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195th out of 288 books
—
93 voters
The Best American Non-Required Reading 2006 (Best American Non-Required Reading)
From Dave Eggers: For this year’s edition of The Best American Nonrequired Reading, we wanted to expand the scope of the book to include shorter pieces, and fragments of stories, and transcripts, screenplays, television scripts -- lots of things that we hadn’t included before. Our publisher readily agreed, and so you’ll see that this year’s edition is far more eclectic in...more
Paperback, 374 pages
Published
October 11th 2006
by Mariner Books
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As I was reading the last few stories, I actually started to like them....but upon reading that a "one star" is "didn't like it" and "two stars" is "it was ok", I have no choice but to render a 1 star.
This book was pathetic. The title: Best American Nonrequired Reading in 2006. If this is the BEST that can come out of any nonrequired reading, boy am I glad I had a LOT of required reading in 2006. Holy crap! I can't believe there are people out there, and then an editor and publishing company, th...more
This book was pathetic. The title: Best American Nonrequired Reading in 2006. If this is the BEST that can come out of any nonrequired reading, boy am I glad I had a LOT of required reading in 2006. Holy crap! I can't believe there are people out there, and then an editor and publishing company, th...more
As most of you already know, I’d rather pull off my own fingernails that endure anything Dave Eggers had a hand in creating. Obviously, the exception that proves the rule is the Best American Nonrequired Reading series.
As the name would imply, the editors pulled from both fiction and non-fiction in an effort to piece together a collection of writing that represents the best of the pervious year. With each of the entries coming from the past year, it’s difficult to find anything that’s not relev...more
As the name would imply, the editors pulled from both fiction and non-fiction in an effort to piece together a collection of writing that represents the best of the pervious year. With each of the entries coming from the past year, it’s difficult to find anything that’s not relev...more
I'm not really sure why The Best American Nonrequired Reading series even exists. It seems to be a collection of short stories, comics and essays that didn't make it into their respective Best American collections (there is no poetry here). The 2006 edition of Nonrequired Reading is a very mixed bag - both in terms of content (which is good) and goodness (at least in terms of what really impressed me). There isn't a single short story in here that really blew me away - though I should say all of...more
Don't bother with carefully combing through Granta, McSweeney's, and those burdensomely weekly issues of the New Yorker -- this anthology will teach you everything you need to know about being a literary hipster until at least 2009. Despite a fabulous pairing of articles on Iraq, an immaculately written feature on post-Katrina New Orleans, and a nourishing Murakami short, the star in this constellation of post-ironic hipness involves what you need to know about Chuck Norris. That's the effect of...more
I recently picked up the most recent edition of The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006, and as usual it has some great pieces. This year’s introduction was written by Matt Groening. This year they have added some lists to the volume the one that worked for me include include: Best American Headlines" (from The Onion); "Best American Daily Show Exchange on the Anniversary of Watergate" (from Jon Stewart discussion with Stephen Colbert); "Best American First Sentences of Novels of 2005"; “Best...more
I buy my sister an edition of this anthology every Christmas - it's a great snapshot of the year. There's a wonderful variety of pieces here, which means that everyone will find something they love and something they feel "meh" about. I wasn't very impressed with any of the short stories in this edition, but some of the essays were phenomenal, particularly "Shipwreck," written by Cat Bohannon after she tours a warehouse where bodies are prepared for Body Worlds exhibits. Other gems were "Love It...more
I was surprised at how intriguing and captivating this anthology was. I recently finished my first Dave Eggers' book, Zeitoun, a few weeks ago; I found it eye-opening and provocative for its message but also for its bias.
This anthology certainly reflects the time period; in 2006, there was quite a bit of media attention surrounding national security measures, perceptions of Arabs/Muslims/the Middle East, and a great deal of consternation about belief and religion. I think this volume captured th...more
This anthology certainly reflects the time period; in 2006, there was quite a bit of media attention surrounding national security measures, perceptions of Arabs/Muslims/the Middle East, and a great deal of consternation about belief and religion. I think this volume captured th...more
As always a wonderful compendium of great writing that gets absolutely no recognition. I will probably post notes of the texts that I enjoyed the most, but notably: Bohannon's "Shipwreck," Budnitz's "Nadia," Delisle's "Pyongyang...," Vonnegut's "Here is a lesson in Creative Writing," and Wallace's "Kenyon Commencement Speech."
Go out and read these books. Dave Eggers is a genius at everything, but most notably his ability to create an editorial team (probably his throwback to McSweeney's and Mig...more
Go out and read these books. Dave Eggers is a genius at everything, but most notably his ability to create an editorial team (probably his throwback to McSweeney's and Mig...more
As with any anthology, this had its hits and misses. But overall I
liked it a lot. Be prepared to tackle a theme, though. There are a lot
of essays and stories about the Middle East in here.
I had originally picked this up because I've been circling the same
few authors lately and wanted to branch out. Sounds great, except I
picked a collection with at least three pieces I've already read. The
Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace and George Saunders essays in this
collection have appeared in other colle...more
liked it a lot. Be prepared to tackle a theme, though. There are a lot
of essays and stories about the Middle East in here.
I had originally picked this up because I've been circling the same
few authors lately and wanted to branch out. Sounds great, except I
picked a collection with at least three pieces I've already read. The
Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace and George Saunders essays in this
collection have appeared in other colle...more
This is a fantastic collection of writings from 2006. Edited by Dave Eggers, and introduced by Matt Groening, it brings together a quirky bunch of essays, short stories, graphic stories, constitutions, lists, and magazine pieces into a cohesive whole.
Reading it now, in 2013, it startles me with its tone. Remember when Bush was president? Remember when we were enmeshed in a never-ending war in Iraq, and it seemed as if our government had taken the reins only to drive us all into through gates of...more
Reading it now, in 2013, it startles me with its tone. Remember when Bush was president? Remember when we were enmeshed in a never-ending war in Iraq, and it seemed as if our government had taken the reins only to drive us all into through gates of...more
I love "The Best American..." series for the same reason I love "various artists" CDs - I get a sampling of this and that with the occasional, previously overlooked gem in the bunch. I'm especially fond of the "Nonrequired" reading because it mixes genres. Imagine "The Best American Short Stories" is a theme CD, such as a movie soundtrack, with tracks by different musicians but from the same field of music, while the "Nonrequired" is more of a mish-mash, like those "Certain Damage" CDs that CMJ...more
Although it redeemed itself in the end, I found this to be the least impressive of the 'nonrequired reading' anthologies.
First, it starts with @ 50 pages of 'best american' things. Things such as best american epigraph whereina contemporary writer quotes a great writer who died in 2005 & best american things to know about hoboes. The last entry (hoboes) inlcudes 700 hobo names. It is not actually funny or interesting.
The entries are organized in alphabetical order by the authors last name....more
First, it starts with @ 50 pages of 'best american' things. Things such as best american epigraph whereina contemporary writer quotes a great writer who died in 2005 & best american things to know about hoboes. The last entry (hoboes) inlcudes 700 hobo names. It is not actually funny or interesting.
The entries are organized in alphabetical order by the authors last name....more
The 2006 edition took me about seven months to complete. Why the delay? I had to skip some pieces, because they were too gross -- particularly the first one, which is a short story from the p.o.v. of someone working on one of those stupid Bodies exhibitions which I can't seem to avoid no matter what I do. Ew! In addition to all the gross-out pieces, nearly half appear to be about the war. Now, I understand that it's timely and all, but seriously Eggers, the Iraqi constitution!?! Not what people...more
3.5 stars, actually.
I'm a fan of the Nonrequired Reading series and how the volumes are compiled. Were I a teacher, I'd swipe the idea for my class: encourage students to read and select pieces that speak to them, and then share the best writing with their peers in a book that reflects not only a year in reading, but a year in their lives.
As these volumes are compiled by students, they tend to follow a pattern: there's a piece about the war written by a soldier, an article about what the war is...more
I'm a fan of the Nonrequired Reading series and how the volumes are compiled. Were I a teacher, I'd swipe the idea for my class: encourage students to read and select pieces that speak to them, and then share the best writing with their peers in a book that reflects not only a year in reading, but a year in their lives.
As these volumes are compiled by students, they tend to follow a pattern: there's a piece about the war written by a soldier, an article about what the war is...more
What more can I say about Dave Eggers. His work as a writer and an editor makes me so jealous, yet I can't help but gobble it all up. He's got an amazing ear for what works and his cottage industry of literary journals, magazines, DVDs and writing labs across the country, while perhaps not exactly mainstream, really do deserve the praise (and the book throwing jealousy) all of us in the literary community can heap his way. So, it's no big surprise that I admire the unique and bold qualities of h...more
I stumbled upon these collections a few years ago, and loved them. They are edit by Dave Eggers - not my favorite author - and constit of short storiees, magazine articles, blog entries, and a myriad of other not so accesable sources collected by high school students at 826 Valencia (If you knwo Eggers, you know what this is). I normally love almost everything in them, and savour the variety, but ths year - 2006 - left me very dissapointed. It was mostly political essays, and mostly about Iraq....more
Sep 07, 2007
Lord Beardsley
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone looking to diversify their reading subject matter
Shelves:
read2007
This was one of the better Non-Required Reading Comps over the years. Although, I think I say that about all of them. Of course there were particular essays I wasn't crazy about, but those were the minority and I only skipped over one because I started falling asleep as I was reading it (Iraqi constitution...I sound ignorant saying this...but I think reading the United States Constitution has the same effect on me). I was also at work at the time...
Overall, this was fantastic. I'd recomend all o...more
Overall, this was fantastic. I'd recomend all o...more
I generally like the series, but I felt this was the weakest collection so far. It had the most thematic continuity, and I think the quality of the works included suffered as a result.
It's cool that they are including more media, but come on...the screenwriting selection was "Me, You, and Everyone We Know"? Was it included in spite of or because of the fact that most of the readers had probably already seen and discussed the movie at length? How about something a little more off the radar?
Some o...more
It's cool that they are including more media, but come on...the screenwriting selection was "Me, You, and Everyone We Know"? Was it included in spite of or because of the fact that most of the readers had probably already seen and discussed the movie at length? How about something a little more off the radar?
Some o...more
Putting that Miranda July screenplay next to the Iraq Constitution (attributed to no author or group of authors, strangely) makes the book seem pretty stupid. There are good things in it but as a whole it's kind of dumb. Plus it seems dated now, four years later--not because the events it treats (Katrina) happened four years ago, but because all the "fun" stuff (Chuck Norris facts) doesn't seem as fun anymore
I've always liked the "Non-Required Reading" collections. For me, they serve as sort of a yearbook for the independent reader.
This is a pretty great sampling of what people were thinking about at the time. There are things here that I read when they were originally published, and others that I had missed and was pleased to discover.
Of course, not everything in the collection is amazing. There were a few things that I didn't love, and I found the beginning section ("Best American New Band Names"...more
This is a pretty great sampling of what people were thinking about at the time. There are things here that I read when they were originally published, and others that I had missed and was pleased to discover.
Of course, not everything in the collection is amazing. There were a few things that I didn't love, and I found the beginning section ("Best American New Band Names"...more
good for the subway, or maybe waiting at an airport. short and interesting pieces that you can pick up and drop pretty quickly, but nothing that you have to pace yourself for. I liked the comic about north korea, the article about religion, and also the excerpt from "me and you and everyone we know."
basically a lot of magazine articles, comics, short stories, blog excerpts, movie scripts.
basically a lot of magazine articles, comics, short stories, blog excerpts, movie scripts.
This should hold the secondary title: 'The Iraq War Year' - as nearly every story and entry and comic is about America's war there. By putting all this info in one place, however, it is very informative and insightful. America attacked Iraq in 2003, by 2005 the writers had enough info to write coherently and muchly about the war (this book captures those 2005 writings).
This collection contains three of the best essays I have ever read: "Best American Fake Headlines" from the Onion, "Best American Daily Show Exchange on the anniversary of Watergate," "Best American Things to know about Chuck Norris," and Julia Sweeney's "Letting Go of God?" I gave 5 stars just because it included Sweeney's essay.
Apr 25, 2008
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone who can read
Shelves:
mishmash-essays-short-stories
I found 2 essays to be BRILLIANT and the rest were fantastic. One brilliant essay was about women in politics & written by Simon Baron-Cohen. Question asked by the Edge Foundation was "What is your dangerous idea" and he proposed that politicians legislate and act with EMPATHY rather than COMBAT. Then he put the pieces together to say that men generally react with combat (we're mostly talking figuratively, here) and women with empathy. The world has been run by men and therefore decisions ar...more
The Best American Nonrequired Reading is a yearly anthology of fiction and nonfiction selected by high school students in California and Michigan. The volume is edited by Dave Eggers.
The collection for 2006 includes lists like "The Best American Fake Headlines" from The Onion, and "The Best New Words and Phrases". It includes the proposed Iraqi constitution, and a blog from a soldier stationed there. And, it includes a collection of short stories from well-known writers, and newcomers.
My favori...more
The collection for 2006 includes lists like "The Best American Fake Headlines" from The Onion, and "The Best New Words and Phrases". It includes the proposed Iraqi constitution, and a blog from a soldier stationed there. And, it includes a collection of short stories from well-known writers, and newcomers.
My favori...more
Solid collection. My favorite is the David Foster Wallace commencement address. It has a surreal tenderness after the fact of his suicide, particularly the argument against shooting oneself in the head. It was moving and powerful and I will return to this piece in the future.
I read this on the plane(s) on a trip I recently took. I skipped over a couple stories/not-so-important lists (i.e. the bum names), but of the stories I did read, I thoroughly enjoyed. I think my favorite was the one about New Orleans (I'm sorry I can't remember authors right now, I read it a bit back). Overall, it's a nice read when you want a variety of quick but thought-provoking stories, but I don't think it's a must-read.
Four stars for the David Foster Wallace brilliance and the essay by Julia Sweeney was also the best I ever read on the topic of God, Catholicism, and Belief. Not much else worth reading for me, but those two definitely worth grabbing the book for.
I bought this at the library's used book sale. I really enjoyed most of it. The non-fiction, in particular, was very strong. The article about the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans was excellent. Worth the .$25 I paid for it! :-)
This book is worth the price just for the 10 pages at the back of David Foster Wallace's brilliant, brilliant Kenyon College Commencement Address, "This is Water"; and that's the only part of this book that I have read.
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Dave Eggers is the author of six previous books, including his most recent, A Hologram for the King, about a struggling businessman pursuing a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter's college tuition, and finally do something great. In this novel the author takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of...more
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Jan 16, 2008 04:33pm