The Best American Magazine Writing 2004: Ellie Award-Winning Anthology Featuring Hillenbrand, Eggers, and Hersh

by American Society of Magazine Editors, Susan Orlean (Introduction)

In the magazine world, no recognition is more highly coveted than an "Ellie," presentedby the American Society of Magazine Editors. Selected from thousands of submissions, the pieces in this anthology represent the very best of those -- outstanding works by some of the most eminent writers in

Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit) on living and creating with chronic fatigue syndrome

Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) on love and surfing

Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down) on modern torture and the "landscape of persuasion"

Seymour M. Hersh (Chain of Command) on the "selective intelligence" used by the White House to justify the war in Iraq

Calvin Trillin (The Tummy Trilogy) on his favorite force of nature, the newsman R. W. Apple, Jr.

Tucker Carlson (CNN's Crossfire), the "whitest man in America," on a peace mission with Rev. Al Sharpton

And many more!

Genres: Nonfiction, Journalism, Anthologies, Essays

560 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

The 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.

Reviews

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, The Best American Magazine Writing 2004: Ellie Award-Winning Anthology Featuring Hillenbrand, Eggers, and Hersh made me rethink a few of my habits, and I'm a little mad about it. American Society of Magazine Ed lays out the evidence without the guilt trip, which is rare. Some of the studies feel cherry-picked. Good for people open to a nudge, skip if you hate self-improvement vibes.

[Niki Ganong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology contains a ton of really great stuff that I had missed. The non-fiction especially shines. A piece from Esquire called Falling Man (about WTC jumpers) was very good. I also liked the article on torture (to garner information from enemy combatants). There was a very good piece about the plight of poor single women in Oklahoma City and another on the plight of today's 'housewife'. Also contains fiction by Eggers.

I love these books. Someday, I may drop all of my subscriptions and just buy these every year.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this in 2004 when I was teaching an Intro to Journalism class at the high school where I student taught. I'm reading it with a new lens--one who is interested in the essay--and some pieces were really lovely. Not all held me.

Reading it over a decade later, it was interesting to return to topics that were so present at the time--the Falling Man (oh, and of course, reading it just before the 14th anniversary!), the Columbia disaster, etc.