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seapeanut's review
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 by Dave Eggers (2005)
ellstar's review against another edition
4.0
It seems everytime I finish a Non Required Reading, my first comment is inevitably "This is one of my favourite volumes" but they all, really, are!
kylegarvey's review against another edition
2.0
As another entry into the modern canon of faux-hip literary idols, this collection works as a broad but shallow glimpse into the sub-culture. It may seem appealing in the short-term, but there isn't a lot to return to. First of all, many of the stories have a detached, historical mood, even when the events are ostensibly modern. They're presented in a lackadaisical and slightly bemused way, typical of nonfiction writing about the past (when knowing about the future might occasion some winks and chuckles) but not so typical of creative pieces. Jessica Anthony's "The Death of Mustango Salvaje" and Aimee Bender's "Tiger Mending," both stilted and purposefully difficult mixtures of high and low culture, have an aloof, sometimes even sneering, quality. But, taking those two out of consideration, the historical-type writing is not so disagreeable. Jonathan Tel's "The Myth of the Frequent Flier" is written with a similar voice, but in a kinder and easier way. And J. David Steven's "The Joke" reverses the formula, creating a unique and charming story that nevertheless doesn't stick its landing.
In a literary arena marked by sad and true first-person studies, Ryan Boudinot's "Free Burgers For Life," a sad, painfully funny story about a small-town sad sack wasting his time, is by far the funniest. Douglas Trevor's "Girls I Know," about Boston and hapless poetic studies, is also brilliant but a little naive. Dan Chaon's "Five Forgotten Instincts" and Stephen Elliott's "My Little Brother Ruined My Life" try so hard to be uncompromising and bleak that when they reach for a conclusion it can only ring false. Amber Dermont's "Lyndon" and Molly McNett's "Catalogue Sales" both work at managing the hardships of becoming a young woman, George Saunders' "Bohemians" mixes coming-of-age memoir with quirky suburban living, and Rattawut Lapcharoensap's "At the Café Lovely" retells a trite but lovely episode about brotherly love in Thailand. Daniel Alarcon's gauzy and melancholy "Florida" along with Jhumpa Lahiri's spirited "Hell-Heaven" uncover long-standing wounds of adulthood.
A few journalistic pieces are showcased here. Two of them deal with the war in Iraq: Tish Durkin's "Heavy Metal Mercenary" and Al Franken's "Tearaway Burkas and Tinplate Menorahs." Durkin's article, appearing as it did in Rolling Stone, is a strange and undisciplined kind of writing, one that brushes up against big issues but rejects them in favor of sexy and facile images (usually about rock 'n roll). Franken's essay, about his own experience performing with the USO in Iraq, is passionate but frequently boring and, most surprising of all, not very funny. An essay about ex-Mormon outcasts, Jeff Gordinier's "The Lost Boys," skillfully reports on an engaging subject but doesn't exactly show any amazing writing ability. Kate Krautkramer's "Roadkill," on the other hand, has amazing writing but very little to say. Also included are two stories that to me have a similar impact as nonfiction. Stephanie Dickinson's "A Lynching in Stereoscope" is an arresting but too familiar glimpse into racist America. And Lauren Weedman's "Diary of a Journal Reader," the last piece in the anthology, is a stupid and forgettable memoir-ish indulgence.
In a literary arena marked by sad and true first-person studies, Ryan Boudinot's "Free Burgers For Life," a sad, painfully funny story about a small-town sad sack wasting his time, is by far the funniest. Douglas Trevor's "Girls I Know," about Boston and hapless poetic studies, is also brilliant but a little naive. Dan Chaon's "Five Forgotten Instincts" and Stephen Elliott's "My Little Brother Ruined My Life" try so hard to be uncompromising and bleak that when they reach for a conclusion it can only ring false. Amber Dermont's "Lyndon" and Molly McNett's "Catalogue Sales" both work at managing the hardships of becoming a young woman, George Saunders' "Bohemians" mixes coming-of-age memoir with quirky suburban living, and Rattawut Lapcharoensap's "At the Café Lovely" retells a trite but lovely episode about brotherly love in Thailand. Daniel Alarcon's gauzy and melancholy "Florida" along with Jhumpa Lahiri's spirited "Hell-Heaven" uncover long-standing wounds of adulthood.
A few journalistic pieces are showcased here. Two of them deal with the war in Iraq: Tish Durkin's "Heavy Metal Mercenary" and Al Franken's "Tearaway Burkas and Tinplate Menorahs." Durkin's article, appearing as it did in Rolling Stone, is a strange and undisciplined kind of writing, one that brushes up against big issues but rejects them in favor of sexy and facile images (usually about rock 'n roll). Franken's essay, about his own experience performing with the USO in Iraq, is passionate but frequently boring and, most surprising of all, not very funny. An essay about ex-Mormon outcasts, Jeff Gordinier's "The Lost Boys," skillfully reports on an engaging subject but doesn't exactly show any amazing writing ability. Kate Krautkramer's "Roadkill," on the other hand, has amazing writing but very little to say. Also included are two stories that to me have a similar impact as nonfiction. Stephanie Dickinson's "A Lynching in Stereoscope" is an arresting but too familiar glimpse into racist America. And Lauren Weedman's "Diary of a Journal Reader," the last piece in the anthology, is a stupid and forgettable memoir-ish indulgence.
kathleenish's review against another edition
3.0
There is lots to skip in this anthology, but Douglas Trevor's "Girls I Know" is fantastic.
woodge's review against another edition
2.0
It’s not often I delve into a short story collection. Why is it so many of them are depressing or just plain sad or pathetic? Woo-hoo! Fun! (Not.) So I might’ve skimmed about half of these. If there’s too much of a main character being pathetic... or characters doing drugs... or the main character is named Pranab or Sanjeet... I’m going to skim. But if some of the stories are little wacky or exciting or funny then I’ll give it a shot. This collection had about half in that scenario. Two were by George Saunders who I’ve always enjoyed. (I’ve read two collections of his short stories before. And without skimming.) One of these stories was really a recollection from Al Franken about entertaining troops in Iraq. That was both funny and interesting. Love him or hate him, his piece is good. And the story about people in a joke waiting around for the joke to actually be told was fun. Mm-hm. I guess I enjoy a short story if it’s off the beaten path of sad people and their pathetic lives. Cheer up!
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