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The Best American Magazine Writing 2007
This year's selection includes William Langewiesche's probing investigation in Vanity Fair of the slaughter of twenty-four Iraqis in Haditha; C. J. Chivers's chilling account in Esquire of the 2004 hostage crisis in Beslan, which killed 331 people, 186 of them children; Susan Casey's revelation in Best Life of a virtually unknown, Texas-sized garbage dump resting at the bottom of the Pacific ocean; and Andrew Corsello's harrowing portrait in GQ of Robert Mugabe's mad rule and two men-a white farmer and a fiery black priest-who strive for forgiveness instead of hate.
The collection also includes Vanessa Grigoriadis's hilarious portrait of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld in New York Magazine; Christopher Hitchens's profile of survivors of Agent Orange in Vanity Fair; Sandra Tsing Loh's coverage of the stay-at-home-mommy debate in the Atlantic Monthly; Paul Theroux's thoughts on the dangers of anthropomorphism and our misconceptions about birds in the Smithsonian; Janet Reitman's unraveling of the mysteries of Scientology in Rolling Stone; and the work of nine other exceptional writers.
520 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2007
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About the author
American Society of Magazine Editors
12 books12 followersThe American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is a non-profit professional organization for editors of print and online magazines which are edited, published and distributed in the U.S. Established in 1963, ASME currently has about 850 members nationwide. Among other things, ASME works to preserve editorial independence and speaks out on public policy issues, particularly those pertaining to the First Amendment.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 4, 2019
Make that 4.5 stars. I stumbled across this compilation on the library shelf, and I will be forever glad I did. Some of the articles I read here have quite literally changed me.
First, some background. Every year, a group of the nation's top magazine editors issues awards for the best articles of the year in various categories (profiles, public interest, reporting, features, commentary, etc.). As a magazine journalist, I can tell you this is a BIG deal in the industry. This book, and its companions released every year, is a collection of the best of the best. The editors took the list of winners and chose the most memorable, life-changing pieces and brought them together in one place. Genius! No one today has time to read a dozen different magazines. So thank you, editors, for assembling a must-read collection so I don't miss some of the best writing of this generation. (Caveat: I didn't read a few of the articles. There were one or two that didn't appeal to me because of language or content, so I skipped those, and some I wasn't interested in. Feel free to pick and choose. I'll note the ones I skipped.)
The only way to discuss these is article by article, at least for the ones that brought up strong feelings for me. They're just very different. If you don't want to pick up the books, you can also read many of the article online (I'll include links).
Karl Lagerfeld: A very interesting profile and look into the fashion industry. Made me think once again how very removed from "reality" and ordinary life these folks are. (See Boy Prince of Fashion in New York Magazine.)
Rules of Engagement: Tells the varied stories of the soldiers involved in the Haditha massacre in Iraq. An astounding bit of reporting. No perspective is left unexplored, and it's eye-opening and heart-wrenching to learn about our country's military mistakes. (See Rules of Engagement in Vanity Fair.)
Our Oceans Are Turning into Plastic: Life changing. Habit changing. This is a look at the way plastic has infiltrated our lives. I've heard since that the author was featured on Oprah and influenced her plastic bag crusade. There's a reason for that. The article is amazing. Because of it, I've stopped microwaving plastic (my kids' Ikea plates!), using plastic in many instances, and I'm seriously swayed by the arguments that plastic may be contributing to infertility, obesity, and perhaps even autism. (See this repost of the original from BestLife Magazine. Ignore the other images and junk on this site.)
The School: The haunting account of the Chechen takeover of a Russian school, and the inept way the rescue was handled. I was reluctant to read it because I knew it would be hard, but I don't regret it. (See The School in Esquire.)
He Knew He Was Right: Didn't finish. If you like politics, perhaps you'll be more interested.
Murdering the Impossible: Very interesting profile of Reinhold Messner, the climber and eccentric. A company I once worked for published one of his books, so I had some added incentive. (See Murdering the Impossible in National Geographic.)
The Other Side of Hate: Loved this! How a white rancher and a troubled black preacher in Africa overcame stereotypes and became friends. A model of forgiveness and love overcoming hatred. (See The Other Side of Hate in GQ.)
Prairie Fire: A look at the suicide of a boy genius, and the culture and education of child prodigies in America. Very interesting. (Here's the beginning of this one.)
Russell and Mary: Didn't finish it. Too much crud. An interesting idea--a New York writer comes into possession of the personal papers of his landlord and reconstructs her life and her husband's. Too bad their lives ended up being distasteful and offensive.
Inside Scientology: Wow. Eye opening. I was talking about this for a week afterward. I just find it very hard to see how anyone could buy into this way of thinking. If you know nothing of scientology, you should read this. (I think you can read this article here, along with perhaps others from this book.)
Rhymes with Rich: Thank you, Sandra Tsing Loh, for saying what I was thinking! Why do parenting magazines portray only the rich moms of today? Who identifies with that? (See Rhymes with Rich in The Atlantic.)
The Vietnam Syndrome: Want to know about Agent Orange and its impact? Read this. It's haunting and unforgettable. (See The Vietnam Syndrome in Vanity Fair.)
Living with Geese: A fun piece, and surprisingly interesting. (See Living with Geese in Smithsonian.)
First, some background. Every year, a group of the nation's top magazine editors issues awards for the best articles of the year in various categories (profiles, public interest, reporting, features, commentary, etc.). As a magazine journalist, I can tell you this is a BIG deal in the industry. This book, and its companions released every year, is a collection of the best of the best. The editors took the list of winners and chose the most memorable, life-changing pieces and brought them together in one place. Genius! No one today has time to read a dozen different magazines. So thank you, editors, for assembling a must-read collection so I don't miss some of the best writing of this generation. (Caveat: I didn't read a few of the articles. There were one or two that didn't appeal to me because of language or content, so I skipped those, and some I wasn't interested in. Feel free to pick and choose. I'll note the ones I skipped.)
The only way to discuss these is article by article, at least for the ones that brought up strong feelings for me. They're just very different. If you don't want to pick up the books, you can also read many of the article online (I'll include links).
Karl Lagerfeld: A very interesting profile and look into the fashion industry. Made me think once again how very removed from "reality" and ordinary life these folks are. (See Boy Prince of Fashion in New York Magazine.)
Rules of Engagement: Tells the varied stories of the soldiers involved in the Haditha massacre in Iraq. An astounding bit of reporting. No perspective is left unexplored, and it's eye-opening and heart-wrenching to learn about our country's military mistakes. (See Rules of Engagement in Vanity Fair.)
Our Oceans Are Turning into Plastic: Life changing. Habit changing. This is a look at the way plastic has infiltrated our lives. I've heard since that the author was featured on Oprah and influenced her plastic bag crusade. There's a reason for that. The article is amazing. Because of it, I've stopped microwaving plastic (my kids' Ikea plates!), using plastic in many instances, and I'm seriously swayed by the arguments that plastic may be contributing to infertility, obesity, and perhaps even autism. (See this repost of the original from BestLife Magazine. Ignore the other images and junk on this site.)
The School: The haunting account of the Chechen takeover of a Russian school, and the inept way the rescue was handled. I was reluctant to read it because I knew it would be hard, but I don't regret it. (See The School in Esquire.)
He Knew He Was Right: Didn't finish. If you like politics, perhaps you'll be more interested.
Murdering the Impossible: Very interesting profile of Reinhold Messner, the climber and eccentric. A company I once worked for published one of his books, so I had some added incentive. (See Murdering the Impossible in National Geographic.)
The Other Side of Hate: Loved this! How a white rancher and a troubled black preacher in Africa overcame stereotypes and became friends. A model of forgiveness and love overcoming hatred. (See The Other Side of Hate in GQ.)
Prairie Fire: A look at the suicide of a boy genius, and the culture and education of child prodigies in America. Very interesting. (Here's the beginning of this one.)
Russell and Mary: Didn't finish it. Too much crud. An interesting idea--a New York writer comes into possession of the personal papers of his landlord and reconstructs her life and her husband's. Too bad their lives ended up being distasteful and offensive.
Inside Scientology: Wow. Eye opening. I was talking about this for a week afterward. I just find it very hard to see how anyone could buy into this way of thinking. If you know nothing of scientology, you should read this. (I think you can read this article here, along with perhaps others from this book.)
Rhymes with Rich: Thank you, Sandra Tsing Loh, for saying what I was thinking! Why do parenting magazines portray only the rich moms of today? Who identifies with that? (See Rhymes with Rich in The Atlantic.)
The Vietnam Syndrome: Want to know about Agent Orange and its impact? Read this. It's haunting and unforgettable. (See The Vietnam Syndrome in Vanity Fair.)
Living with Geese: A fun piece, and surprisingly interesting. (See Living with Geese in Smithsonian.)
July 28, 2025
3.5 stars. .5 star for Junod. Rest of the collection was just okay
August 20, 2008
This was a great book to pick up! What I liked best about it was that you got a taste of so many different topics and writers in one place. I am not a fan of short story compilations, so i wasn't sure how much I would like this book from the outset. And it admittedly took a little time to ease myself into, but it turned out to be one of my favorite reading choices for the summer. Some of the topics/stores were not necessarily that interesting to me, but enough of it was that I will definitely look forward to upcoming volumes. The writers were great and I feel it really help me get up to speed on some issues I was not aware of before.
July 31, 2008
I would actually give it 4.5 if I could, not the full five, because I didn't care for a couple of the essays. But not liking two out of more than twenty is pretty good.
I am biased toward essay writing in general. I admire an author who can make an impact in a few thousand words. The writing about things gone wrong-- Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the school hostage crisis in Belsan-- had more impact than the "portrait" writing, for me, but every essay was well-written. Pick it up, if only while in the bookstore, and read the essay about the cult, ahem, religion of Scientology. You will feel very sorry for little Suri Cruise.
I am biased toward essay writing in general. I admire an author who can make an impact in a few thousand words. The writing about things gone wrong-- Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the school hostage crisis in Belsan-- had more impact than the "portrait" writing, for me, but every essay was well-written. Pick it up, if only while in the bookstore, and read the essay about the cult, ahem, religion of Scientology. You will feel very sorry for little Suri Cruise.
January 30, 2014
This is a collection of 17 articles (and one work of fiction) from magazines such as Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Esquire, and GQ.
My favorite articles are “The School” (by C.J. Chivers), “Prairie Fire” (by Eric Konigsberg), “Russell and Mary” (by Michael Donohue), “Inside Scientology” (by Janet Reitman), and “The Loved Ones” (by Tom Junod).
I didn’t much like the fiction piece (“The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan” by Rajesh Parameswaran). I will admit that at first I thought this piece was nonfiction, and I was thinking, “What the Fuck! This really happened?” Thankfully, no, it did not.
My favorite articles are “The School” (by C.J. Chivers), “Prairie Fire” (by Eric Konigsberg), “Russell and Mary” (by Michael Donohue), “Inside Scientology” (by Janet Reitman), and “The Loved Ones” (by Tom Junod).
I didn’t much like the fiction piece (“The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan” by Rajesh Parameswaran). I will admit that at first I thought this piece was nonfiction, and I was thinking, “What the Fuck! This really happened?” Thankfully, no, it did not.
December 14, 2007
i had read the 2005 and 2006 editions, so i figured i couldn't go wrong with 2007. this is a perfect bus/subway read because the stories are short and it's easy to jump around within the compilation. the karl lagerfeld profile was by far my favorite-- so provacative and descriptive. everyone must read the story on ocean pollution. it truly changed my view on plastic and recycling- almost made me sick to my stomach. another favorite story of mine was the mcsweeny's fiction piece on the fake surgeon-- an unbelievable tale.
January 27, 2008
Like all books from the Best American list, this book is a collection of great works. I like this one in particular because sa much as I like magazines its hard to read them all and I love that I can read one or two great peices on the train on my way to work. It's full of interesting stories and news reporting just the way I like it. I get excited when it's time for these books to come out each year. Also read Best American Short Stories 2007, Best American Essays 2007.
December 23, 2008
I try to read these every year. It's a chance to read the best magazine stories of the year without buying all the magazines. "Prairie Fire," by Eric Konigsberg from The New Yorker, about a gifted student who commits suicide; "Inside Scientology," by Janet Reitman for Rolling Stone, about the religion of the same name; and "The Other Side of Hate," by Andrew Corsello for GQ and about Zimbabwe, were all fascinating reads.
June 11, 2008
This book just goes to show that good writing makes any topic worth reading about. Karl Lagerfeld, Scientology, and the takeover off a primary school by Chechen separatists are just a few of the topics covered in these essays. I plan to make this series a yearly "must-read."
January 13, 2009
Some remarkable essays in here, such as Chivers report on the Beslan school massacre and Janet Reitman's Rolling Stone article exposing Scientology. There's always good stuff within the collection every year, though the short story winner for this year is merely above average.
May 26, 2008
According to the best magazine writers of 2007, it was a really crappy year. This is nowhere near the feel-good book of the decade.
May 27, 2008
A very cool collection of 2007 magazine articles. A very diverse set of short pieces that take you from high fashion to Katrina to the Chechnyan takeover of a russian school.
June 16, 2008
decent subway reading, could be better. Vanessa Grigoriadis's piece about Gawker in NY Mag rocks so much harder than her Karl Lagerfield one, for eg.
January 21, 2009
Great collection of essays on a variety of topics from uncovering Scientology to a short fiction piece about a guy pretending to be a doctor. It's good.
September 30, 2014
nothing
January 22, 2017
I only read chivers areticle on the fighter about Sam siatta a war veteran.
August 9, 2023
I have learned since reading some of the pieces in this collection that magazine articles, for me, are something that can be really good and thought-provoking IF and only if I'm in the mood to read them. the thing with this was that I definitely had to steel myself to get through some because they were so detailed/explicit/shocking. on the flip side, there were other more...conventional? more palatable? ones that didn't snag my attention as well, so I guess there are benefits and drawbacks to each.
in general, I noticed how a lot of these were unsettling reflections of then-public perception with regard to war, crime, violence, and justice/injustice. Marlene Kahan's introduction states this sentiment quite well: "Many of these pieces were published in a year when man's inhumanity toward man preoccupied the world, and, accordingly, was reported on in magazines."
- Rules of Engagement: literally so many...feelings... towards America's patriotism/military/justice system after reading this though yes it's more complicated than that. so many people were wrong here but also who gave anyone the right? how did this happen? how does the human psyche even allow this to happen?
- Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic... Are We?: if I think about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch too long I feel like I'm losing my mind...this was really enlightening though and I actually enjoyed the scientific explanations
- The School: very likely the most impactful and disturbing piece of literature I've ever read. the detail in this made it all the more horrifying because it gave you every single thing, every person, sight, sound, feeling you'd need to visualize exactly what was unfolding. yet of course there's still a fundamental element here in Chivers' storytelling that almost deludes you into thinking this all can't be real, that it couldn't have happened, that these real people and all-too-real perspectives of the siege are just characters on the page. truly left me shaken
- Inside Scientology: have obviously heard so much about scientology but to read an in-depth explanation/exploration of it and the fundamental beliefs was so unbelievable
a lot of other seemingly interesting articles here that I didn't get to, want to pick this up again later
Read
June 29, 2008Loved Ian Parker's profile of Christopher Hitchens.
January 30, 2008
an excellent sampling of the year
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews