The Best American Magazine Writing 2017

by Sid Holt (editor), The American Society of Magazine Editors (Editor)

With the work of reporters under fire worldwide, this year’s anthology of National Magazine Award finalists and winners is a timely reminder of the power of journalism. The pieces included here explore the fault lines in American society. Shane Bauer’s visceral “My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard” (Mother Jones) and Sarah Stillman’s depiction of the havoc wreaked on young people’s lives when they are put on sex-offender registries (The New Yorker) examine controversial criminal-justice practices. And responses to the shocks of the recent election include Matt Taibbi’s irreverent dispatches from the campaign trail (Rolling Stone), George Saunders’s transfixing account of Trump’s rallies (The New Yorker), and Andrew Sullivan’s fears for the future of democracy (New York). In other considerations of the political scene, Jeffrey Goldberg talks through Obama’s foreign-policy legacy with the former president (The Atlantic), and Gabriel Sherman analyzes how Roger Ailes’s fall sheds light on conservative media (New York). Linking personal stories to the course of history, Nikole Hannah-Jones looks for a school for her daughter in a rapidly changing, racially divided Brooklyn (New York Times Magazine), and Pamela Colloff explores how the 1966 University of Texas Tower mass shooting changed the course of one survivor’s life (Texas Monthly). A selection of Rebecca Solnit’s Harper’s commentary ranges from a writer on death row to the isolation at the heart of conservatism. Becca Rothfeld ponders women waiting on love from the Odyssey to Tinder (Hedgehog Review). Siddhartha Mukherjee depicts the art and agony of oncology (New York Times Magazine). David Quammen ventures to Yellowstone to consider the future of wild places (National Geographic), and Mac McClelland follows a deranged expedition to Cuba in search of the ivory-billed woodpecker (Audubon). The collection concludes with Zandria Robinson’s eloquent portrait of her father as reflected in the music he loved (Oxford American).

Genres: Essays, Journalism, Nonfiction, Politics

532 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2017

Reviews

[Always Pouting · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is one of the many books I requested on netgalley forever ago, the ones I'm still slowly trying to make my way through. This was interesting to read, usually I don't read magazine articles or I just skim them unless someone else sends me one with their thoughts. It felt kind of weird reading these two years later though, specifically the ones about Trump. I'm not saying he hasn't been an awful president but just something about the coverage did feel histrionic. I think most political writing feels that way to me which is why I never read articles on politics. Some of these were pretty hard to read especially the ones about Yellowstone, school segregation, private prisons, and the sex offenders registry with juvenile offenders. Those ones I had to take a break in between reading because I felt quite overwhelmed by it all. It's quite hard reading investigative journalism, even though its crucial, it can leave one feeling helpless in the face of problems. I loved Becca Rothfeld's essay on love and waiting a lot. Some other articles I was less interested in, specifically the ones by Zandria Robinson, Mac McClelland, and Pamela Colloff. I loved the one on oncology by Siddhartha Mukherjee and really want to pick up his book soon now. I mostly rolled my eyes reading Jeffrey Goldberg and Andrew Sullivan but to be fair I already knew of them and disliked them and their politics so I'm not going to say that didn't play a role in it. I was actually quite surprised because I really liked George Saunders's essay and writing style but I remember hating Lincoln in the Bardo. Might have to read more magazine articles though this may have changed my mind.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

So there you go. Welcome to America.
The night was sad. The center had failed to hold. Did I blame the kids? I did. Did I blame Trump? I did. This, Mr. Trump, I thought, is why we practice civility. This is why, before we say exactly what is on our minds, we run it past ourselves, to see if it makes sense, is true, is fair, has a flavor of kindness, and won't hurt someone or make someone's difficult life more difficult. Because there are, among us, in every political camp, limited, angry, violent, and/or damaged people, waiting for any excuse to throw off the tethers of restraint and get after it. After which it falls to the rest of us, right and left, to clean up the mess.

George Saunders from Trump Days after he witnessed a violent clash between pro and anti Trump supporters in San Jose.

I had been looking for a way to read some of the top recent essays when I stumbled across this at the library. While some of the essays were dated, (especially those concerning the Trump/Clinton campaigns) several still resonated.

Of note to me

Worlds Apart by Nikole Hannah-Jones from the New York Times Magazine about school segregation in today's world.
The List by Sarah Stillman from The New Yorker about the unintended consequences for juveniles who end up on the sex offender list.
The Improvisational Oncologist by Siddhartha Mukherjee from New York Times Magazine about the evolving battle against cancer.
The Obama Doctrine by Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic a look at Obama's foreign policy.
Ladies in Waiting by Becca Rothfeld from The Hedgehog Review....waiting is love.
The Reckoning by Pamela Colloff from Texas Monthly following a life after the University of Texas Tower shooting.
Listening for the Country by Zandria F. Robinson from Oxford American about the author's search to understand her "country" father.


8/10

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This impressive collection of articles are superb journalistic testimonies during a time when half of the country believes that anything written by certain publications is “fake news.” My favorites are: Shane Bauer’s award winning investigative reporting “My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard” at the dangerous and crazy Winn Correctional Center; Siddhartha Mukherjee’s “The Improvisational Oncologist” - a beautifully written introduction to the latest cancer treatments; and Gabriel Sherman’s “The Revenge of Roger’s Angels” about the fall of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes - an example of what a reporter can accomplish despite undisguised hostility and intimidation.

Some of the articles about the obnoxious, narcissistic campaign of Donald Trump are dated but hauntingly on target with regard to what he would be like as President (some of their predictions came true!) But despite the dated pieces, which are still an enjoyable, fun read, most all of the collection is informative and opened my eyes to topics I would normally not read online. (I miss the era of paper magazines!!!)

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Best American Magazine Writing 2017" is, just as it says, a collection of great magazine articles written in 2017. Duh! Now, how to write a review based on a wide-ranging selection of stories..... I found some of the articles to be fascinating. Jeffrey Goldbergs "The Obama Doctrine", written for the Atlantic, was one. It really brings the sometimes confusing style and thinking of President Obama into focus. A thorough examination, it's not one based on the 30 second sound bites we received from the national news. Rather, it appears to get through the hype and really explain Obama's reasoning. I only wish Obama himself could have explained himself better, to a wider audience, in language they could understand. Then, maybe, people would appreciate him more. Another great article was by Matt Taibbi, of Rolling Stone. "President Trump, Seriously and "Appetite for Destruction" and the Fury and Failure of Donald Trump. A serious examination of how we (America) got to where we are today. The failure of the two party system. I'm going to quote some of the article, but it really helps to get the gist of it. "Lie No. 1 is that there are only two political ideas in the world, Republican and Democrat. Lie No. 2 is that the parties are violent ideological opposites, and that during campaign season we can only speak about the areas where they differ (abortion, guns, etc) an never the areas where there's typically consensus.....Lie No. 3 is that all problems are the fault of one party or the other, and never both. Assuming you watch the right channels, everything is always someone else's fault." How true!My favorite article was written for Mother Jones, by Shane Bauer. It was called "My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard". Bauer spent four months working for a private, for-profit prison. I, myself, worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 21 years. It was interesting to see the growth of Bauer as he worked as a correctional officer. I experienced many of the same emotions and questions, found myself at similar crossroads, and thought many times whether or not I was crazy for choosing this career. The author has a way of putting into words many disparate thoughts and ideas that he had. While his stint was for a pay-to-play company, and I think a much less "honorable" organization, he learned some valuable lessons about himself. There is one line in the article that really, really shows me that the author "got it". When he realized what an inmate told him was true, and could make his life in prison a lot easier...."Just know at the end of the day, how y'all conduct y'all selves determines how we conduct ourselves. You come wit' a shit attitude, we go' have a shit attitude". That ladies and gentlemen, is the one thing you need to learn is you want a career in corrections. Spot on!There are many other articles in the book, some great, some good, some not-so-good. It all depends on your own perspectives. But there is something for everyone in here!

[Veronica Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shane Bauer’s “My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard” is 5-Star. Didn’t find the other articles interesting.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly every essay or article of reporting in this collection is a total knockout. Totally blown away by how good this collection is. Some highlights: My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard, Worlds Apart (about school segregation), The List (about juveniles being put on sex offender lists), The Reckoning (about the 1966 U. of Texas tower shooting). There is some great political pieces in here too: George Saunders' "Trump Days" is an excellent piece about his time taking to Trump supporters and witnessing the collapse of civility at Trump's rallies. There was also Matt Taibbi's reporting about Trump, which was very insightful (even if he predicted Trump would lose the general election). "The Obama Doctrine" by Jeffrey Goldberg provided great inside into the deliberations of President Obama's own mind regarding foreign policy decisions, as well as the debates among his foreign policy team. "The Revenge of Roger's Angels" tracks the rise and fall of Roger Ailes.
Other thought provoking pieces include three essays by Rebecca Solnit, and one by Becca Rothfeld, titled "Ladies in Waiting."

I'm eager now to read collections from this series from years past!

[Steven Gauthier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any anthology of articles is likely to have inconsistent levels of quality but the best of these are very very good.
The story of one man’s four months undercover as a prison guard is particularly strong, followed by the hunt in Cuba for a possibly extinct woodpecker is also compelling.
The political articles, while largely spot on about the idiocies of the Trump presidency, are particularly hard to read seven years on.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best American series is one of my favorite series to read, but I do not usually read the magazine writing collection. I found many of the stories to be too long to hold my attention and uneven in quality. The one that I found the most interesting was the story about the University of Texas campus shooting, and I lived in Austin, TX for many years and graduated from the University of Texas.

[Nav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe not every topic in this is for everyone but the writing is great for each of them. For example, this year's collection has a few articles that shed light on "How did President Trump happen?" as well as writing about bird watching, private prisons, and the sex offender registry.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title of the book suggests, this is a pretty fantastic selection of essays and reporting.