Since 1986, The Best American Essays has gathered the best nonfiction writing of the year, establishing itself as the best-selling anthology of its...
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May 21, 2011
Steven
rated it: 
It's difficult to recount in this space everything good and bad about an anthology such as this, so I'm going with essays I found interesting and/or useful:
- a rediscovered piece by James Agee on the 1943 Detroit race riots
- Jared Diamond's "The Last Americans," which seems to be a starting point for his book "Collapse."
- "The Unreal Thing" by Adam Gopnik, which is both a review of the Matrix films and an examination of the philosophical issues they r More...
- a rediscovered piece by James Agee on the 1943 Detroit race riots
- Jared Diamond's "The Last Americans," which seems to be a starting point for his book "Collapse."
- "The Unreal Thing" by Adam Gopnik, which is both a review of the Matrix films and an examination of the philosophical issues they r More...
Apr 05, 2010
Joan
rated it:
I enjoyed this, but now, a few weeks after reading it, not much stands out. Laura Hillenbrand's account of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is eye-opening and will stay with me.
Jun 04, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
Louis Menand talks about voice here. I love his unorthodox view, and share it. Voice is not natural, but constructed. Right-o.
Nov 29, 2007
Daniel
rated it: 
I found that most of these were indeed quite notable and enjoyable to read. I found "A Sudden Illness," ""My '80s," "Bix and Flannery," "Against Cool," "My Father is a Book," and "An Enlarged Heart" to be of the most interest and/or best written. Some ("Passover in Baghdad," "Rock 101," "Arrow and Wound") didn't reach me at all. The others were just sort of "there" and interesting to read, bu
Sep 29, 2007
Genevieve
rated it: 
I needed to read 300 pages of essay, short stories, or poetry for my creative writing class. Since I had the least experience with essays, I picked that genre. I am amazed at the quality of writing. I have read about subjects from Jews in Iraq, chronic fatigue syndrome, women writers, taxidermy, knitting, rock scholarship, the origins of "cool" and it is incredible that they can make me be interested in all of them. I hope to read a lot more of the series.
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Mar 13, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
I have a hard time reading a book of unrelated essays, but there were, predictably, a number of great ones in this book. My favorites:
"Envy," by Kathryn Chetkovich
"The Arctic Hedonist" by Anne Fadiman
"Caught," by Jonathan Franzen
"A Sudden Illness," by Laura Hillenbrand
"Against Cool," by Rick Moody
"Lifelike," by Susan Orlean
"Amor Perdida," by Tennessee Williams
All of these e
"Envy," by Kathryn Chetkovich
"The Arctic Hedonist" by Anne Fadiman
"Caught," by Jonathan Franzen
"A Sudden Illness," by Laura Hillenbrand
"Against Cool," by Rick Moody
"Lifelike," by Susan Orlean
"Amor Perdida," by Tennessee Williams
All of these e
Sep 07, 2008
Richard
rated it: 
Hardly a single essay in here could maintain my vested interest. The one exception here was Gerald Stern's essay about the bullet in his neck, but I would more recommend finding the particular issue of Georgia Review it came from than to buy this, which is tainted with the kind of stilted, faux-literary writing that seems to infect most of the Best American choices.
Nov 30, 2007
Sean
rated it:
This is my second foray into the best American Essay series and there are some good ones in here. My favorites include Rick Moody's "Against Cool," a look at the origins and meanings of cool; and Kathryn Chetkovich's "Envy," a personal essay about a relationship between two writers.
Jul 04, 2007
James
rated it:
Fairly interesting collection. The "My"s have it: "My Yiddish," by Leonard Michaels and the astounding "My 80s," by Wayne Koestenbaum.
Aug 10, 2008
Sarah
rated it:
The title says most of what you need to know. I didn't necessarily like them all but they were all well written.
Apr 12, 2008
Will
rated it:
As usual, a great collection.
All of the essays are excellent, but Moody's 'Against Cool' really stands out.
All of the essays are excellent, but Moody's 'Against Cool' really stands out.
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