Gorilla, My Love is a collection of stories about ordinary people who are part of the African American communities of large cities and small rural areas. The stories are told from the first-person female point of view and focus on the importance of family and the community. Bambara’s characters speak in the black dialect of the street, with all its vitality and humor. It is this accurate portrayal of speech patterns that makes Bambara’s characters come to life. Her characters are warm, lively, real-life people who show concern and love for their families and people in the neighborhood.

Bambara has written novels, such as The Salt Eaters (1980) and If Blessing Comes (1987), but she prefers the short story as an art form. In her essay “Salvation Is the Issue,” Bambara expresses this preference: “Of all the writing forms, I’ve always been partial to the short story. It suits my temperament. It makes a modest appeal for attention, allowing me to slip up alongside the reader on her/his blind side and grab’m.” In comparing short stories with novels, Bambara makes this observation: “Short stories are a piece of time. The novel is a way of life.”

Bambara is interested in the cultural, social, and political activities of the African American community. In her works, she seeks to portray the positive side of black family life and the strengths of the community. Her stories reveal the influence of black dialect, jazz, Negro spirituals, and the cultural traditions of her heritage. Her stories abound with warmth, humor, and pride.

Bambara writes about ordinary people living ordinary lives, showing their struggles and successes. In several of the stories, one sees the world through the eyes of a bright, sensitive, eight-year-old girl growing up in a world of economic and racial inequality. Other stories deal with the problems that women face in these communities. Bambara’s stories take place in neighborhoods where characters of all ages interact. Although the emphasis is on the problems that young females face, older characters bring a sense of the past.

Bambara’s stories are breezy, fast-paced, and full of vitality. Humorous exchanges and verbal banter characterize her work. As Bambara says in “Salvation Is the Issue,”What I enjoy most in my work is the laughter and the outrage and the attention to language. I come from a family of very gifted laughers. I was raised by family and community to be combatant. Forays to the Apollo with my daddy and hanging tough on Speakers Corner with my mama taught me the power of the word, the importance of the resistance tradition, and the high standards our community has regarding verbal performance.