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The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007
From "Q & A" by Dave Eggers: A group of senators and assemblypersons were pressing The Best American Non-Required Reading on a number of questions relating to the collection, so we decided to kill that stone in the shape of an introduction in the shape of a Q & A.
Who are they, the Non-Required committee's members who decide on things in this collection?
They are high school students from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.
Are they touched by some kind of divine light?
The question is a good one. There is rampant speculation on the subject.
Are they all great-looking and charming and well dressed?
Yes. All of them, and especially Felicia Wong, who can even make her own clothes.
I have a question about the process by which the entries in this collection are chosen. Is it scientific?
The process by which The Best American Non-Required Reading is put together is not scientific. It is whatever one would consider the opposite of scientific.
Creationist?
Well, no, it's not creationist either. The point is that we are probably a bit less top-to-bottom thorough than, say, the Army Corps of Engineers. Well, actually, scratch that. We are probably about exactly as thorough as the Army Corps of Engineers, in that we are intermittently thorough.
What is your opinion and the committee's opinion of the state of short stories and small magazines and other periodicals?
This is a good time. It really is.
More specifically?
Not all of us Americans appreciate the fact that we have about 150 very good quarterlies in this country. Every state seems to have a very good quarterly, and about a hundred colleges have very good quarterlies — from the Kenyon Review to the University of Illinois's Ninth Letter. So by our estimate there are about 150 very good quarterlies in this country. Maybe more. Now, the thing we don’t always appreciate here in America is that elsewhere in the world there are few to no quarterlies.
How does it feel to select something for the collection that you found in an unlikely place?
It feels so good. This year, for example, at the last moment we found “Humpies” by Mattox Roesch. It was published by Agni Online, and we all loved it, and here it is, ideally able to reach a new audience. We all took pleasure in finding that one; the mandate of the committee is to find the offbeat and the lesser-known and bring these pieces to our readers, most of whom have great skin and bad eyes.
Who are they, the Non-Required committee's members who decide on things in this collection?
They are high school students from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.
Are they touched by some kind of divine light?
The question is a good one. There is rampant speculation on the subject.
Are they all great-looking and charming and well dressed?
Yes. All of them, and especially Felicia Wong, who can even make her own clothes.
I have a question about the process by which the entries in this collection are chosen. Is it scientific?
The process by which The Best American Non-Required Reading is put together is not scientific. It is whatever one would consider the opposite of scientific.
Creationist?
Well, no, it's not creationist either. The point is that we are probably a bit less top-to-bottom thorough than, say, the Army Corps of Engineers. Well, actually, scratch that. We are probably about exactly as thorough as the Army Corps of Engineers, in that we are intermittently thorough.
What is your opinion and the committee's opinion of the state of short stories and small magazines and other periodicals?
This is a good time. It really is.
More specifically?
Not all of us Americans appreciate the fact that we have about 150 very good quarterlies in this country. Every state seems to have a very good quarterly, and about a hundred colleges have very good quarterlies — from the Kenyon Review to the University of Illinois's Ninth Letter. So by our estimate there are about 150 very good quarterlies in this country. Maybe more. Now, the thing we don’t always appreciate here in America is that elsewhere in the world there are few to no quarterlies.
How does it feel to select something for the collection that you found in an unlikely place?
It feels so good. This year, for example, at the last moment we found “Humpies” by Mattox Roesch. It was published by Agni Online, and we all loved it, and here it is, ideally able to reach a new audience. We all took pleasure in finding that one; the mandate of the committee is to find the offbeat and the lesser-known and bring these pieces to our readers, most of whom have great skin and bad eyes.
347 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2007
87 people are currently reading
1666 people want to read
About the author
Dave Eggers
352 books9,465 followersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews
October 10, 2007
I am in love with this book. I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.
February 20, 2008
This was my first time reading one of these, and I wasn't really sure what to expect or how I would feel about it i.e. what would separate *this* Best American anthology from the stuff in all the other 2007 Best American anthologies. I was prepared to be grumpy, but it's good -here's why:
1). You have no idea what's coming: you can start off reading fiction about a couple having a baby, then, fifteen minutes later, you're reading about Barry Bonds and steroid use, then suddenly you're reading a nonfiction piece about visiting Darfur. You really have no idea what's going to be happening inside your head in ten minutes; it's very exciting.
2). I think because high school students put together this anthology, it has a specific kind of humor to it: irreverent, creative, gleeful, occasionally goofy. I don't think you find this kind of humor out there in the world very often and it was comforting.
3). I felt very efficient reading it - like I could be aware of some of the discussions going on out there in the literary world without having to track down a bunch of journals. I came away from most of the pieces feeling interested and entertained. This anthology is good for people who are annoyed by anthologies, and is definitely worth your time.
1). You have no idea what's coming: you can start off reading fiction about a couple having a baby, then, fifteen minutes later, you're reading about Barry Bonds and steroid use, then suddenly you're reading a nonfiction piece about visiting Darfur. You really have no idea what's going to be happening inside your head in ten minutes; it's very exciting.
2). I think because high school students put together this anthology, it has a specific kind of humor to it: irreverent, creative, gleeful, occasionally goofy. I don't think you find this kind of humor out there in the world very often and it was comforting.
3). I felt very efficient reading it - like I could be aware of some of the discussions going on out there in the literary world without having to track down a bunch of journals. I came away from most of the pieces feeling interested and entertained. This anthology is good for people who are annoyed by anthologies, and is definitely worth your time.
January 24, 2008
It mentions "A Study in Her", my friend's brother's band.
Favorite quote, for it's ability to make me laugh out loud. "If Barry Bonds were a vegetable, he'd be the biggest, reddest juiciest tomato that ever made your daughter bleed before her time." by Lee Klein. I know that it sounds gross, but it is really a statement on our times. We can't really say what is in our food, even if it is labeled organic and some of the most over paid people in the world are athletes and we let them get away with it.
The book was good enough to make me enjoy reading a story about athletes who dope and how there might be better things in the world to worry about.
Plus Sufjan has a nice intro.
Favorite quote, for it's ability to make me laugh out loud. "If Barry Bonds were a vegetable, he'd be the biggest, reddest juiciest tomato that ever made your daughter bleed before her time." by Lee Klein. I know that it sounds gross, but it is really a statement on our times. We can't really say what is in our food, even if it is labeled organic and some of the most over paid people in the world are athletes and we let them get away with it.
The book was good enough to make me enjoy reading a story about athletes who dope and how there might be better things in the world to worry about.
Plus Sufjan has a nice intro.
January 4, 2008
Those 826 Valencia kids have done it again. I really loved this collection. Couldn't put it down and now I'm sad it's over. Stand-out favorites include: What Is Your Dangerous Idea (Each year the Edge Foundation asks scientists one provocative question then collects the answers on their website and in a subsequent book. This year's question was "What is your dangerous idea?") I also loved Miranda July's story. I've yet to *not* love something she's done, whatever her medium of the hour. And the last essay, "Literature Unnatured" by Joy Williams was brilliant (crack cocaine for my American Lit-major soul). She talks about the semantic shift from "Nature" to "Environment," reviewing ways various American Lit champions have characterized Nature and then suggests that because Nature isn't such a literary centerpiece these days, literature itself is suffering. The essay begins with a Pynchon quote from Gravity's Rainbow, and it just happens to be one of those quotes that has run through my brain since I first read it (like 10 years ago or so): "We are obsessed with building labyrinths where before there was open plain and sky. To draw ever more complex patterns on the blank sheet." Anyway, I highly recommend this year's best nonrequired reading.
April 14, 2012
The opening piece by Sufjan Stevens is remarkable as is the brilliant work regarding Barry Bonds, super-sizing, and steroids written by Lee Klein. After reading both of those gems I continued on throughout the entire book and found nothing else worth reading in it. My time is too valuable and the other writing in there was not. But, hey, don't let that stop you from getting your hands on a copy of this David Eggers rag just so you can read the Stevens and Klein pieces which are both worth going to jail over, you know, in case you have to steal a copy and just happen to be unlucky and you get yourself caught by the police. I also understand on good advice that if you do get thrown into the pokey the best thing to do, especially if you are a young man, is to punch the biggest guy you see directly in the face as hard as you can. Hit him with as much as you can muster so the rest of the jailbirds know you are no sissy and you are willing to go, under any circumstance, the distance with any of them even if you will lose the fight every time. I understand this unlikely behavior sends a very strong message to the hardcore fellows in there who would disrespect and want to take uncivil liberties with you during your visit.
March 26, 2008
Tremendous collection. Definitely a pleasant surprise to see such an amalgamation of sensational reading chosen by high-school students. My personal favorites were the inclusion of a list of "dangerous ideas" and the short graphic novel. The whole idea of this compilation is that the material's from a whole host of disciplines. Instead of pure short-story madness, it's a lot of different things: A list of hilarious unused titles and other nonsense at the beginning, the aforementioned comic, a couple essays, and some creative nonfiction were all part of this. I now feel compelled to stumble down to the nearest bookstore and find the one from 2006, just for the intellectual puddle-jumping I found so enjoyable in this volume. It's very eclectic and random, just like you might expect from Eggers.
My only contention is that it was pretty heavy on the short stories, which are great, but don't seem to be in the spirit of the compilation so much (isn't that what Best American Short Stories is for?). A few of the stories weren't so mind-blowing, but some were spectacular. It ended up being the random mediums (comic/nonfiction/essay) that I really liked.
My only contention is that it was pretty heavy on the short stories, which are great, but don't seem to be in the spirit of the compilation so much (isn't that what Best American Short Stories is for?). A few of the stories weren't so mind-blowing, but some were spectacular. It ended up being the random mediums (comic/nonfiction/essay) that I really liked.
December 8, 2008
This borders on five stars. A wonderfully done anthology of fiction and non-fiction in many different forms and styles. There's really something for everyone here, and in my case, many somethings. I loved the Best American Front Section. All the easily-digested quirkiness of the front section of popular magazines, with a more literary flavor.
I also very much enjoyed "What is Your Dangerous Idea" (a collection of revolutionary ideas from scientists). It made me feel smart because I actually understood it (the extreme use of layman's terms may have helped).
I also enjoyed several of the fiction pieces, and could easily skip over the ones that didn't float my boat (based on content, mostly). I quite loved Patrick Somerville's "So Long, Anyway" though I find myself at a loss to pinpoint why, exactly. Miranda July's "How to Tell Stories to Children" was disturbing on many levels, but well told. And "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan was engaging. Anyway, a highly recommended read. I can't wait to get to 2008's.
I also very much enjoyed "What is Your Dangerous Idea" (a collection of revolutionary ideas from scientists). It made me feel smart because I actually understood it (the extreme use of layman's terms may have helped).
I also enjoyed several of the fiction pieces, and could easily skip over the ones that didn't float my boat (based on content, mostly). I quite loved Patrick Somerville's "So Long, Anyway" though I find myself at a loss to pinpoint why, exactly. Miranda July's "How to Tell Stories to Children" was disturbing on many levels, but well told. And "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan was engaging. Anyway, a highly recommended read. I can't wait to get to 2008's.
October 10, 2008
Every time I try to hate Dave Eggers for what I perceive to be his white-boy arrogance and glory-whoreing, he shits something like this out of his ass that makes me feel as though nothing I ever write or edit will be worth the fishwrap it's written on. This particular collection is a smattering of great pieces from quarterly magazines juried by Sir Eggers and 15 trusty high school students from 826 Valencia, the writing and tutoring non-profit he runs. First off, these kids are way cooler than I was at 15: most of them are growing up in San Francisco and surrounding environs and joke about the entire mission flooding with hipster tears in the event of a ban on skinny jeans. Then there are the works themselves, ranging from the latest and greatest additions to Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionaries to political essays to refined short stories. So far, so good, and damn you, Dave Eggers, and your perfect, perfect adult life.
May 31, 2008
Meh. The idea for Best American Nonrequired Reading is interesting: take a group of bright high school students, have them read everything published during the year, and let them decide what is to be included in the book. Essays, short stories, non-fiction articles, comics - as long as it can fit in 20 pages, it's fair game.
Maybe this was a good book; maybe other people would really enjoy reading it. I didn't, mostly. Maybe it's the sort of book that you need to leave next to your reading chair and dip into periodically over a period of weeks. But as a cover-to-cover read it became tedious less than halfway through. I did enjoy the introduction by Dave Eggers, and Conan O'Bryan's Stuyvesant High commencement speech was fun. Other than that, there were a few articles that were vaguely interesting, and some short fiction that I really did not enjoy.
Maybe this was a good book; maybe other people would really enjoy reading it. I didn't, mostly. Maybe it's the sort of book that you need to leave next to your reading chair and dip into periodically over a period of weeks. But as a cover-to-cover read it became tedious less than halfway through. I did enjoy the introduction by Dave Eggers, and Conan O'Bryan's Stuyvesant High commencement speech was fun. Other than that, there were a few articles that were vaguely interesting, and some short fiction that I really did not enjoy.
March 19, 2012
I wholeheartedly recommend the stories by Kevin Gonzales and Nam Le. If only I had attended a midwestern fiction-writing school with them at one point in my life, I could die now in peace. Caveat emptor: the essay in there I wrote about Barry Bonds is total hooey! Actually, the end of it about how the dreaded steroids-in-baseball fascination scapegoats something more pervasive was in hindsight totally ridiculously prescient and right on and all (if I do say so myself), considering it was written in the summer of 2005, right as the mortgage craziness and credit-default swaps and everything else was gearing up to temporarily capsize the country . . .
September 26, 2012
The Best American Nonrequired Reading Series has consistently been impressing me every year. Around 2007, I fell behind in my yearly readings, but now I'm catching up. This volume is particularly brilliant with a fine selection of choices. The Jennifer Egan short story "Selling The General" is one of my personal favorites and will definitely lead me to checking out "A Visit From The Goon Squad". But that is just one of the stories in there that blew me away. Stephen Elliott's account of being a homeless child, Scott Carrier's travel journalism about Myanmar...the wonderful selection from Miranda July...just read this. It's a stunner!
October 15, 2008
i think 2005 was by far the best of these 'bests'. this version has a great introduction by Sufjan Stevens, and a nightmareish essay about the iraq war by David J. Morris called "big suck". i don't know what those kids are thinking, picking this crap.
also, eggers said they try not to pick too many from one source but they have 2 from zoetrope all-stories and 2 from tin house out of 19 total.
this one is for sure "nonrequired".
Jonathan Ames is a cute and cuddly as ever, and at least had a point to make.
try their 2005 or 2006.
also, eggers said they try not to pick too many from one source but they have 2 from zoetrope all-stories and 2 from tin house out of 19 total.
this one is for sure "nonrequired".
Jonathan Ames is a cute and cuddly as ever, and at least had a point to make.
try their 2005 or 2006.
September 21, 2011
It’s always a pleasure to read the Dave Eggers edited The Best American Nonrequired Reading each year. 2007 is no exception. Let’s see my favorite readings were: “Adina, Astrid, Cipewee, Jasmine” by Matthew Klam, “All Aboard the Bloated Boat: Arguments in Favor of Barry Bonds” by Lee Klein, “Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” by Nam Le. The little in-joke lists at the front are getting a bit tedious though. Otherwise, lots of interesting stories, comics, and essays.
March 2, 2008
I would have given it five stars--truly excellent selection, except for the lack of poetry. One has to wonder if all of the American poetry in this year was required; why did they print speeches, essays, stories, excerpts from scientists' musings, and "Best American" lists, but no poetry? Too bad.
January 3, 2008
It's actually quite required, as it turns out. Actually, it's always this great. Super eclectic, all of the fiction here is easily better than the "Best American" volume dedicated to that (esp. Jennifer Egan! damn!), and the features are ginchy, too.
September 26, 2012
This is the first I read in this series... maybe it was the first of the series. I remember loving it. Selling the General by Jennifer Egan was amazing. I still need to read the book it came out of called The Goon Squad.
January 3, 2024
- the entirety of section 1 is pure gold–so easy to skim through and so shockingly funny. my faves were the Personals from Around the World and Creationist Explanations for the World's Natural Wonders
- "Middle-American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames – we love a silly representation of the generational gap! This was so compelling and well-written, ending was so good
- "A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel – reread this since I first came across it in Fun Home; stunningly simplistic illustrations
- "What Is Your Dangerous Idea?" from the Edge Foundation – a collection of scientists' responses to the proposed provocative question. LOVED these responses which are perfect for sparking a fun, mostly harmless debate. A quote that stuck with me was from "Runaway Consumerism Explains the Fermi Paradox" by Geoffrey Miller: "The few young people with the self-control to pursue the meritocratic path often get distracted at the last minute: the MIT graduates apply to do computer-game design for Electronic Arts rather than rocket science for NASA." HA!
- "Where I Slept" by Stephen Elliott – this was a tough read and the ending was very profound; loved the final sentence: "Things were going to work out fine, save for some scars."
- "How to Tell Stories to Children" by Miranda July – OOH this was fun. can easily envision this drama all unfolding as a limited series or movie on HBO with Emmy-worthy performances. ending was absolutely insane. loved this and want to check out July's other work
- "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" by Nam Le – painful read regarding ethnic lit, generational trauma, and the destructive quality of complete authenticity. his recounting of his father's experience living through the MY Lai massacre was very haunting. this ending was brutal
- "Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech" by Conan O'Brien – best grad speech I've ever read, easily. also extremely extremely topical and beautifully comforting. "I didn't have the slightest idea of what my dream was when I was eighteen. It had to find me."
OH also Sufjan Stevens wrote the introduction? crazy freakin crossovers
- "Middle-American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames – we love a silly representation of the generational gap! This was so compelling and well-written, ending was so good
- "A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel – reread this since I first came across it in Fun Home; stunningly simplistic illustrations
- "What Is Your Dangerous Idea?" from the Edge Foundation – a collection of scientists' responses to the proposed provocative question. LOVED these responses which are perfect for sparking a fun, mostly harmless debate. A quote that stuck with me was from "Runaway Consumerism Explains the Fermi Paradox" by Geoffrey Miller: "The few young people with the self-control to pursue the meritocratic path often get distracted at the last minute: the MIT graduates apply to do computer-game design for Electronic Arts rather than rocket science for NASA." HA!
- "Where I Slept" by Stephen Elliott – this was a tough read and the ending was very profound; loved the final sentence: "Things were going to work out fine, save for some scars."
- "How to Tell Stories to Children" by Miranda July – OOH this was fun. can easily envision this drama all unfolding as a limited series or movie on HBO with Emmy-worthy performances. ending was absolutely insane. loved this and want to check out July's other work
- "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" by Nam Le – painful read regarding ethnic lit, generational trauma, and the destructive quality of complete authenticity. his recounting of his father's experience living through the MY Lai massacre was very haunting. this ending was brutal
- "Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech" by Conan O'Brien – best grad speech I've ever read, easily. also extremely extremely topical and beautifully comforting. "I didn't have the slightest idea of what my dream was when I was eighteen. It had to find me."
OH also Sufjan Stevens wrote the introduction? crazy freakin crossovers
August 22, 2024
This is my second BANR book and it has always been puzzling how they selected the diverse short stories, knowing that they are under time-crunch and it must be difficult to access these stories and continually deliberate what to choose from the Selections. Maybe the organization of the line-up makes it feels cloying with anthologies, there are stories that completely resonates with the reader. My favorites are A Happy Death" " by Alison Bechdel, Nam Le's Love and Honor... and Jennifer Egan's selling the General". Some Selections are pretty jarring especially the testimonial literature. 2007 must be a difficult 3 time then the housing crisis the next year. Some ideas from the Edge Foundation cracks re 3 up. They did predict the virus that will decapitate the world’s economy. Some theories are just rubbish I also want to commend the book cover. It is really pretty.
December 28, 2018
This book was up for grabs at work. Usually I'm not a fan of compilations (for some weird reason) but the unruliness of this one intrigued me. I'm so glad I took it.
Top favorites:
Middle-American Gothic by Jonathan Ames
A Happy Death by Alison Bechdel (Not into comics but really enjoyed this.)
How to Tell Stories to Children by Miranda July
The Big Suck by David J. Morris
Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech by Conan O'Brien
Snooze fest:
What is your dangerous idea? by Edge Foundation
Lotería by Kevin A. Gonzales
All Aboard the Bloated Boat by Lee Klein
It's fun to glimpse into the past by reading writings from the time. Can't wait to read more editions.
Top favorites:
Middle-American Gothic by Jonathan Ames
A Happy Death by Alison Bechdel (Not into comics but really enjoyed this.)
How to Tell Stories to Children by Miranda July
The Big Suck by David J. Morris
Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech by Conan O'Brien
Snooze fest:
What is your dangerous idea? by Edge Foundation
Lotería by Kevin A. Gonzales
All Aboard the Bloated Boat by Lee Klein
It's fun to glimpse into the past by reading writings from the time. Can't wait to read more editions.
July 24, 2017
I loved the short bits in the first chapter. Also fantastic:
What is Your Dangerous Idea? from The Edge Foundation- Interesting ideas to mull over while washing dishes.
Where I slept by Stephen Elliot- Heartbreaking and powerful, about children in hard places and the ways they fall through the cracks.
How to Tell Stories to Children by Miranda July- Weird and wonderful, about the families we make and the ways the fall apart.
Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine by Mathew Klam- Not what I expected at all, about loving and hating and unborn baby.
What is Your Dangerous Idea? from The Edge Foundation- Interesting ideas to mull over while washing dishes.
Where I slept by Stephen Elliot- Heartbreaking and powerful, about children in hard places and the ways they fall through the cracks.
How to Tell Stories to Children by Miranda July- Weird and wonderful, about the families we make and the ways the fall apart.
Adina, Astrid, Chipewee, Jasmine by Mathew Klam- Not what I expected at all, about loving and hating and unborn baby.
February 17, 2017
My favorite pieces from this collection:
+ Alison Bechdel - A Happy Death
+ Jennifer Egan - Selling the General
+ Stephen Elliott - Where I Slept
+ Kevin A. Gonzáles - Lotería
+ Miranda July - How to Tell Stores to Children
+ Nam Le - Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice
+ Alison Bechdel - A Happy Death
+ Jennifer Egan - Selling the General
+ Stephen Elliott - Where I Slept
+ Kevin A. Gonzáles - Lotería
+ Miranda July - How to Tell Stores to Children
+ Nam Le - Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice
October 14, 2018
I read yearly online compilations of "best of" articles - this year Conor Friedersdorf at The Atlantic, and this is much the same only in print. I read the online articles at leisure, but because of the book format, I felt compelled to just get it over with by about halfway.
May 1, 2018
This was a really solid collection of stories, essays, reporting, graphic novel, and more. Those high school kids know how to pick ‘em, this series is always reliably quirky and good.
January 15, 2020
Great stories in here, specifically the one by Miranda July.
October 13, 2014
Only four pieces of writing save this anthology which seems to contain too many surrealistic and Murakami-style stories; stories that don't make sense and start and end at inexplicable points, hoping to sound literary and wise, whereas they merely end up being cheesy attempts at good writing which fail miserably. My favourite pieces are:
1. Best American Excerpt from a Military Blog by Zachary Scott-Singley: A touching and moving perspective on the war in Iraq from an American soldier's point of view who is baffled at the savagery men wage against each other.
2. The Insurgent's Tale by Tom Downey: A short sketch of the life of a terrorist who spends his life fighting battles waged in the name of serving the religion and ends up bewildered at the futility of it all, questioning himself its justification and wondering if it is too much to ask for a normal life - one with a family and stability.
3. The New Mecca by George Saunders: This is the wide-eyed account of a visiting American's short stay in Dubai who goggled at the conflicting extremes residing side-by-side in this hastily-built and hastily-being-built city; a city that seems incongruous among the other Arab nations which surround it.
4. Kenyon Commencement Speech by David Foster Wallace: The last and probably the best piece of writing in this anthology, Wallace's perspective of the world is everything I have always felt but was never able to articulate in so many words. Deeply intelligent and compassionate, Wallace's piece looks at the world with wise, understanding eyes trying to cut through the layers of selfishness and self-centeredness that bind us all.
1. Best American Excerpt from a Military Blog by Zachary Scott-Singley: A touching and moving perspective on the war in Iraq from an American soldier's point of view who is baffled at the savagery men wage against each other.
2. The Insurgent's Tale by Tom Downey: A short sketch of the life of a terrorist who spends his life fighting battles waged in the name of serving the religion and ends up bewildered at the futility of it all, questioning himself its justification and wondering if it is too much to ask for a normal life - one with a family and stability.
3. The New Mecca by George Saunders: This is the wide-eyed account of a visiting American's short stay in Dubai who goggled at the conflicting extremes residing side-by-side in this hastily-built and hastily-being-built city; a city that seems incongruous among the other Arab nations which surround it.
4. Kenyon Commencement Speech by David Foster Wallace: The last and probably the best piece of writing in this anthology, Wallace's perspective of the world is everything I have always felt but was never able to articulate in so many words. Deeply intelligent and compassionate, Wallace's piece looks at the world with wise, understanding eyes trying to cut through the layers of selfishness and self-centeredness that bind us all.
April 4, 2009
For the first time in years, BANRR was not that bad! That alone is enough to merit three stars, since as you might recall the 2006 edition took me literally about six months to slog through. In spite of the insufferable Dave Eggers' continued insistence on letting pretentious San Francisco high school students make the selections, this was honestly not that bad.
I mean yes -- I did react throughout by saying things like, "Does anyone in literary fiction ever have a pregnancy that's not disgusting and traumatic? Similarly, is anyone ever in a relationship with someone who they don't hold in complete contempt?" And of course, there are the inevitable "issue" pieces (Katrina, Darfur, Iraq), though unlike in 2006, all of these were interesting and affecting in addition to being eminently readable.
And some of the selections actually stood out as being really good -- memoir-ish piece from Alison Bechdel, an interesting take on why we love to hate Barry Bonds, an omg-I-hope-this-is-fiction piece about being a homeless teen, and some short fiction from authors who are very much not the usual suspects. Yes, there's the inevitable too-cute interview with Eggers (just skip it) in addition to the barrage of lit-fic conventions (as described above, as well as lots of ironic deaths, child abuse, diseases, etc.) but on the whole, this was a pretty good collection.
Which is a good sign, right? At least that maybe now the 2008 collection won't sit on my shelf for an entire year before being picked up as this one did!
I mean yes -- I did react throughout by saying things like, "Does anyone in literary fiction ever have a pregnancy that's not disgusting and traumatic? Similarly, is anyone ever in a relationship with someone who they don't hold in complete contempt?" And of course, there are the inevitable "issue" pieces (Katrina, Darfur, Iraq), though unlike in 2006, all of these were interesting and affecting in addition to being eminently readable.
And some of the selections actually stood out as being really good -- memoir-ish piece from Alison Bechdel, an interesting take on why we love to hate Barry Bonds, an omg-I-hope-this-is-fiction piece about being a homeless teen, and some short fiction from authors who are very much not the usual suspects. Yes, there's the inevitable too-cute interview with Eggers (just skip it) in addition to the barrage of lit-fic conventions (as described above, as well as lots of ironic deaths, child abuse, diseases, etc.) but on the whole, this was a pretty good collection.
Which is a good sign, right? At least that maybe now the 2008 collection won't sit on my shelf for an entire year before being picked up as this one did!
February 9, 2009
Perhaps it's my current baby-induced scattered state of mind, but a series of independent short stories was just what the doctor ordered to get me back into reading post-birth about topics other than child rearing. And this collection of short stories is superlative!
There are so many stories that stick out in my mind from this collection. As I think of one to write about, I remember another ("Don't forget that one!" my brain says). So I'm going to leave all of that out. Otherwise, I'd basically be rewriting the entire text in this review, and my fingers are tired.
As someone else said about this book, if you hate anthologies, you'll love this book. Each story is its own microcosm and has very little to nothing to do with any other story in the book. There is fiction (a unemployed public relations rep hired by a merciless dictator), opinion (an essay in favor of Barry Bonds's alleged steroid use), and non-fiction (a glimpse into the experience of a journalist in Iraq).
The best part of the book is that while you're reading an awesome piece, you have no idea what you're going to read next. What a surprise it was to me when I found out that this collection was put together by high school students! I'm pleased to know that the next generation will at least have some sense of humanity that isn't pre-packaged in some processed radio-pop factory.
So, in a nutshell, this is a collection of very varied, well-chosen, and interesting stories that are easy to digest if you don't have a lot of time to devote to them.
There are so many stories that stick out in my mind from this collection. As I think of one to write about, I remember another ("Don't forget that one!" my brain says). So I'm going to leave all of that out. Otherwise, I'd basically be rewriting the entire text in this review, and my fingers are tired.
As someone else said about this book, if you hate anthologies, you'll love this book. Each story is its own microcosm and has very little to nothing to do with any other story in the book. There is fiction (a unemployed public relations rep hired by a merciless dictator), opinion (an essay in favor of Barry Bonds's alleged steroid use), and non-fiction (a glimpse into the experience of a journalist in Iraq).
The best part of the book is that while you're reading an awesome piece, you have no idea what you're going to read next. What a surprise it was to me when I found out that this collection was put together by high school students! I'm pleased to know that the next generation will at least have some sense of humanity that isn't pre-packaged in some processed radio-pop factory.
So, in a nutshell, this is a collection of very varied, well-chosen, and interesting stories that are easy to digest if you don't have a lot of time to devote to them.
January 29, 2015
Skipped a couple - "All Aboard the Bloated Bloat: Arguments In Favor Of Barry Bonds" by Lee Klein (because who is Barry Bonds?), "The Big Suck: Notes From The Jarhead Underground" by David J. Morris (because meh, war, I think my brother would like it though), and "Literature Unnatured" by Joy Williams (because idk the technology hatred was a little off-putting, it ain't 2007 anymore).
I really liked "Middle-American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames, "A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel, "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan, "Where I Slept" by Stephen Elliott, "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" by Nam Le (highly recommend this one), "Humpies" by Mattox Roesch, and "So Long, Anyway" by Patrick Somerville. I also loved the introduction by Sufjan Stevens and almost the entire Part I, Best American New Band Names especially.
Been reading this one in between books since last year, but finally felt like reading the entire thing to pull myself out my slump. It was interesting because the fiction and non-fiction in Part II weren't labeled as such, so I wasn't sure whether the writers were telling personal stories or not. It was also an interesting glimpse into the American mindset in 2007. It became a little time-capsule-y in that sense. Definitely interested in reading the later editions of this. Might pick up the ones after 2010 just to see a more recent perspective.
tl; dr- Here's me giving my thumbs up because I'm reading this in 2015.
I really liked "Middle-American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames, "A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel, "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan, "Where I Slept" by Stephen Elliott, "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" by Nam Le (highly recommend this one), "Humpies" by Mattox Roesch, and "So Long, Anyway" by Patrick Somerville. I also loved the introduction by Sufjan Stevens and almost the entire Part I, Best American New Band Names especially.
Been reading this one in between books since last year, but finally felt like reading the entire thing to pull myself out my slump. It was interesting because the fiction and non-fiction in Part II weren't labeled as such, so I wasn't sure whether the writers were telling personal stories or not. It was also an interesting glimpse into the American mindset in 2007. It became a little time-capsule-y in that sense. Definitely interested in reading the later editions of this. Might pick up the ones after 2010 just to see a more recent perspective.
tl; dr- Here's me giving my thumbs up because I'm reading this in 2015.
June 17, 2009
Anthologies are always a mixed bag. Often their individual stories will be compelling but not harmonious, making the entire book difficult to read as a whole. Other times, the stories will be harmonious but mediocre. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 avoids both these pitfalls with a strong selection of stories that work well together. It was a pleasure to read.
Some highlights:
- "Best American Names of Television Programs Taken to Their Logical Conclusions" by Joe O'Neill
- "Rock the Junta" by Scott Carrier
- "What Is Your Dangerous Idea?" by the Edge Foundation
- "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan
- "How to Tell Stories to Children" by Miranda July
- "All Aboard the Bloated Boat: Arguments in Favor of Barry Bonds" by Lee Klein
- Excerpts from Darfur Diaries (so interesting I've marked that book as to-read)
- "The Big Suck: Notes from the Jarhead Underground" by David J. Morris
The size of the above list should give you an idea of how good this book is; that's a significant percentage of all the stories in the book. And your mileage may vary. But for something that's only 350 pages, this is a very economical investment (in terms of both time and money) and utterly enjoyable.
Some highlights:
- "Best American Names of Television Programs Taken to Their Logical Conclusions" by Joe O'Neill
- "Rock the Junta" by Scott Carrier
- "What Is Your Dangerous Idea?" by the Edge Foundation
- "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan
- "How to Tell Stories to Children" by Miranda July
- "All Aboard the Bloated Boat: Arguments in Favor of Barry Bonds" by Lee Klein
- Excerpts from Darfur Diaries (so interesting I've marked that book as to-read)
- "The Big Suck: Notes from the Jarhead Underground" by David J. Morris
The size of the above list should give you an idea of how good this book is; that's a significant percentage of all the stories in the book. And your mileage may vary. But for something that's only 350 pages, this is a very economical investment (in terms of both time and money) and utterly enjoyable.
Read
August 13, 2012This is the only BANR I have, and although it's taken me about five years to get around to reading it, I'm liking it a lot so far. I was shocked to find a college classmate listed as one of the committee of high school students who picked out the pieces, but if my classmate was any indication, these must've been some of the brightest students in the Bay Area. I've always been a bit skeptical as the anthology as a project; the idea of disparate pieces forming a coherent whole never quite holds up in execution. This is a good anthology for people who don't believe in anthologies however, because the wryness of a topic such as Nonrequired Reading (implying that there is such a thing as reading that is required) has the irreverence necessary for the project.
Pieces I enjoyed:
-The introduction by Sufjan was lyrical - to be expected from a musician.
-"A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel: this excerpt was taken from her amazing graphic novel, Fun Home. Loved running across it here.
-"Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan. Wonderful storyteller; much more inclined to buy one of her full-length novels now.
-"Where I Slept" by Stephen Elliott. Heartbreaking.
Pieces I could've done without:
-"Middle American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames: I just didn't really see the point of this essay.
Pieces I enjoyed:
-The introduction by Sufjan was lyrical - to be expected from a musician.
-"A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel: this excerpt was taken from her amazing graphic novel, Fun Home. Loved running across it here.
-"Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan. Wonderful storyteller; much more inclined to buy one of her full-length novels now.
-"Where I Slept" by Stephen Elliott. Heartbreaking.
Pieces I could've done without:
-"Middle American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames: I just didn't really see the point of this essay.
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