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The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 (Best American Nonrequired Reading)
From "Q & A" by Dave Eggers A group of senators and assemblypersons were pressing The Best American Nonrequired 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 Nonrequired committee’s members who decide on things in this collection?
They are high...more
Who are they, the Nonrequired committee’s members who decide on things in this collection?
They are high...more
Paperback, 347 pages
Published
October 10th 2007
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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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'r...more
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'r...more
I am in love with this book. I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.
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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 ath...more
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 ath...more
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...more
I also very much enjoyed "What is Your Dangerous Idea" (a collection of revolutionary ideas from scientists). It made me feel smart because...more
This collection was pretty hit or miss for me. There were a few essays that I really, really enjoyed, and there were a few that I had to force myself to get through. I was pretty disappointed overall because previous editions in this series have sucked me in start to finish.
Essays I loved:
-The Introduction by Sufjan Stevens. Love the writing style.
-"Ghost Children" by D. Winston Brown. Interesting look at boys becoming men. Great writing style.
-"Rock ...more
Essays I loved:
-The Introduction by Sufjan Stevens. Love the writing style.
-"Ghost Children" by D. Winston Brown. Interesting look at boys becoming men. Great writing style.
-"Rock ...more
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...more
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 c...more
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 re...more
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 re...more
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 cut...more
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 cut...more
wow, a BANR i did not award five stars to! despite the inclusion of a story by one of my favorite authors, patrick somerville, (which deserves five stars itself, and has earned it, by my awarding five stars to the book of his stories it's collected in, "trouble") most of the stories in this anthology did not grab me, any many of them felt like carbon copies of stories or essays i'd read before, often in previous BANR's. maybe after re-reading the selections and giving them more thoug...more
My wife got this book for Christmas and I couldn't help but read it. The introduction is by the songwriter Sufjan Stevens and my first thought after reading the introduction was that he should stick to writing music because he does a far superior job of it. The book is an amalgamation of all kinds of writing. Non-fiction, fiction, poetry etc. Its all fairly short since it has to fit into a single, manageable volume. The beginning of the book was a little uninteresting to me. Things like the Best...more
Excerpt from What I've Been Reading - January 2008
"The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 was interesting, but not at all what I imagined. I saw Conan O’Brien and assumed this would be a fun romp through a handful of stories that really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Articles from The Onion. Stories about, I don’t know – poop or something. The introduction - by indie darling Sufjan Stevens - and the first story - Jonathan Ames’s recount of meeting high school g...more
"The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 was interesting, but not at all what I imagined. I saw Conan O’Brien and assumed this would be a fun romp through a handful of stories that really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Articles from The Onion. Stories about, I don’t know – poop or something. The introduction - by indie darling Sufjan Stevens - and the first story - Jonathan Ames’s recount of meeting high school g...more
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.
I'm fascinated that these high school kids spend a considerable amount of work to create this volume of non-required reading.
I really liked the collection of information that these kids collected: new words in 2007, best first sentences of 2007, most interesting titles, etc. It was fun to see things that I would never, ever come across. Mind you: the theological things that they quote are not things that I would ever, ever read.
Most of this collection is short stories. I th...more
I really liked the collection of information that these kids collected: new words in 2007, best first sentences of 2007, most interesting titles, etc. It was fun to see things that I would never, ever come across. Mind you: the theological things that they quote are not things that I would ever, ever read.
Most of this collection is short stories. I th...more
I was introduced to Best American last year in my AP Lang class. We were studying rhetoric and, as practice, we read the introduction of this book, which was contributed by my very favorite person in the whole dang world, Sufjan Stevens. And that's when I knew that I had to own this book, even if I didn't like the rest of the content. But then I figured that if something has Sufjan Stevens associated with it, it has to be good. Okay, well, maybe not the Society for Mean Bullies Whose Parents...more
I wasn't able to finish all the stories but I'd take the liberty of assuming that everything in it is wonderful. Why I think that may have stemmed from the fact that it was my first Nonrequired book and maybe the mere idea of it just overwhelmed me in a very inspiring kind of way. But really, I'd take the other reason because even with the few stories I was able to read, I already saw how diverse the selection was (it includes both fic and nonfic and samples quite a couple of genre) and I believ...more
Maybe it was just me, but this volume feels a little darker then the previous ones. After all, it has a story about a small child getting knocked into a coma, a dispatch from a genocide and a look at the chaos in a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.
Not that it's a a bad thing, though, it's something that's a little unexpected. And it's a refreshing change of pace from the earlier volumes too. In a word, it felt sober.
Standout pieces include a good except from Allison Bechdel'...more
Not that it's a a bad thing, though, it's something that's a little unexpected. And it's a refreshing change of pace from the earlier volumes too. In a word, it felt sober.
Standout pieces include a good except from Allison Bechdel'...more
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...more
Ben Babcock
rated it
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 Conclusion...more
Some highlights:
- "Best American Names of Television Programs Taken to Their Logical Conclusion...more
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. ...more
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. ...more
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 tha...more
I mean yes -- I did react throughout by saying things like, "Does anyone in literary fiction ever have a pregnancy tha...more
So I enjoy the Dave Eggers. Even though he's become a little bit pompous now that he's achieved a certain "level of success" I still like his humor and the things that he finds humorous. So I enjoy collections such as this that Eggers is in charge of. The beautiful thing here is that all of the selections here were actually selected by high school students involved in his after-school writing workshop 812 Valencia (or something like that.)
Most of these short stories whethe...more
Most of these short stories whethe...more
A great, electic collection of creative non-fiction, short stories, and more gleaned from both mainstream magazines and small quarterlies, edited by Dave Eggers and picked by a committee of high school students. The intro by Sufjan Stevens is quite funny, too.
The best bits? The opening collection of shorts - i.e., "Best American Names for Horses Expected to Have Undistinguished Careers," "Best American Beginnings of Ten Short Stories about Ponies," and "Bes...more
The best bits? The opening collection of shorts - i.e., "Best American Names for Horses Expected to Have Undistinguished Careers," "Best American Beginnings of Ten Short Stories about Ponies," and "Bes...more
I've decided to start doing these, but basically as extended recommendations.
Recommended for times when you can't decide between fiction and non, laughing and wincing, bbq and honey mustard. The choices aren't all that different, but they're just different enough. Most of the pieces made me pause, some even made me angry (but in a good, prickly, thought-provoking way.)
Not recommended for times when you've got any urge toward cohesion or complicity. Also, don't be fooled by the sub...more
Recommended for times when you can't decide between fiction and non, laughing and wincing, bbq and honey mustard. The choices aren't all that different, but they're just different enough. Most of the pieces made me pause, some even made me angry (but in a good, prickly, thought-provoking way.)
Not recommended for times when you've got any urge toward cohesion or complicity. Also, don't be fooled by the sub...more
Reviewing the diversity and creative selection in this compiliation simultaneously:
1) gives me hope that public education can be saved with the involvement of community efforts guiding students with enrichment programs such as www.826national.org
2) impresses me with the level of sophisticated literary tastes high school kids in San Francisco deliver with their witty lists and impressive knowledge of music I would not have known at their age.
3) makes me worry ...more
1) gives me hope that public education can be saved with the involvement of community efforts guiding students with enrichment programs such as www.826national.org
2) impresses me with the level of sophisticated literary tastes high school kids in San Francisco deliver with their witty lists and impressive knowledge of music I would not have known at their age.
3) makes me worry ...more
Elizabeth
added it
library's unfortunately (and sometimes fortunately) have due dates and i read slowly, so i haven't finished reading every single story. i did read a majority of the stories and i had my ups and downs with the book. my favorite story thus far is Miranda July's "How to Tell Stories to Children" which was creative and extremely well written. her story flowed. also, the introduction by Sufjan Stevens was hilarious, especially the end...the ending of his intro was phenomenal.
...more
...more
I was very pleased with this volume. There wasn't a single piece that I didn't like or find interesting (though some of the sections in the Edge Foundation's "What is Your Dangerous Question" section didn't seem as well thought out as others and one in particular annoyed me).
Especially enjoyed:
Alison Bechdel's "A Happy Death" -- an excerpt from a longer graphic novel that I will definitely have to look into soon.
Stephen Elliott's "Whe...more
Especially enjoyed:
Alison Bechdel's "A Happy Death" -- an excerpt from a longer graphic novel that I will definitely have to look into soon.
Stephen Elliott's "Whe...more
Favorites:
*Best American Names for Horses Expected to Have Undistinguished Careers
*Six Word Memoirs
*Personals from Around the World
*Article Titles...Trade Magazines
*Ghost Children (youth and gun violence)
*Dangerous Ideas (science)
*Where I Slept (homeless teen)
*All Aboard...Barry Bonds (steroids in sports)
*Love Honor...(writing and Viet Nam)
*Darfur Diaries (real experiences in Iraq)
*The Big Suck.."
www.edge.org
...more
*Best American Names for Horses Expected to Have Undistinguished Careers
*Six Word Memoirs
*Personals from Around the World
*Article Titles...Trade Magazines
*Ghost Children (youth and gun violence)
*Dangerous Ideas (science)
*Where I Slept (homeless teen)
*All Aboard...Barry Bonds (steroids in sports)
*Love Honor...(writing and Viet Nam)
*Darfur Diaries (real experiences in Iraq)
*The Big Suck.."
www.edge.org
...more
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...more
I buy and love this collection every year. My favorite pieces: Sufjan Stevens' introduction about his education at a "progressive" Waldorf school, Alison Bechdel's comic (graphic not-really-a-novel?) about her dad's death, Jennifer Egan's "Selling the General" (short story about a political publicity machine gone wrong), Stephen Elliot's "Where I Slept" (memoir? about being a homeless teenager), Miranda July's "How to Tell Stories to Children" (short stor...more
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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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“Recently, I've discovered Radiohead and find them to be quite good. So clearly, I'm some kind of musical retard. (Jonathan Ames, Middle-American Gothic)”
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Sleeping with Jesus
Baby Bibles: Tall Tales for Tiny tots
Everybody Poops (Except God)”
