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ericfheiman's review against another edition
4.0
Don't let the "Nonrequired" in the title fool you, or the somewhat quirky, McSweeney's-like short pieces that introduce the collection put you off. Eggers and his merry band of high school students have compiled an amazing variety of fiction and non-fiction pieces that if they have anything in common it's a high standard of quality rare in collections like these. I can't wait to get through the 2008, 2009, and soon-to-be-released 2010 editions.
nationofkim's review against another edition
3.0
i'm going to have to agree with jamie on this one, not as good as the past years.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
liked it better than last year's. thought the dangerous idea piece and david j. morris's war reporting were the stronger articles this go round.
vicioustrollope's review against another edition
4.0
i love these annual collections of everything from comics to short stories to political essays. dave eggers is the man. and sufjan stevens' introduction is brilliant.
hadu's review against another edition
4.0
This book was up for grabs at work. Usually I'm not a fan of compilations (for some weird reason) but the unruliness of this one intrigued me. I'm so glad I took it.
Top favorites:
Middle-American Gothic by Jonathan Ames
A Happy Death by Alison Bechdel (Not into comics but really enjoyed this.)
How to Tell Stories to Children by Miranda July
The Big Suck by David J. Morris
Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech by Conan O'Brien
Snooze fest:
What is your dangerous idea? by Edge Foundation
Lotería by Kevin A. Gonzales
All Aboard the Bloated Boat by Lee Klein
It's fun to glimpse into the past by reading writings from the time. Can't wait to read more editions.
Top favorites:
Middle-American Gothic by Jonathan Ames
A Happy Death by Alison Bechdel (Not into comics but really enjoyed this.)
How to Tell Stories to Children by Miranda July
The Big Suck by David J. Morris
Stuyvesant High School Commencement Speech by Conan O'Brien
Snooze fest:
What is your dangerous idea? by Edge Foundation
Lotería by Kevin A. Gonzales
All Aboard the Bloated Boat by Lee Klein
It's fun to glimpse into the past by reading writings from the time. Can't wait to read more editions.
clarkness's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderfully varied collection of short fiction and nonfiction. I am hard-pressed to find anything in this collection that didn't entertain or enlighten me.
catsobvi's review against another edition
2.0
This collection was pretty hit or miss for me. There were a few essays that I really, really enjoyed, and there were a few that I had to force myself to get through. I was pretty disappointed overall because previous editions in this series have sucked me in start to finish.
Essays I loved:
-The Introduction by Sufjan Stevens. Love the writing style.
-"Ghost Children" by D. Winston Brown. Interesting look at boys becoming men. Great writing style.
-"Rock the Junta" by Scott Carrier. Interesting look at Burma. Great writing style.
-"What is Your Dangerous Idea" from the Edge Foundation. Dangerous ideas are always an interesting read.
-"Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan. I didn't think I liked her writing, but I really enjoyed this story.
-"Darfur Diaries" by Jen Marlowe, Aisha Bain and Adam Shapiro. Very engrossing.
-"The Big Suck: Notes from the Jarhead Underground" by David J. Morris. Interesting look at the war and wonderful writing style.
Essays I enjoyed but didn't love:
-"Best American Six-Word Memoirs"
-"Middle-American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames
-"A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel
-"American" by Joshua Clark
Essays I loved:
-The Introduction by Sufjan Stevens. Love the writing style.
-"Ghost Children" by D. Winston Brown. Interesting look at boys becoming men. Great writing style.
-"Rock the Junta" by Scott Carrier. Interesting look at Burma. Great writing style.
-"What is Your Dangerous Idea" from the Edge Foundation. Dangerous ideas are always an interesting read.
-"Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan. I didn't think I liked her writing, but I really enjoyed this story.
-"Darfur Diaries" by Jen Marlowe, Aisha Bain and Adam Shapiro. Very engrossing.
-"The Big Suck: Notes from the Jarhead Underground" by David J. Morris. Interesting look at the war and wonderful writing style.
Essays I enjoyed but didn't love:
-"Best American Six-Word Memoirs"
-"Middle-American Gothic" by Jonathan Ames
-"A Happy Death" by Alison Bechdel
-"American" by Joshua Clark
eraofkara's review against another edition
2.0
I really love this series and I'll probably continue to buy from it (especially since '08 has a forward by Judy Blume!), but it's also growing increasingly "meh."
Some of it is really good - particularly the inclusion of Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Egan, Kevin A. Gonzales, and Miranda July. But I also didn't care about a lot of it. And a list of the "Best New American Band Names"? Please. Plus, some of them weren't even new.
Dave Eggers is a smartypants. I'm sure he and his gang of high school volunteers can come up with something better.
Some of it is really good - particularly the inclusion of Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Egan, Kevin A. Gonzales, and Miranda July. But I also didn't care about a lot of it. And a list of the "Best New American Band Names"? Please. Plus, some of them weren't even new.
Dave Eggers is a smartypants. I'm sure he and his gang of high school volunteers can come up with something better.
shanameydala's review against another edition
3.0
Another great collection, I especially love the titles from trade magazines. Best American Nonrequired Reading collections are great to pass the time on trips. There are short pieces you can reach a few minutes on a subway (if you don't get motion sick) or whipping through several essays/stories while on a train.