Scan barcode
abbruzzese's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Animal death, Blood, Sexual assault, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, and War
shanthecitygirl's review
4.0
This is a collection I look forward to every year. Although this wasn't my favorite, I had already read a couple of the pieces and the structure has been changed a bit with a new editor at the helm, I still enjoyed the wide array of interesting and thought provoking material from the past year in publishing.
sarah_the_bold's review
5.0
This continuation of the Best American Non-Required Reading series lives up to the promise of its predecessors. A motley collection of short stores, journalism, poetry, graphic novellas, and more, the Best American Non-Required Reading provides true variety of entertainment. The 2014 edition tackles serious subjects like immigration ("The Dream Boat" by Luke Mogelson), unexpected pregnancy ("Embarazada" by Andrew Foster Altschul), and the conflict in Syria ("Seven Days in Syria" by Janine di Giovanni.) But the collection is balanced with humor and wit, and a surprisingly large number of robots. One particularly fascinating article is "The Man Who Saves You From Yourself", an in-depth look at the world of cults and a profile of one man who has made a business out of rescuing people who become ensnared. I got an extra feeling of satisfaction from another one of this years selections - "If He Hollers, Let Him Go" because it is the first time I found something in one of these books that I had actually read before. This year's edition also has the added appeal of an introduction by Lemony Snicket, the renowned master of detecting suspicious behavior in seemingly innocent circumstances. All in all, this is a successful anthology and I look forward to seeing what they put together in 2015.
sonnyjim91's review
4.0
As always, this was another excellent collection of poetry, prose, essays, and any forms of literature I've forgotten, which is exactly what I've come to expect from the Best American Nonrequired Reading series. So why only 4 stars? First, with a new editor, the series no longer has a "front section" with fun lists and short works (like brief poems and quick plays), and I missed hearing what the best new band names of 2014 would be (for example). Second, while I generally liked the works in this year's BANR, they felt less "diverse" than they have in the past. In particular, two short stories were about gringos being out of place in South America (and in neighboring Bolivia and Peru, no less), so by the time I reached the second one I couldn't help but feel like I'd heard it before.
If you haven't read BANR before, this might not be the one that makes you a fan of the series, but it's a good collection, aside from those two flaws. I especially liked the essay on Dave Chappelle's meteoric rise and equally quick fall, as well as Adam Johnson's haunting "Nirvana".
An aside that did not affect my review: as a rare collection that includes both fiction and nonfiction, it's fun to read a work and then try to decide if it was true or not.
If you haven't read BANR before, this might not be the one that makes you a fan of the series, but it's a good collection, aside from those two flaws. I especially liked the essay on Dave Chappelle's meteoric rise and equally quick fall, as well as Adam Johnson's haunting "Nirvana".
An aside that did not affect my review: as a rare collection that includes both fiction and nonfiction, it's fun to read a work and then try to decide if it was true or not.
nicoletort's review
3.0
Some really great pieces, especially "The Man Who Saves You From Yourself," "Hugo," and "If You Were a T-Rex, My Love." Others were just fine, though none of the poetry or particularly short pieces really jumped out at me.
(I received an e-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)
(I received an e-ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)
bleepbloop's review
4.0
A great collection, but Daniel Handler is not my favorite, and no Front Section.
missnicelady's review
2.0
I usually devour these collections, but I just couldn't get into this year's book. This was the first year the collection did not have the front section of McSweeney's-esque ephemera, which made the rest of the book seem kind of grim and airless (lots of heavy topics and essays this time around). I skimmed a lot more than usual. Maybe it's me.
princess_starr's review
3.0
I actually do enjoy reading the Best American selections whenever we get the sets in at work every year, and especially from the Nonrequired anthology. (I am so excited that there’s going to be a Best American Horror anthology next year, fronted by Joe freaking Hill.)
The thing is though, I haven’t really sat down and read one of these all the way through. I usually just end up flipping through the books at work and reading the selections that I like. And to be fair, I really only bought this because of the Welcome to Night Vale selection. (I’m very easy to please. That and it was two bucks on Amazon for the ebook.) And I do like some of the selections that appeared in the book, but there’s also lot in here that I felt like I was slogging to get through to read. And the thing is there’s not many stories in here that stick with me afterwards. They’re not bad, but I came away from a lot of them thinking, “Oh. Okay.” (Or every three or four stories, “Yes, we get it. White person talking about the POC experience. Moving on.” Seriously, there’s like four stories about this, including one about refugees trying to get to Australia that I was just frowning at the whole time. More egregious seeing as this ends with a piece by Zadie Smith, which is one of the better ones in here.)
I’m thinking I’m just going to keep with my typical “Browse through at work” and see what I like from there. Again, I don’t think this was a bad purchase, but I’m also not thinking I’m going to go out and get a physical copy anytime soon.
The thing is though, I haven’t really sat down and read one of these all the way through. I usually just end up flipping through the books at work and reading the selections that I like. And to be fair, I really only bought this because of the Welcome to Night Vale selection. (I’m very easy to please. That and it was two bucks on Amazon for the ebook.) And I do like some of the selections that appeared in the book, but there’s also lot in here that I felt like I was slogging to get through to read. And the thing is there’s not many stories in here that stick with me afterwards. They’re not bad, but I came away from a lot of them thinking, “Oh. Okay.” (Or every three or four stories, “Yes, we get it. White person talking about the POC experience. Moving on.” Seriously, there’s like four stories about this, including one about refugees trying to get to Australia that I was just frowning at the whole time. More egregious seeing as this ends with a piece by Zadie Smith, which is one of the better ones in here.)
I’m thinking I’m just going to keep with my typical “Browse through at work” and see what I like from there. Again, I don’t think this was a bad purchase, but I’m also not thinking I’m going to go out and get a physical copy anytime soon.