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mbarnes's review
5.0
I am only half way through this anthology, but I already love it! Every story has an amazing punch ending!
an_enthusiastic_reader's review
4.0
It took me about a year to go through this especially strong collection of 2012's stories. The stories I'll remember most include: Carol Anshaw's The Last Speaker of the Language; What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander; The Other Place by Mary Gaitskill (ultra-violent underpinnings, like a lot of Gaitskill); Roxane Gay's North Country; Miracle Polish by Steven Millhauser; Alice Munro's Axis; Volcano by Lawrence Osborne; Diem Perdidi by Julie Otsuka; Angela Pneuman's Occupational Hazard; and Tenth of December by George Saunders.
infinitejoe's review against another edition
4.0
A very solid collection of sort stories chosen by a very solid guest editor. There were maybe 2 stories I would have only given 3 stars to (Tenth of December, and What's Important Is Feeling"), and there were a few that deserved 5 stars (with "The Sex Lives of African Girls" being towards the top). The majority hovered in between.
I'm happy I found this series, and have already added a few other editions to my "to read" list by guest editors I really admire.
I'm happy I found this series, and have already added a few other editions to my "to read" list by guest editors I really admire.
gretch59's review
5.0
Some of these short stories were so amazingly good that i wanted them to be novels.
fenny_42's review
5.0
Absolutely wonderful story about a boy and his father and their interactions through a video game called "Legend of Silence." The game is about a girl who, as the game goes on, picks up "powerups" that actually drain or hinder her power in an attempt to reach nirvana. The story arc of the game is mirrored a bit in the boy's and father's life, which seems to be lower middle class. It's a quiet, lovely story. Levar Burton's analysis and reflection at the end of the story are, as always, helpful and interesting. (I never knew his daughter worked for Rooster Teeth and loved video games so much!)
tee_tuhm's review
3.0
Don't get me wrong, I heart me some Alice Munro and George Saunders. but this collection was so... white. And New Yorker-y.
untravel's review
2.0
If going by this collection alone, the best American short stories would seem to require the following elements:
-At least one character who is a college professor.
-A depiction of sex with someone you no longer have sex with.
-A party
(I suppose if you've got a story about that time you had sex with your ex at the faculty mixer, you've hit the trifecta....)
All other stories would be mere shadows of this One True Platonic Form. After all, what's more real in life than *your* life? The lives of creative writing teachers would seem to be the most grounded, most authentic subject to depict. What's more real than the image in the mirror?
A honorable mention should go to the story about that time (kids remarkably similar to) your kids were Amazing. This story is perhaps second only that amusing picture of your cat at the apotheosis of modern bourgeois storytelling.
Snark aside, there are good stories in this collection. The ones I appreciated the most were the least likely to conform to the formula: Meginnis's "Navigators", Millhauser's "Miracle Polish", Otsuka's "Diem Perdidi", Saunders's "Tenth of December", and Walter's "Anything Helps". Skip this collection and read their stuff instead.
-At least one character who is a college professor.
-A depiction of sex with someone you no longer have sex with.
-A party
(I suppose if you've got a story about that time you had sex with your ex at the faculty mixer, you've hit the trifecta....)
All other stories would be mere shadows of this One True Platonic Form. After all, what's more real in life than *your* life? The lives of creative writing teachers would seem to be the most grounded, most authentic subject to depict. What's more real than the image in the mirror?
A honorable mention should go to the story about that time (kids remarkably similar to) your kids were Amazing. This story is perhaps second only that amusing picture of your cat at the apotheosis of modern bourgeois storytelling.
Snark aside, there are good stories in this collection. The ones I appreciated the most were the least likely to conform to the formula: Meginnis's "Navigators", Millhauser's "Miracle Polish", Otsuka's "Diem Perdidi", Saunders's "Tenth of December", and Walter's "Anything Helps". Skip this collection and read their stuff instead.
junkutopia's review against another edition
2.0
Of course there are some gems, but overall I was left very underwhelmed.
bhavani's review
2.0
Thought-provoking and emotional, this story maps a father and son's journey through a video game known as Legend of Silence. This game is unlike traditional games where you pick up items and gain powerups. Instead, with each item picked up, the character in the game loses her abilities. The character's slow unraveling is reflected in their real lives as well. I listened to this story on LeVar Burton Reads podcast. It's not one of my favorites, but does raise some interesting questions about life and loss.
alegriafury's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this anthology. The stories were varied and all made me think. What more can you ask?