You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
lpreadstoo's review against another edition
Like many collections of short pieces, this book includes some sections that are compelling and others that fall flat. I'd heard and enjoyed Susan Orlean's "The American Man, Age 10" as a radio piece, and this longer published version is one of the book highlights. "Power Steer" uses a compelling structure to highlight what we all know is wrong with American factory farms in an engaging way. Other pieces that stand out are "Toxic Dreams" and "Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy." Worth reading, if it does require some sifting to find the better pieces.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
5.0
So many awesome examples of my very favorite genre of writing ("literary nonfiction," a label that Ira Glass shuns in his introduction)! I was kind of expecting this to be "This American Life: The Book" but actually I don't think any of the pieces here were on TAL, which was great--new authors, hooray!
mattstebbins's review against another edition
4.0
Good things here.... but mostly that I'd already read elsewhere. I love you Mr. Glass, and always likely will, but you didn't really put a great effort into finding new voices for this collection, did you? Mostly you went straight to the big names you figured your NPR-loving audience already knew and cherished, huh? Yeah... I'd've probably done the same.
[3.5 stars for being a quality anthology, yet lacking the 'ooh, this is fun' surprise I'd hoped for.]
[3.5 stars for being a quality anthology, yet lacking the 'ooh, this is fun' surprise I'd hoped for.]
rachelleahdorn's review against another edition
3.0
I should qualify my stars rating by saying that I'm not a big fan of the short story format, I like to get more into a story and short story collections make me feel like I keep getting interrupted.
That being said, the stories here were interesting, if a little dated (some were first published in the 80 s and 90s. I particularly liked the piece by Dan Savage and it was nice to get a short introduction to Michael Pollan (before his more famous works) without having to commit to a full book.
That being said, the stories here were interesting, if a little dated (some were first published in the 80 s and 90s. I particularly liked the piece by Dan Savage and it was nice to get a short introduction to Michael Pollan (before his more famous works) without having to commit to a full book.
fieldy's review against another edition
3.0
It's an odd collection of stories without a common theme and of varying quality. The stories ranged from engrossing to unreadable for me, but none were very important. Though I enjoyed a few stories, I wouldn't recommend the book.
brookebookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this (of course), but I have to admit I skipped three essays. Two I could not get into and one I had already read. The poker and radio host essays I just could not read... I couldn't focus on the details.
litsirk's review against another edition
4.0
One of those compulsively readable books--even survived an accidental dip in the ocean (though sand still sifts out from time to time).
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Would recommend: Yes
It took me 2 tries to get through this (I ran out of time on my library copy), but I really liked this collection, which made me want to be a better writer. I didn't love the David Foster Wallace piece (WHY WITH THE FOOTNOTES?!) or the poker piece (which just seemed outdated), and this collection suffered from my #1 pet peeve of compilations: no citation of publication or date! Explain this to me, IRA GLASS!
Annnyway, these were my favorite pieces from the book:
- Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities, by Michael Lewis
- The American Man, Age Ten, by Susan Orlean
- Losing the War, by Lee Sandlin
It took me 2 tries to get through this (I ran out of time on my library copy), but I really liked this collection, which made me want to be a better writer. I didn't love the David Foster Wallace piece (WHY WITH THE FOOTNOTES?!) or the poker piece (which just seemed outdated), and this collection suffered from my #1 pet peeve of compilations: no citation of publication or date! Explain this to me, IRA GLASS!
Annnyway, these were my favorite pieces from the book:
- Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities, by Michael Lewis
- The American Man, Age Ten, by Susan Orlean
- Losing the War, by Lee Sandlin
giantarms's review against another edition
4.0
The most important piece of information I got from this book was that there exists a manuscript of the Koran written in Saddam Hussein's blood which he donated a pint at a time for that purpose.
Wikipedia sez they ain't pullin' my leg, either.
How I do love a nice bit of non-fiction from time to time.
Wikipedia sez they ain't pullin' my leg, either.
How I do love a nice bit of non-fiction from time to time.
mw_bookgraph's review against another edition
4.0
I will read/listen to/watch anything that involves Ira Glass. And most likely I will enjoy it.