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sylvianyc's review
4.0
I finished this book on 4/11/2015 and am now just getting to write a small blurb about it (ugh, work!). I digress....
I'm not quite sure how I happened upon this book, but I am glad that I did. I never knew that awards were given out for magazine articles. In hindsight, I suppose I should have known that such awards existed, but oh well. Next to books, magazines are among my favorite things to read. The hectic schedule at my soul- sucking job leaves little time for me to read the magazines I currently subscribe to, let alone articles from publications I don't subscribe to. "The Best American Magazine Writing 2014" provided me with the opportunity to read articles from a wide spectrum of publications and writing emphasis. It was a pleasure to read such well- written, researched articles penned by a variety of talented and accomplished writers. Hands down, my favorite article in the book was "Jahar's World" written by Janet Reitma for Rolling Stone magazine (finalist in the reporting category). Rolling Stone's apotheosized cover picture of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev kept a lot of people from picking up the issue this article appeared in (myself included). Although I do not regret my decision to boycott that specific issue, I regret that it kept me from reading such a captivating article. I abhor what Dzhokar (known to friends as Jahar) and his brother did, but after reading this article, I feel like I understand what may have motivated Dzhokar to carry out what he did with his brother. Only a well- crafted article could make me feel as conflicted as I did after reading this article.
Some of my other favorite articles in the book include "Thanksgiving in Mongolia" by Ariel Levy for The New Yorker (winner- Essays and Criticism)," "How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby" by Jean M. Twenge for The Atlantic (finalist- Public Interest), and "Michael Jordan Has Not Left the Building" by Wright Thompson for ESPN the Magazine (finalist- Feature Writing).
I'm not quite sure how I happened upon this book, but I am glad that I did. I never knew that awards were given out for magazine articles. In hindsight, I suppose I should have known that such awards existed, but oh well. Next to books, magazines are among my favorite things to read. The hectic schedule at my soul- sucking job leaves little time for me to read the magazines I currently subscribe to, let alone articles from publications I don't subscribe to. "The Best American Magazine Writing 2014" provided me with the opportunity to read articles from a wide spectrum of publications and writing emphasis. It was a pleasure to read such well- written, researched articles penned by a variety of talented and accomplished writers. Hands down, my favorite article in the book was "Jahar's World" written by Janet Reitma for Rolling Stone magazine (finalist in the reporting category). Rolling Stone's apotheosized cover picture of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev kept a lot of people from picking up the issue this article appeared in (myself included). Although I do not regret my decision to boycott that specific issue, I regret that it kept me from reading such a captivating article. I abhor what Dzhokar (known to friends as Jahar) and his brother did, but after reading this article, I feel like I understand what may have motivated Dzhokar to carry out what he did with his brother. Only a well- crafted article could make me feel as conflicted as I did after reading this article.
Some of my other favorite articles in the book include "Thanksgiving in Mongolia" by Ariel Levy for The New Yorker (winner- Essays and Criticism)," "How Long Can You Wait to Have a Baby" by Jean M. Twenge for The Atlantic (finalist- Public Interest), and "Michael Jordan Has Not Left the Building" by Wright Thompson for ESPN the Magazine (finalist- Feature Writing).
boxfish's review against another edition
4.0
Favorites: "The Dream Boat," "Bitter Pill," "Bret, Unbroken" and "The Embassy of Cambodia"
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