Flying Home and Other Stories collects short fiction Ellison wrote mainly in the late 1930s and 1940s, published as a book after his death. Many stories are set in the American South and follow Black boys and young men facing prejudice, danger and the hard lessons of growing up. The title story follows a Black airman whose plane crash in rural Alabama leads to a tense encounter with local people. Some tales feature the character Buster and his friend Riley. Written before Invisible Man, they show Ellison developing his themes of identity, dignity and folklore in a clear, vivid style.