The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005

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The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 (Best American Nonrequired Reading)

by Dave Eggers (Editor), Beck (Introduction)

3.84 · rating details · 670 ratings · 61 reviews

The Wall Street Journal says, "After a decade in which reading was considered about as hip as the Bee Gees, the under-25 set is now buying books for leisure reading at three times the rate of the overall market."
The Best American Nonrequired Reading is a selection for young people of the best literature from mainstream and alternative American periodicals: from ...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published October 5th 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Dec 29, 2008

Kyle rated it

Shelves: mcsweeneys, fiction, shorts

As another entry into the modern canon of faux-hip literary idols, this collection works as a broad but shallow glimpse into the sub-culture. It may seem appealing in the short-term, but there isn't a lot to return to. First of all, many of the stories have a detached, historical mood, even when the events are ostensibly modern. They're presented in a lackadaisical and slightly bemused way, typical of nonfiction writing about the past (when knowing about the future might occasion some winks a...moreAs another entry into the modern canon of faux-hip literary idols, this collection works as a broad but shallow glimpse into the sub-culture. It may seem appealing in the short-term, but there isn't a lot to return to. First of all, many of the stories have a detached, historical mood, even when the events are ostensibly modern. They're presented in a lackadaisical and slightly bemused way, typical of nonfiction writing about the past (when knowing about the future might occasion some winks and chuckles) but not so typical of creative pieces. Jessica Anthony's "The Death of Mustango Salvaje" and Aimee Bender's "Tiger Mending," both stilted and purposefully difficult mixtures of high and low culture, have an aloof, sometimes even sneering, quality. But, taking those two out of consideration, the historical-type writing is not so disagreeable. Jonathan Tel's "The Myth of the Frequent Flier" is written with a similar voice, but in a kinder and easier way. And J. David Steven's "The Joke" reverses the formula, creating a unique and charming story that nevertheless doesn't stick its landing.

In a literary arena marked by sad and true first-person studies, Ryan Boudinot's "Free Burgers For Life," a sad, painfully funny story about a small-town sad sack wasting his time, is by far the funniest. Douglas Trevor's "Girls I Know," about Boston and hapless poetic studies, is also brilliant but a little naive. Dan Chaon's "Five Forgotten Instincts" and Stephen Elliott's "My Little Brother Ruined My Life" try so hard to be uncompromising and bleak that when they reach for a conclusion it can only ring false. Amber Dermont's "Lyndon" and Molly McNett's "Catalogue Sales" both work at managing the hardships of becoming a young woman, George Saunders' "Bohemians" mixes coming-of-age memoir with quirky suburban living, and Rattawut Lapcharoensap's "At the Café Lovely" retells a trite but lovely episode about brotherly love in Thailand. Daniel Alarcon's gauzy and melancholy "Florida" along with Jhumpa Lahiri's spirited "Hell-Heaven" uncover long-standing wounds of adulthood.

A few journalistic pieces are showcased here. Two of them deal with the war in Iraq: Tish Durkin's "Heavy Metal Mercenary" and Al Franken's "Tearaway Burkas and Tinplate Menorahs." Durkin's article, appearing as it did in Rolling Stone, is a strange and undisciplined kind of writing, one that brushes up against big issues but rejects them in favor of sexy and facile images (usually about rock 'n roll). Franken's essay, about his own experience performing with the USO in Iraq, is passionate but frequently boring and, most surprising of all, not very funny. An essay about ex-Mormon outcasts, Jeff Gordinier's "The Lost Boys," skillfully reports on an engaging subject but doesn't exactly show any amazing writing ability. Kate Krautkramer's "Roadkill," on the other hand, has amazing writing but very little to say. Also included are two stories that to me have a similar impact as nonfiction. Stephanie Dickinson's "A Lynching in Stereoscope" is an arresting but too familiar glimpse into racist America. And Lauren Weedman's "Diary of a Journal Reader," the last piece in the anthology, is a stupid and forgettable memoir-ish indulgence.
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Jan 07, 2009

Wendell rated it

Reading Dave Egger's ingratiating and irritatingly self-flattering Foreword to this volume (why is it, even when he's talking about others, that Dave Eggers is always talking about himself?), one hopes desperately that he is being ironic when he says that the pieces in the anthology were selected by a group of high-school students. Unfortunately, he appears to have been telling the truth. This is arguably the worst of the Best American Nonrequired Reading series, though the competition is pretty...moreReading Dave Egger's ingratiating and irritatingly self-flattering Foreword to this volume (why is it, even when he's talking about others, that Dave Eggers is always talking about himself?), one hopes desperately that he is being ironic when he says that the pieces in the anthology were selected by a group of high-school students. Unfortunately, he appears to have been telling the truth. This is arguably the worst of the Best American Nonrequired Reading series, though the competition is pretty stiff. Maybe 2005 was just a lousy year for writing. Maybe we shouldn't be expected to pay full price to read stories and essays that appealed to high-school students. Maybe Dave Eggers really can't tell decent writing from drivel. Or maybe all three.

I would save exactly two pieces from this book: Aimee Bender's "Tiger Mending" and Stephanie Dickinson's "A Lynching in Stereoscope," both of which are marvelous. The rest of the book ranges from decidedly not marvelous to aggravating, self-referential, and banal. When you get to the last four pieces (Jonathan Tel's "The Myth of the Frequent Flier," Douglas Trevor's "Girls I Know," William T. Vollman's "They Came Out Like Ants," and Lauren Weedman's "Diary of a Journal Reader"), you realize you're deep in the Swamp of Complacencies that is the province of graduate-writing programs and of writers like Eggers and the McSweeney crowd: too clever by half, damn impressed with themselves and, at base, utterly uninterested in readers. Writing, for them, is an essentially masturbatory act that precludes an other.

I'd put Beck's Introduction, as superficial and trivial a piece of writing as you'll ever find, into the same category. It is apparently included in BANR 2005 solely for the "cool factor" bona fides that someone like Beck could provide in 2005 and not because Beck has a single intelligent or interesting observation to make about writing. Plus, Beck was about to feature Eggers on his next album, so hey: One hand washes the other, high up there in the Hiposphere. And that seems to be Eggers all over: so doggone determined to be "alternative" that he becomes, numbingly, the same as everything else.(less)

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Sep 27, 2011

Patrick McCoy rated it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, essays, short-stories

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005, as usual has some gems, and some suspect selections. It has become an annual tradition to read the collection edited by Dave Eggers and I’m finding his Forwards to the editions increasingly whimsical, with a sort of in-joke aspect that is getting tedious. Beck provides a short introduction (mostly a marketing ploy I suspect). In particular there were three stories (“My Little Brother Ruined My Life” by Stephen Elliot/”Lyndon” by Amber Dermot/”Catalogue...moreThe Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005, as usual has some gems, and some suspect selections. It has become an annual tradition to read the collection edited by Dave Eggers and I’m finding his Forwards to the editions increasingly whimsical, with a sort of in-joke aspect that is getting tedious. Beck provides a short introduction (mostly a marketing ploy I suspect). In particular there were three stories (“My Little Brother Ruined My Life” by Stephen Elliot/”Lyndon” by Amber Dermot/”Catalogue Sales” by Molly McNett) that comically capture the strum and drang of adolescence. The first story by Elliot is about an estranged brother who gets a visit from his younger brother and finds that it’ not as a big of an imposition as he might have originally thought it would be, and they bound through the experience. The second by Dermot is about a petulant daughter and her power broker Mom’s coming to terms with the death of their father/husband and a coming to terms with each other. And the third story by McNett, involves coming to terms with the break up of a family and acceptance of the changed situation of their parents-especially that of their father who has married a filipino mail order bride.

“Hell-Heaven” by Jhumpa Lahiri is another standout story. It is an intimate look at the life of East Indians as they try to come t terms with a different culture far from home. It is full of nostalgia and a retrospective knowing recognition of the small tragedies of life unrequited love and accepted roles based on compromise. I am excited to read her collection of stories, Interpreter of Maladies that is sitting on my shelf.

I also enjoyed “Bohemians” by George Saunders, “Girls I Know” by Douglass Trevor, and “At Café Lovely” by Rattawut Lacharoensap, which I previous read in his excellent short story collection Sightseeing. There were two other pieces that I had read before and felt that they were over-rated and I felt chagrined to find them in this collection: “The Death of Mustango Salvaje” by Jessica Anthony-which originally appeared in McSweeny’s, and “They Came Out Like Ants” by the over rated William Vollman that originally appeared in Harper’s. Overall, there’s more good than bad-most of it is eclectic and I may not have been exposed to those stories otherwise.(less)

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Dec 08, 2008

Woodge rated it

Recommends it for: monkeys and aliens

It’s not often I delve into a short story collection. Why is it so many of them are depressing or just plain sad or pathetic? Woo-hoo! Fun! (Not.) So I might’ve skimmed about half of these. If there’s too much of a main character being pathetic... or characters doing drugs... or the main character is named Pranab or Sanjeet... I’m going to skim. But if some of the stories are little wacky or exciting or funny then I’ll give it a shot. This collection had about half in that scenario. Two w...more

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Feb 04, 2009

Mary Jo rated it

I enjoyed the intro by Beck very much. Most of the stories I read were pretty good, although not necessarily memorable. I look back at the titles of the stories and only a few jump out - I really liked The Death of Mustango Salvaje by Jessica Anthony and Tiger Mending by Aimee Bender both of which are in the realm of magical realism. I thought The Joke by J. David Stevens was brilliant, if I can find it on line I am going to post it on facebook. I just finished the last few stories and found...more

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Jul 11, 2009

Windy rated it

Shelves: own, read-in-2009

I really love this series. In this edition, Jhumpa Lahiri's story "Hell-Heaven" is excellent, and I also really liked the two stories about sibling relationships, Lapcharoensap's "At the Cafe Lovely" and McNett's "Catalogue Sales." "Tiger Mending" haunts me. Also, the 826 Valencia posters that disparage a one Captain Rick's pirating prowess had me chuckling in a way that's open to me only in my blissful summer solitude. (Yes, I realize that the previou...more

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Nov 06, 2008

Stacie rated it

Shelves: fiction

A book edited by McSweeney’s editor and author Dave Eggers, with an introduction by Beck, almost guarantees a good time. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 is an anthology of short stories and nonfiction ranging from hilarious to serious to, quite frankly, mundane topics. It is well compiled and covers an excellent range, from discussions of the Iraq war to discussions on the “ladystache.”

Some of the most notable selections are as follows:

A Lynching in Stereoscope fro...moreA book edited by McSweeney’s editor and author Dave Eggers, with an introduction by Beck, almost guarantees a good time. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 is an anthology of short stories and nonfiction ranging from hilarious to serious to, quite frankly, mundane topics. It is well compiled and covers an excellent range, from discussions of the Iraq war to discussions on the “ladystache.”

Some of the most notable selections are as follows:

A Lynching in Stereoscope from African-American Review
By Stephanie Dickenson

Disturbing and powerful, Stephanie Dickenson tells parallel stories – one of a lynching in years past and the other of a woman hired to take care of two elderly siblings in contemporary America. Both stories include characters wrongly accused, though consequences are different for both. Descriptions used by Dickenson when telling the story of a young man burned and hanged for allegedly molesting a young girl, along with the heartbreak of the boy’s mother as she bears witness to the atrocities, stay with the reader hours, days even, after the story is finished. But the true beauty of this story is how Dickenson’s stories converge in the end, telling an even broader story about our culture then and now.

Heavy Metal Mercenary from Rolling Stone
By Tish Durkin

A story about “corporate soldiers” in Iraq, this eye-opening article is an essential part of the overall Best American anthology. Tish Durkin travels with a group of private military contractors through Baghdad and beyond, learning about their daily lives. Throughout the article, Durkin explains the dangers the “soldiers” face. She explains who they are and why they’re there. The most distressing aspect of the article, and one of many involved in the Iraq occupation, is that these paramilitary purchase their arms on the black market. According to Heavy Metal Mercenary, because it is illegal for non-military to own certain armaments, like rocket launchers, many times they purchase these from the black market, “providing cash to the same arms dealers who supply the Iraqi insurgents who are killing American soldiers…” The irony is that our military sometimes must hire private security because coalition soldiers are inexperienced at protecting convoys. Behind the scenes, our military is helping to fund the same people who are killing them.

Catalogue Sales from New England Review
By Molly McNett

This hilarious short story tells of two sisters who must not only struggle with their parents’ divorce, but also the Filipino mail-order bride their father recently “purchased.” McNett does an incredible job of tapping into the insecurities of young women and the tensions between sisters. There are layers to this story, making it relatable and complex.

These are only a few favorites. The anthology is full of many more great reads, touching on cultural differences and personal idiosyncrasies alike. A must-read for 2006.(less)

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Feb 27, 2008

Laura rated it

Typically for an anthology such as this, I would just click my rating, maybe name-drop a few authors I thought were real standouts, and move merrily along with my life. I've really enjoyed other years of the "Best American Nonrequired Reading" I've read. But something struck me about this collection, as all the fiction felt at least tinged if not schmeered with melancholy and hopelessness so that I was continuously left with this lingering sense of despair -- not where you want your ...more

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May 28, 2009

Margie rated it

Recommended to Margie by: Mary Jo

Shelves: collections

Nonrequired reading has such potential as a category. And on occasion, the kids find something really worth reading. But I must admit that I'm more inclined now to turn to those collections in the Best American series that are edited by authors rather than teenagers. There's a level of pretension in these collections that becomes a bit much.

Loved the short story "The Joke", though.

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Oct 07, 2011

Dan Wilkinson rated it

An uneven collection that still contained several gems. Unfortunately, too many stories betrayed the editorial committee's background: high school students tend to gravitate toward tales of earnest angst and idealized accounts of social outcasts. The stories aren't identified as fiction or non-fiction, only by title, author and original source. While the genre was usually obvious, several stories defied categorization. Does this matter? Perhaps not, but it does highlight how much our preconceive...more

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Sep 06, 2009

carolyn rated it

Books like this are difficult to review. Some stories were wonderful and moving, others dull and duller. I plowed through the whole thing while sitting endlessly in the Portland airport and gifted it to a friend in Minneapolis in an attempt to make my luggage weigh less than 50 lbs despite all the New Glarus beer packed inside.

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Jan 04, 2008

Daniel rated it

Shelves: literature, short-fiction

I'm not likely to return to the series any time soon. Absolutely NONE of the stories stand out favorably as I look back at the titles. I do recall laughing aloud at the Al Franken piece, but I'm hard-pressed to recall any of the details (ah...yes...a USO tour, I believe).

"Free Burgers for Life" reminded me of something I might have written 20+ years ago and look back upon wondering what the hell I was thinking to ever think it was worth publishing. But because I could "...more

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Jan 09, 2011

Elke rated it

Shelves: 2011-books-read

There are some amazing stories in this collection, and also several duds. I liked these the best:

Dan Chaon. Five Forgotten Instincts.
Ryan Boudinot. Free Burgers for Life.
Kate Krautkramer. Roadkill.
Jhumpa Lahiri. Hell-Heaven.
George Saunders. Bohemians.
Lauren Weedman. Diary of a Journal Reader.

While I loved Aimee Bender. Tiger Mending. I didn't love the end, it was too abrupt.

This book was another reminder of how much I love the sh...more

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Nov 24, 2008

Chris rated it

A wonderful collection of everything from 05. I especially loved the best opening sentences of 2005. The 50 things you should know about Chuck Norris was the most INFORMATIVE two pages I've ever digested.

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Dec 11, 2008

Mark LaMountain rated it

The Best American Nonrequired series has a lot of terrific writing in it. More than a few times I've liked the stories so much I went and read more by the authors. Very good stories in all of em' :)

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May 23, 2009

Annie rated it

Most of this was a waste of space. However, one short story really stood out. "Tiger Mending" was absolutely excellent but I would recommend finding it in another place.

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Jan 02, 2009

Suejin rated it

The five stories that I enjoyed the most were

Daniel Alcaron,"Florida"
Jhumpa Lahiri, "Hell-heaven"
Rattawut Lapcharoensap, "At the Cafe Lovely"
Douglas Trevor, "Girls I Know"
Lauren Weedman, "Diary of a Journal Reader"

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Sep 22, 2011

Arjen rated it

Shelves: non-dutch

nice collection of short stories and essays. The foreword is very good, especially the section about Captain Rick, which is hilarious.

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Jan 17, 2010

Merrilee rated it

Tiger Mending is the best short story I have ever read. It's been a few years, but I think about it from time to time.

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Feb 07, 2010

Katie rated it

I wish I could find a way to add "Mustang Salvaje" to the curriculum...

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May 15, 2009

Sarah added it · review of another edition

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 by Dave Eggers (2005)

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Sep 28, 2009

sonia is currently reading it

Tiger Mending is really well-written. I loved the narrator.

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Aug 11, 2011

Terryann Saint rated it

Always pretty interesting.

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Aug 09, 2011

Diane rated it

Awesome! Per usual...

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Jan 14, 2010

Carrie Pirmann added it

essays

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Feb 05, 2008

Melynda Yesenia rated it

tiger mending is the stand out. a short by aimee bender i've only come across here, it tells the story of two sisters who travel to malaysia following one of them receiving a job offer. there are moments in this that could break a heart, the tiger's roaring and her sister's loneliness and personal quiet.

the rest of this is made up of hit or miss tales, a few with substance followed by the completely forgettable, just like most collections.

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Oct 25, 2010

Danielle rated it

Shelves: 2010, bookshelf

It seems everytime I finish a Non Required Reading, my first comment is inevitably "This is one of my favourite volumes" but they all, really, are!

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Jul 23, 2007

Carrie rated it

This is an anthology of short stories and features from different literary magazines across the country. Dave Eggers recruited a group of high school kids to help him pick which stories would be in this edition, and they did a great job. I'm a fan of short stories, I think they are a great way to learn something new without going on the long, complicated journey of most books. Perfect for a Metro ride.

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Aug 22, 2007

mari jaye rated it

on a return flight from south america, hungry for the english language, i cracked open this book and found myself laughing out loud (in the good way).

there are some great moments in here, and i'm impressed with the taste of the high-schoolers who selected these stories, but it felt to me a bit uneven.

i'd almost recommend it for the foreword by dave eggers & george saunders' two pieces.

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Jun 30, 2010

Joseph Frantz rated it

Shelves: high-school

I gave this book five stars because it is the book that made me want to write. The stories in here are pure gold. My favorites were "Florida" by Daniel Alarcon, "Free Burgers for Life" by Ryan Boudinot, and "Girls I Know" by Douglas Trevor. But every line in this book is worth reading. Other years' collections for some reason floundered in comparison.

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About Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers is the author of six previous books, including his most recent, Zeitoun, a nonfiction account a Syrian-American immigrant and his extraordinary experience during Hurricane Katrina and What Is the What, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. That book, about Valentino Achak Deng, a survivor of the civil war in southern Sudan, gave birth to the Valentino Achak Deng F...more

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