The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007

I got hooked on this great annual collection last year, and this year's installment was an excellent edition. Many, many authors were showcased, both known and unknown, and it certainly contains many of the best short stories and current event pieces around.

The Best American Non-Required Reading is an anthology compiled by Dave Eggars and the high school students involved in 826 Valencia, his non-profit program to promote reading and writing. It is a good book to read if only because it benefits these kids and this great program. But there is plenty

Show More

of good stuff in BANR 2007 to make it well worth the price of admission.

The anthology is made up of short stories, essays, and various types of short writing that were published in 2007. These pieces range from relatively frivolous ‘best of’ lists to serious essays and journalism from some of the most tragic situations in the world.

The fiction standout has got to be Miranda July’s “How to tell stories to children,” which is a really interesting representation of July’s work. July made a big splash in 2007 with her collection of short stories, of which this is one. Also well worth mentioning is Jennifer Egan’s “Selling the General,” a short piece about a washed-up public relations pioneer who scores a gig softening the image of a ruthless dictator.

On the nonfiction side of the collection, there are several very good pieces. David J. Morris’ article, “The Big Suck” is an incredible picture of action in the current Iraq war. Morris is a former Marine who presents a more literary view of the war that cuts to the harrowing nature of the experience without becoming a glorification of violence. Scott Carrier contributes an article called “Rock the Junta,” a stunning piece about a rock band in Myanmar, a country currently ruled by a dictatorship that exerts thought control of Orwellian proportions upon its citizens. The ironies and contradictions Carrier digs up are incredible.

The BANR collections are always well worth the read and perfect for commutes. The 2007 edition is no exception, and has introduced me to several new writers who I will be looking for in 2008.

Show Less

well worth it for David Morris - the big suck; Conan O'Brien - commencement speech; and Nam Le - love and honor

With the 2007 edition of Best American Nonrequired Reading, the standard set by prior editions continues, but with a couple of hiccups. This edition continues the rather strange approach used in 2006 of starting with a selection of short pieces. Many are funny, some are interesting, and the whole

Show More

concept is just weird enough to work. This includes such oddities as “Best American New Band Names”, “Best American Six-Word Memoirs”, “Best American Personals from Around the World”, “Best American New Animal Plagues”, “Best American Police Blotter Items” – you get the idea. This is a fun way to dive into the entire collection.

But it should be noted that the collection this year has more misses than in the past. Of interest, most of the misses are with the fiction pieces, and most of the hits are with the essays and “other things”. Lee Klein’s “All Aboard the Bloated Boat: Arguments In Favor of Barry Bonds” does an excellent job of comparing the actions and travails of Barry Bonds to our own culture (making the point that we get the stars we deserve.) Jonathan Ames’ “Middle-American Gothic” is a quick and funny trip by an “old guy” into the heartland to discover Goth music. Scott Carrier’s “Rock the Junta” is one of those essays that reveals another forgotten place in the world where things are worse than we even imagine (in this case Myanmar); in this case exploring the lack of freedom allowed a nationally famous rock band. And, since we have been inundated with stories about Iraq, it takes quite a bit to stand out. However, David J. Morris’ “The Big Suck: Notes from the Jarhead Underground” tells a new story that sheds light on what the Marines and the war.

As indicated, the fiction just isn’t that strong. It is almost as if this year’s selection was working too hard to be … something. Too artsy, too fancy, too chic…I don’t know; it’s just that none of them really resonated as great (or even good) fiction. One exception, kind of, is Alison Bechdel’s “A Happy Death”, a graphic novel about growing up in a funeral home. Funny, touchy, poignant – it is a story that is best told in this format, and a story worth reading.

So, at the end of the day, a good collection. Read the non-fiction. Skim the fiction. But never give up on this annual collection.

Show Less

an interesting mix but a mix.

Best story so far for me was one by filmmaker Miranda July. Lots of interesting reading in this edition.

Finally catching up on last year's edition before I can start this year's.

2007 is a strong collection, blending politics, personal essays, comics, stories, and more together into a surprisingly cohesive unit. It's not as strong as the 2006, but still paints a representative picture of what the

Show More

year was like.

I'll be really happy when the war is over, though--it's been a central theme every year, and I'd like to see something different. (And, of course, I want to be out of this stupid war already.)

Show Less

The opening piece by Sufjan Stevens is remarkable as is the brilliant work regarding Barry Bonds, super-sizing, and steroids written by Lee Klein. After reading both of those gems I continued on throughout the entire book and found nothing else worth reading in it. My time is too valuable and the

Show More

other writing in there was not. But, hey, don't let that stop you from getting your hands on a copy of this David Eggers rag just so you can read the Stevens and Klein pieces which are both worth going to jail over, you know, in case you have to steal a copy and just happen to be unlucky and you get yourself caught by the police. I also understand on good advice that if you do get thrown into the pokey the best thing to do, especially if you are a young man, is to punch the biggest guy you see directly in the face as hard as you can. Hit him with as much as you can muster so the rest of the jailbirds know you are no sissy and you are willing to go, under any circumstance, the distance with any of them even if you will lose the fight every time. I understand this unlikely behavior sends a very strong message to the hardcore fellows in there who would disrespect and want to take uncivil liberties with you during your visit.

Show Less

This is a series, apparently, but I've only ever read this one edition. Inside are excerpts, snippets and essays of all kinds, long and short. I remember loving the section on Best Six-Word Memoirs, which is more ingenious and less gimmicky than you'd think, and I'll never forget this is where I

Show More

first heard about Alison Bechdel's brilliant masterpiece, Fun Home.

I recommend it. Heck, I'll even recommend the rest of the series, sight unseen.

Show Less

"The Best American Front Section" was a highlight again: funny and varied stuff. Beyond those, the Edge Foundation's "What Is Your Dangerous Idea?" is great, and Conan O'Brien's high school commencement speech was also quite amusing.