The Best American Magazine Writing 2015

by Sid Holt (Editor), American Society of Magazine Editors, Evan Ratliff (Introduction)

This year’s anthology of finalists and winners of the National Magazine Awards includes Ta-Nehisi Coates’s much-discussed and debated "The Case For Reparations" (The Atlantic), Amanda Hess’s explosive report on Internet sexual harassment (Pacific Standard), John Jeremiah Sullivan’s account of the intergenerational effort to solve one of American music’s greatest mysteries (New York Times Magazine), and Pamela Colloff’s haunting profile of the Texas state employee assigned to witness close to three hundred executions (Texas Monthly). The anthology also features articles chosen from Chris Offutt’s savory food writing (Oxford American), Rebecca Traister’s acerbic musings on gender politics (New Republic), and Jerry Saltz’s fearless art and architectural criticism (New York). Roger Angell offers humorous reflections on life at ninety (The New Yorker); Jody Rosen mourns the dying art of being a London taxi driver who instinctually knows his route (New York Time Magazine); Jeff Sharlet exposes Russia’s unconscionable treatment of homosexuals (GQ); and Emily Yoffe reveals the unforeseen crimes committed in the struggle to address the college rape crisis (Slate). The collection concludes with a work of fiction by Haruki Murakami, who imaginatively plays with the legend of Scheherazade (New Yorker).

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Journalism, Anthologies

482 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2016

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK.

Read it for the expose on the fudging of Chicago crime statistics. Read it for Ta'Nehisi Coates (gonna be honest, I spelled that right the first time and I fist pumped) and his vital "Case for Reparations." Read it for Amanda Hess's fear and vitriol over the consequences of being a woman blogger in the day of the online troll/stalker. Read it for the story on the over correction of college rape - which, had it been written by a man, would have read one way, but as told by a woman is incendiary. Read it for Brian Phillips of the defunct Grantland writing one of the most sparkling and simple old-school journalism pieces I've seen in forever, despite writing for a site that was treated like garbage and then shuttered without care.

Just read it.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not predisposed towards magazines. They have too many advertisements and those that don't, like Bitch and Adbusters and The Walrus, I let my subscriptions lapse with a stack of issues I never even got around to starting. I cherry pick my way through The Economist most weeks, half-finishing articles and sections. I've never read every article in their China section. I don't think I've read their Obits in ages. So even the magazine I "read", I don't really read. Something about magazines and their stories just doesn't gel with me.

But, break outside your comfort zone and all that. A Best-Of Collection means I won't have to be wading through the trash, thought I. It's curated, to use web 2.0 (or are we on 3.0 now? n.0?) lingo. Such a collection will inspire me to explore more long-form journalism. My horizons will be expanded and I will be all the richer.

Except, well, not really.

There's nothing wrong with any of the stories in The Best American Magazine Writing 2015. They aren't riddled with typographical errors or unsubstantiated claims. They aren't unnecessarily fanciful or overwhelmingly dour. They are perfectly adequate technique pieces. I could imagine journalism students dissecting them in little work groups and giving powerpoint presentations afterwards.

But I can't say that, with the exception of Brian Phillips' The Sea of Crises, about Sumo wrestling and Yukio Mishima, that I enjoyed reading any of these articles. That I felt that feeling you get after reading something that knocks your mind into the next level, like an energized electron. Most of the time, I just felt annoyed. Or forgetful. Three times now I've looked at the table of contents, baffled by Love and Ruin. Three times I couldn't remember what that piece was about, including about half an hour after I read it. I think I've finally got it down though. Love and Ruin is about Afghanistan.

But annoyed. For example, the initial essay, Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Case for Reparations. I found the argument muddled and unconvincing even though I am pretty much for reparations (or at least, as the article points out, I am completely open to studying the possibility of reparations via studies that are continually voted down by congress or the senate or whatever it is in the US that vote on these sorts of things. I'm Canadian so that whole governmental process is somewhat mysterious to me). The winning essay didn't convince someone who already believed in the possibility. Things like this annoy me. The articles instantly stopping when, I guess, they've gotten to five thousand or seventy-five hundred or whatever their word limit is, rather than letting the piece be as long as it needs to be, annoyed me. Having to read three short articles on art criticism, written for other art critics, so me having really no clue what was being talked about, annoyed me. Having to read four hundred pages on my iPad rather than my kobo and getting eye strain and headaches annoyed me (although, that really isn't the fault of the essays in this book, more the publisher. I hate reading on my iPad).

So The Best American Magazine Writing 2015 did not change my opinion of long-form magazine journalism. I'm just going to go back to flipping at random through The Economist's articles on the bathroom floor while waiting for Tesfa to get out of the tub. Maybe, when I stupidly request to review The Best American Magazine Writing 2016 next fall, that will be the collection that inspires me to love this type of journalism.

But probably not.

The Best American Magazine Writing 2015, Sid Holt editor went on sale December 15, 2015.

I received a copy free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Biblio Files (takingadayoff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best American Magazine Writing collects the winners and finalists selected by the American Society of Magazine editors. The awards are for the best magazine writing, which includes journalism, essays, and fiction.

This years collection is overwhelmingly serious. The first piece in the volume is Ta-Nehisi Coate's argument for why the United States should pay African Americans reparations, or at least adopt Representative John Conyers' House Resolution to hold hearings on the subject. Then there's Amanda Hess's story on how women are treated on the internet, Emily Yoffe's piece on how difficult it is for a man to defend himself against a charge of rape in universities. We also learn what it's like to be a gay man in Putin's Russia.

There are a few islands of refuge in the volume -- I loved the piece by John Jeremiah Sullivan about two blues performers on some records from around 1930. No one knew who they were, but then it turned out that someone did. Sullivan's quest to get to the bottom of this musical mystery is not only an interesting investigation, but it brings up some questions about what happens when the one person who can reveal the fascinating story can't or won't publish his findings.

I also found the essay by Monica Lewinsky thoughtful and disturbing.

And finally, the essay by Roger Angell on aging is downright life affirming.

(Thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Pres for a digital review copy.)

[Mari Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection. I am incredibly unfamiliar with magazine writing and generally picky about my non-fiction but I devoured this eclectic and encompassing collection. The pieces presented represent writing at its finest - informative, approachable, and digestible, covering an array of topics and leaving me wanting more. My favorites were the pieces by Emily Yoffe ("The College Rape Overcorrection" in which she criticizes the statistics and inhumanity of a situation that requires response, in a tone of defiant assertiveness), Brian Philips ("The Sea of Crises" which offers a glimpse into the modern conflict of Japanese culture, in elegant and lyrical language), and Roger Angell (who's reflection on his old age is tender, funny, and honest).

[Pearse Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I jumped around, finishing stories halfway if they weren't grabbing me and skipping others entirely. Overall these were really good pieces of longform journalism. This collection has helped me realize exactly how shitty folks write criticisms about social justice: I feel like many SJ articles are either politicized and buzzword-heavy, or unnecessarily mean and skirting the issues. Franzen's 2016 Best Essays showed this. That's a problem longform needs to face. Switching back to general, I will look for some more Best American Magazine Writing. This collection has convinced me it's worth my time. Well organized, sweet writing, and unfortunately no honorable mentions I usually look for.

[Eryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book in the way that you like a book that devastates you. There are some fun magazine pieces in this collection, but the ones I'll remember in times to come are the ones that laid bare the dangers people present to each other; the aggressive oppression of gays in Russia; the horrifying history of black families falling into debt due to scamming house realtors; the ultimately failed preservation of ancient culture in Afghanistan. We are our own worst enemy, and this book served to remind me how much there is out there to fight for. I only hope I don't forget anytime soon.

[Shadow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

I'd already read the don't-miss bits - all two of them - and the rest was... ok. shrug

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorites: "Inside the Iron Closet," "Love and Ruin," "This Old Man," and most of all, hauntingly gorgeous "Sea of Crises"