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tenten's review against another edition
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
i usually have a hard time with anthologies, often because not all the contributions are created equal. this is the first one i've ever read where i've enjoyed every single story. i had my favorites, but there wasn't a single one i disliked. i shouldn't have been surprised, not just because this is The Best American Short Stories. i got this edition specifically for Roxane Gay. i knew she would have an eye for it. she had a clear commitment to diversity with these stories, both in the content, the identity of the writers, and the prestige of the publications.
my favorite stories:
- "The Art of Losing," Yoon Choi
- "Los Angeles," Emma Cline
- "Boys Go to Jupiter," Danielle Evans
- "What Got Into Us," Jacob Guajardo
- "The Brothers Brujo," Matthew Lyons
- "The Baptism," Ron Rash
- "The Prairie Wife," Curtis Sittenfield
- "Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver," Rivers Solomon
i recognize that's almost half of the stories but that just speaks to how good this collection was! it was also really inspiring to see the different forms and paths a short story can take, which will help when i write my own short stories. 10/10
my favorite stories:
- "The Art of Losing," Yoon Choi
- "Los Angeles," Emma Cline
- "Boys Go to Jupiter," Danielle Evans
- "What Got Into Us," Jacob Guajardo
- "The Brothers Brujo," Matthew Lyons
- "The Baptism," Ron Rash
- "The Prairie Wife," Curtis Sittenfield
- "Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver," Rivers Solomon
i recognize that's almost half of the stories but that just speaks to how good this collection was! it was also really inspiring to see the different forms and paths a short story can take, which will help when i write my own short stories. 10/10
geektastically's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
sharonbakar's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded up
Thoroughly enjoyed these stories. Usually there are some stories in these collections that work less well for me than others - but there were no low points here. I really appreciated the ethnic diversity of the writers. Stand out stories for me: Control Negro by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (which had something very important to say about how circumstances are loaded against people of colour, no matter how hard you might try to overcome them); the disturbing and violent The Brothers Brujo by Matthew Lyons; The Art of Losing by Yoon Choi - a deeply compassionate story about an old man with Altzheimer's told from two viewpoints; Tea Obreht's Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure because of its setting in a future American is dealing with climate change and species extinctions (if there was a story I'd want to have magically morphed into a whole novel while I was reading it, it was this one); Suburbia! by Amy Silverberg for its very clever use of symbolism/magical realism; and an honourable mention to Curtis Sittenfeld's The Prairie Wife for the ending I just didn't see coming (clever!).
Thoroughly enjoyed these stories. Usually there are some stories in these collections that work less well for me than others - but there were no low points here. I really appreciated the ethnic diversity of the writers. Stand out stories for me: Control Negro by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson (which had something very important to say about how circumstances are loaded against people of colour, no matter how hard you might try to overcome them); the disturbing and violent The Brothers Brujo by Matthew Lyons; The Art of Losing by Yoon Choi - a deeply compassionate story about an old man with Altzheimer's told from two viewpoints; Tea Obreht's Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure because of its setting in a future American is dealing with climate change and species extinctions (if there was a story I'd want to have magically morphed into a whole novel while I was reading it, it was this one); Suburbia! by Amy Silverberg for its very clever use of symbolism/magical realism; and an honourable mention to Curtis Sittenfeld's The Prairie Wife for the ending I just didn't see coming (clever!).
chicareading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maedo's review
3.0
When I saw that Roxane Gay was the editor for 2018, this became a must buy. I love short stories and trust her taste implicitly when it comes to deciding which books I'd like to read during the regular year. But I was pretty underwhelmed with this collection as representative of the best of 2018, if I'm being honest. I'm not sure I considered the fact that Gay's interest in pop culture/cultural criticism would result in a book that feels very "of the now" - by which I mean that in 20 years, stories about Twitter and the consequences of current social media gone viral are going to feel dated, and direct or indirect references to the election of Donald Trump will lose their potency. For this reason also, I was both intrigued and made apprehensive by Gay's introduction stating that all 20 of these stories were a form of creative political expression.
When it comes down to it, my feeling about this selection of stories is a matter of taste. I loved exactly three of the stories ("The Art of Losing" by Yoon Choi, "What Got Into Us" by Jacob Guajardo, and "The Brothers Brujo" by Matthew Lyons) because they dealt with the stated political concepts in a more universal, subtler way, I guess, than others and were also exceptionally constructed and well-written. "A Family" by Jamel Brinkley is also very good. I can see why most of the other stories were included, but I was also left wondering about the other 100 that were not selected. If the list at the end of the book is the entire selection pool, apparently those stories included works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lauren Groff, and T.C. Boyle, among others - and you know damn well those folks can write a story.
But this is Gay's curation, and I'm not surprised by it knowing what I know of her. Her desire for more diversity of perspectives in this series is an emphatic yes. I hope that trend is set for 2019 and beyond.
When it comes down to it, my feeling about this selection of stories is a matter of taste. I loved exactly three of the stories ("The Art of Losing" by Yoon Choi, "What Got Into Us" by Jacob Guajardo, and "The Brothers Brujo" by Matthew Lyons) because they dealt with the stated political concepts in a more universal, subtler way, I guess, than others and were also exceptionally constructed and well-written. "A Family" by Jamel Brinkley is also very good. I can see why most of the other stories were included, but I was also left wondering about the other 100 that were not selected. If the list at the end of the book is the entire selection pool, apparently those stories included works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lauren Groff, and T.C. Boyle, among others - and you know damn well those folks can write a story.
But this is Gay's curation, and I'm not surprised by it knowing what I know of her. Her desire for more diversity of perspectives in this series is an emphatic yes. I hope that trend is set for 2019 and beyond.
yeagleyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
poetics's review
4.0
“if writers have a responsibility for how they narrate the world, certainly readers have a responsibility for what they consume and from whom.” —roxane gay
i’ve seen quite a few “reviews” online about this collection. many citing that the stories are “too political” and that they reflect too deeply of roxane gay’s own political leanings—and maybe they do. however, we all know the real problem here isn’t how political these stories may, or may not be; it’s the lack of empathy in the people reading them. it seems that the people who are complaining about the political suggestiveness of these stories really have a problem with reading narratives of the so called “other” and don’t want to admit it. maybe the world isn’t coming apart for them, but as gay stated in her introduction, “for many vulnerable people, the world is coming apart” and attention needs to be paid to these occurrences, to these stories. yet, many people still want the mindless, white washed neatness of certain narratives—ones where they do not have to see the current reality of this country reflected. they want stories that they can lose themselves in and not remember how heartless they might have been at the polls, or on that last facebook comment, or tweet. they want their privilege to continue protecting them from the very real people they disregard because those stories and experiences are not their own—and in my opinion, that is precisely why roxane gay put this collection together the way she did. so the untold stories of all those “others” could seep through the cracks in the wall that the majority are trying so hard to build and blind themselves with.
now, my actual thoughts on the collection of stories: they were diverse. they showed me the different ways in which short stories can be written. how certain narratives can surprise you. there were a few that were alright, and not very impressive, but overall this is a very solid and intriguing collection and anyone that says they’re "pandering" to cultural commentary or the political tone detracts from the actual level of skill isn't paying attention. i'll be returning to this collection in the future.
i’ve seen quite a few “reviews” online about this collection. many citing that the stories are “too political” and that they reflect too deeply of roxane gay’s own political leanings—and maybe they do. however, we all know the real problem here isn’t how political these stories may, or may not be; it’s the lack of empathy in the people reading them. it seems that the people who are complaining about the political suggestiveness of these stories really have a problem with reading narratives of the so called “other” and don’t want to admit it. maybe the world isn’t coming apart for them, but as gay stated in her introduction, “for many vulnerable people, the world is coming apart” and attention needs to be paid to these occurrences, to these stories. yet, many people still want the mindless, white washed neatness of certain narratives—ones where they do not have to see the current reality of this country reflected. they want stories that they can lose themselves in and not remember how heartless they might have been at the polls, or on that last facebook comment, or tweet. they want their privilege to continue protecting them from the very real people they disregard because those stories and experiences are not their own—and in my opinion, that is precisely why roxane gay put this collection together the way she did. so the untold stories of all those “others” could seep through the cracks in the wall that the majority are trying so hard to build and blind themselves with.
now, my actual thoughts on the collection of stories: they were diverse. they showed me the different ways in which short stories can be written. how certain narratives can surprise you. there were a few that were alright, and not very impressive, but overall this is a very solid and intriguing collection and anyone that says they’re "pandering" to cultural commentary or the political tone detracts from the actual level of skill isn't paying attention. i'll be returning to this collection in the future.
verumsolum's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed many of these stories as well as the variety of authors behind them. But it did raise questions for me about the word best in the title. At times I wished that word included a wider scope: not just challenging stories but also relaxing ones. I have a complicated relationship with the emotional manipulation of fiction: I want to take the journey, but I don’t want to notice my strings being pulled to do that. And this, at times, felt like each story wanted to pull me in its own direction. They did it well (which is why I continued reading), but it was a persistent low-level annoyance.
jostolin's review against another edition
4.0
FAVORITES (i'm putting them in order cause i have no life) :
1 Danielle Evans, "Boys Go to Jupiter"
2 Curtis Sittenfeld, "The Prairie Wife"
3 Jacob Guajardo, "What Got Into Us"
4 Kristen Iskandrian, "Good with Boys"
5 Matthew Lyons, "The Brothers Brujo"
6 Ann Glaviano, "Come On, Silver"
7 Alicia Elliott, "Unearth"
8 Amy Silverberg, "Suburbia!"
1 Danielle Evans, "Boys Go to Jupiter"
2 Curtis Sittenfeld, "The Prairie Wife"
3 Jacob Guajardo, "What Got Into Us"
4 Kristen Iskandrian, "Good with Boys"
5 Matthew Lyons, "The Brothers Brujo"
6 Ann Glaviano, "Come On, Silver"
7 Alicia Elliott, "Unearth"
8 Amy Silverberg, "Suburbia!"