anthology. The narrative later nestled into Oates's acclaimed collections: The Wheel of Love (1970), Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Stories of Young America (1974), and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Selected Early Stories (1993). It also enriches anthologies like Fiction 100: An Anthology of Short Fiction (2001). In keeping with the theme of many of Oates's early works, "Four Summers" delves into the complexities of family and childhood, unraveling the tangled emotions and bewilderment faced by youth as they step gingerly into the adult realm.

Divided into four succinct sections, each capturing moments from different summers, Oates traces the metamorphosis of Sissie, the story's narrator. As she transitions from the innocence of youth to the cusp of adulthood, Sissie grapples with the profound questions of identity and destiny. Through the lens of a first-person narrative, Oates invites readers into the intimate world of a young girl on the brink of maturity, her language a model of simplicity and clarity. Young women, especially, will recognize themselves in Sissie's evolving reactions and shifting understanding of the world around her. Drawing on her own experiences from a working-class background, Oates crafts characters rich in authenticity and depth.