false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172132130m/141940.jpg 141940 4 In her opening remarks to <I>The Best American Short Stories 2002</I>, guest editor Sue Miller notes the difficulty of reading fiction produced during 2001, the year of the September 11 terrorist attacks. She also remarks that by the time she had finalized her 20 selections, this act of reading had restored her faith both in fiction's significance and its ability to tap into timeless themes. The 2002 anthology includes stories best described as realist fiction or traditional fiction, many set in contemporary times. The tales range from E.L. Doctorow's "A House on the Plains," a murder set at the turn of the century, to pieces with more recent settings, like "Puppy" by Richard Ford, which shows how a New Orleans couple deals--or doesn't deal--with the appearance of a stray dog. Both Jhumpa Lahiri's "Nobody's Business" and Edwidge Danticat's "Seven" deftly portray the disconnection a semi-assimilated Indian American and Haitian American couple experience both as partners and as U.S. citizens. Leonard Michael's "Nachman from Los Angeles," in contrast, adds some levity to the mix. Miller adds in her preface that maybe next year the tales will depart further from tradition, but judging from this volume no departure is necessary: the selections take the reader on a delightful journey through some of America's best contemporary writers. <I>--Jane Hodges</I> 871526 15 10 2002 The Best American Short Stories 2002 (The Best American Series) total:142|5:1|4:0|3:5|2:0|1:0| 142 538 218 17 0 0 false false Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Apr 11 17:51:29 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 18:06:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 18:29:38 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 12:58:34 -0800 2009


I love short stories. I can fit one in while I wait; sometimes I...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jul 07 11:33:03 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 11:35:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sat Mar 15 00:35:31 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 15 00:35:31 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 26 09:37:33 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 09:04:27 -0700 2008 I've re...more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Apr 22 19:44:38 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 19:44:38 -0700 2009 3 0 true false Wed Aug 06 10:54:54 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 06 10:54:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 10 11:53:22 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 11:27:19 -0700 2008 I didn't like Sue Miller's introduction at all, which begins "I was f...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 25 10:47:06 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 25 10:47:06 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Fri Apr 27 20:58:51 -0700 2007 Fri Apr 27 21:02:00 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 22 04:53:52 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 22 04:55:08 -0700 2008 1 0 0 false false Mon Nov 10 10:44:54 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 10:44:54 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 09:48:10 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 06 14:36:59 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Apr 27 15:09:53 -0700 2007 Wed May 30 16:09:19 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Wed May 20 15:51:37 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 21 14:49:05 -0700 2008 Wed May 20 15:51:37 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Dec 19 08:15:12 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 08:15:27 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Thu Feb 14 16:03:35 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 16:04:58 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Thu Nov 19 20:42:26 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 20:42:26 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Nov 19 18:06:42 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 18:06:42 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Tue Oct 27 14:58:02 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 14:58:02 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=141940