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loujoseph's review against another edition
4.0
a fairly strong collection, i'm pretty much tapped out by ira glass and his smarminess but the essays in here are almost completely strong, except the wallace piece, and maybe the gladwell (the king of the obvious). good choices of klosterman and weschler (esp since weschlet really seems to need an editor lately), though maybe the most engrossing was the ww2 piece by lee sandlin.
coleycole's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome articles in here -- My favorites:
Johnathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - Michael Lewis (Teenage stock trader and the SEC tussle; writer exposes the silliness of the stock market.)
The American Man, Age Ten - Susan Orlean (Just awesome.)
Among The Thugs - Bill Buford (Soccer madness.)
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Chuck Klosterman (Interview with Val Kilmer, who I love and who is wacky.)
Host - David Foster Wallace (Talk radio examined -- hilarious!)
Losing The War - Lee Sandlin (De-romanticizing WWII.)
My Republican Journey - Dan Savage (Awesome.)
Johnathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - Michael Lewis (Teenage stock trader and the SEC tussle; writer exposes the silliness of the stock market.)
The American Man, Age Ten - Susan Orlean (Just awesome.)
Among The Thugs - Bill Buford (Soccer madness.)
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Chuck Klosterman (Interview with Val Kilmer, who I love and who is wacky.)
Host - David Foster Wallace (Talk radio examined -- hilarious!)
Losing The War - Lee Sandlin (De-romanticizing WWII.)
My Republican Journey - Dan Savage (Awesome.)
robl's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent collection, gave me some good leads on nonfiction writers to follow up on. I particularly liked the David Foster Wallace piece, might be time to get out my second bookmark.
bookysue's review against another edition
4.0
Really good stuff, as can be expected from anything with Ira Glass's name on it. The piece about Saddam Hussein was particularly interesting -- that's the one that still sticks out in my mind a year after reading the book.
nationofkim's review against another edition
5.0
a nice little assortment of nonfiction essays. i particularly enjoyed the one by lee sandlin.
aleffert's review against another edition
5.0
In the introduction, Ira Glass talks about how he had trouble coming up with a title for this anthology. They should have just called it Stuff Ira Glass Thinks Is Awesome. Indeed, nearly all the pieces were excellent. My copy was extremely cheap, and it turned out this was probably related to the fact that I was missing 32 pages. I went hunting on the internet for the missing parts and they were extremely easy to find (sometimes even on the authors' websites!) so even if you don't pick up a copy of this, look at the table of contents and go for it.
sarahbethbrown's review against another edition
3.0
between being a magazine major, a new yorker subscriber and a faithful follower of "The Best American Non-required Reading" series, I think there were only a couple of stories in here that I hadn't previously read. BUT Ira Glass is wonderful and all the proceeds from the book benefit 826 CHI, a really cool non profit afterschool writing center in Chicago, and I'm willing to bet most of y'all haven't read most of these stories, so, go, GO! and buy it! and read it! and feel smarter after reading about Lois Weisberg, and a little scared after reading about British thugs (don't call them hooligans!) and want to know a 10-year-old after reading about Colin.
nhelregel's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a while to finish, as I tend to set books down a lot when they're conveniently divided into digestible chunks. However, I really did end up enjoying most of these pieces. Many other reviewers complained that most of the pieces were older and had already been published elsewhere. Luckily I had only previously read the Michael Pollan piece (in The Omnivore's Dilemma). While some pieces were just OK, many were delightful and eye-opening. Favorites include: Malcolm Gladwell's "Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg," Bill Buford's "Among the Thugs," David Foster Wallace's "Host," and Lee Sandlin's "Losing the War." Also, I realized that I should give David Foster Wallace's non-fiction a chance (I tried his short stories/fiction once and could not get into it). One critique would be that the "new kings" of non-fiction only included two women. :(
misterjay's review against another edition
4.0
In general, a great collection of articles, stories, and profiles from a wide range of sources and covering an even wider range of topics. There are several excellent pieces in here and if Ira Glass puts together another collection, I'll want to read it.
Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - About a kid who was found guilty of securities and trading fraud; good 3/5.
Toxic Dreams - About a small town's fight against an environmental mess that turns out to not be very harmful but the town's economy has become too wrapped up in the fight to stop. Very good 4/5.
Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg - Fascinating look at how some people are connectors and how they influence those around them, spinning people into a web of patterns and intricate connections. Great 5/5.
Shapinsky's Karma - Interesting story of a painter and the Indian man who came out of nowhere to make him famous in the final days of his career. Great 5/5.
The American Man, Age Ten - From Esquire, one author's interview with a ten year old boy and the insights it gives her into men, American culture, and relationships. Great 5/5.
Among the Thugs - Excellent travel / gonzo journalism piece from an American journalist who went to Italy with a group of U.K. soccer hooligans and lived to tell the tale. I'd like to read the rest of the book. Great 5/5.
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Odd interview with Val Kilmer. Good, 3/5.
Host - Interesting piece profiling a talk radio host; the story tries to find some separation between the real person and the host and, in the end, concludes that there may be no difference at all. Great, 5/5.
Tales of the Tyrant - Lengthy piece profiling Sadaam Husein in the days after the first gulf war. Good, 4/5.
Losing the War - Insightful and somber article on what WWII means to those who have only read the history; the article lays down a line, saying that those who have never been in war cannot understand it because those who have been are unable to define the experience in mere words. Great, 5/5.
The Hostess Diaries - Somewhat stuck-up piece about a cocktail waitress in popular nightspot. So-so, 2/5.
My Republican Journey - Funny look at Dan Savage's attempts to become a Republican in order to change the system from the inside. Good, 3/5.
Power Steer - Interesting piece detailing the life of a beef steer from birth through to steaks; the article does a good job of objectively stating the pros and cons of beef and, specifically, U.S. beef as an industry and as a food source. Great, 5/5.
Fortune's Smile - Great example of the journalist as the story; the piece tells the story of a journalist's entry into the World Series of Poker and how he almost won. Great, 5/5.
Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - About a kid who was found guilty of securities and trading fraud; good 3/5.
Toxic Dreams - About a small town's fight against an environmental mess that turns out to not be very harmful but the town's economy has become too wrapped up in the fight to stop. Very good 4/5.
Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg - Fascinating look at how some people are connectors and how they influence those around them, spinning people into a web of patterns and intricate connections. Great 5/5.
Shapinsky's Karma - Interesting story of a painter and the Indian man who came out of nowhere to make him famous in the final days of his career. Great 5/5.
The American Man, Age Ten - From Esquire, one author's interview with a ten year old boy and the insights it gives her into men, American culture, and relationships. Great 5/5.
Among the Thugs - Excellent travel / gonzo journalism piece from an American journalist who went to Italy with a group of U.K. soccer hooligans and lived to tell the tale. I'd like to read the rest of the book. Great 5/5.
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Odd interview with Val Kilmer. Good, 3/5.
Host - Interesting piece profiling a talk radio host; the story tries to find some separation between the real person and the host and, in the end, concludes that there may be no difference at all. Great, 5/5.
Tales of the Tyrant - Lengthy piece profiling Sadaam Husein in the days after the first gulf war. Good, 4/5.
Losing the War - Insightful and somber article on what WWII means to those who have only read the history; the article lays down a line, saying that those who have never been in war cannot understand it because those who have been are unable to define the experience in mere words. Great, 5/5.
The Hostess Diaries - Somewhat stuck-up piece about a cocktail waitress in popular nightspot. So-so, 2/5.
My Republican Journey - Funny look at Dan Savage's attempts to become a Republican in order to change the system from the inside. Good, 3/5.
Power Steer - Interesting piece detailing the life of a beef steer from birth through to steaks; the article does a good job of objectively stating the pros and cons of beef and, specifically, U.S. beef as an industry and as a food source. Great, 5/5.
Fortune's Smile - Great example of the journalist as the story; the piece tells the story of a journalist's entry into the World Series of Poker and how he almost won. Great, 5/5.
lavoiture's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. I liked the first few stories, but got really bored after I couldn't force myself to read David Foster Wallace's 3,000-page story. They were kind of downhill from there. I'm also not a huge nonfiction or short story fan, and these were short nonfiction pieces, so...But it was edited by Ira Glass, and I love him. And there were a few interesting stories, so I guess it was worth it. But I didn't finish. I'd say I read 78% of the book, which is good enough.