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ocurtsinger's review against another edition
4.0
Solid collection. My favorite is the David Foster Wallace commencement address. It has a surreal tenderness after the fact of his suicide, particularly the argument against shooting oneself in the head. It was moving and powerful and I will return to this piece in the future.
pantsreads's review against another edition
3.0
This was another in what I hope to be a long line of this excellent series. I really enjoy the juxtaposition of news, fiction, memoir, plays, comics, etc. and reading many things that I might not have another opportunity or urge to read.
nationofkim's review against another edition
5.0
love this series!! where else can you read articles from the onion alongside the iraqi constitution?
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this at the library's used book sale. I really enjoyed most of it. The non-fiction, in particular, was very strong. The article about the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans was excellent. Worth the .$25 I paid for it! :-)
eliza_bangert's review against another edition
3.0
I got this out of the free book box outside of Permanent Records. I liked about half of the stories in it, and it actually made me nostalgic for 2005-2006.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
1.0
As I was reading the last few stories, I actually started to like them....but upon reading that a "one star" is "didn't like it" and "two stars" is "it was ok", I have no choice but to render a 1 star.
This book was pathetic. The title: Best American Nonrequired Reading in 2006. If this is the BEST that can come out of any nonrequired reading, boy am I glad I had a LOT of required reading in 2006. Holy crap! I can't believe there are people out there, and then an editor and publishing company, that said, "YES! THESE STORIES ARE THE BEST!"
Was 2006 a terrible year? Did NO ONE give good speeches or write stories with PLOTS?
With the exception of--at most--4 stories, I found EVERYTHING in this book difficult and pointless to read. There were stories, where, after I read it, I thought to myself, what was the plot? What was the reason? And, being a person who prides themselves in being able to decipher difficult texts, I feel it is the fault of the authors, not me.
The only thing that kept me going with this book was knowing that I couldn't write a review of how terrible it was if I didn't finish it.
I am glad that I finished it, because they put two of the best stories in here, at the back. One was about a woman who read the Bible, and it lead to her disbelief in God (IRONY!). And another about a man who is so unhappy with his life, he finds a decapitated head and befriends it.
With all this, if I had read the Introduction first (which I didn't, I read it around page 280 when I wasn't sure I could continue), I would have been even MORE angry. The introduction by Matt Groening was SPECTACULAR. But, had I read that and figured that it set a course for the rest of the book, I would ahve been SORELY mistaken, and more angered.
As is, I can see why it was $1.00 at Half Price Books.
With the exception of the Intro and a few stories, this isn't even worth considering as literature.
Oh, and I didn't read the 25 pages of the Iraqi constitution. HELL NO.
This book was pathetic. The title: Best American Nonrequired Reading in 2006. If this is the BEST that can come out of any nonrequired reading, boy am I glad I had a LOT of required reading in 2006. Holy crap! I can't believe there are people out there, and then an editor and publishing company, that said, "YES! THESE STORIES ARE THE BEST!"
Was 2006 a terrible year? Did NO ONE give good speeches or write stories with PLOTS?
With the exception of--at most--4 stories, I found EVERYTHING in this book difficult and pointless to read. There were stories, where, after I read it, I thought to myself, what was the plot? What was the reason? And, being a person who prides themselves in being able to decipher difficult texts, I feel it is the fault of the authors, not me.
The only thing that kept me going with this book was knowing that I couldn't write a review of how terrible it was if I didn't finish it.
I am glad that I finished it, because they put two of the best stories in here, at the back. One was about a woman who read the Bible, and it lead to her disbelief in God (IRONY!). And another about a man who is so unhappy with his life, he finds a decapitated head and befriends it.
With all this, if I had read the Introduction first (which I didn't, I read it around page 280 when I wasn't sure I could continue), I would have been even MORE angry. The introduction by Matt Groening was SPECTACULAR. But, had I read that and figured that it set a course for the rest of the book, I would ahve been SORELY mistaken, and more angered.
As is, I can see why it was $1.00 at Half Price Books.
With the exception of the Intro and a few stories, this isn't even worth considering as literature.
Oh, and I didn't read the 25 pages of the Iraqi constitution. HELL NO.
jess_segraves's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised at how intriguing and captivating this anthology was. I recently finished my first Dave Eggers' book, Zeitoun, a few weeks ago; I found it eye-opening and provocative for its message but also for its bias.
This anthology certainly reflects the time period; in 2006, there was quite a bit of media attention surrounding national security measures, perceptions of Arabs/Muslims/the Middle East, and a great deal of consternation about belief and religion. I think this volume captured the political and social issues of 2006 while also presenting them in a variety of formats, including essays, short stories, and snippets from graphic novels.
I was delighted to see more of Joe Sacco's work in here, and I discovered David Rakoff to be as funny and entertaining as David Sedaris. Along with a few others, I will be looking into more of these authors' works. This volume was a great introduction to some new authors and artists—just what I needed!
This anthology certainly reflects the time period; in 2006, there was quite a bit of media attention surrounding national security measures, perceptions of Arabs/Muslims/the Middle East, and a great deal of consternation about belief and religion. I think this volume captured the political and social issues of 2006 while also presenting them in a variety of formats, including essays, short stories, and snippets from graphic novels.
I was delighted to see more of Joe Sacco's work in here, and I discovered David Rakoff to be as funny and entertaining as David Sedaris. Along with a few others, I will be looking into more of these authors' works. This volume was a great introduction to some new authors and artists—just what I needed!
sillyzilly's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the best anthologies I've ever read--strong, interesting writing from all sorts of genres, from short stories to graphic short stories to the Iraqi Constitution (which somehow manages to be dry but fascinating). Among other things, a good source of new favorite writers.
shanameydala's review against another edition
Pieces by Matt Groening, David Rackoff and Haruki Murakami? Yes, please. I love these collections I have not ever been disappointed.