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The best American nonrequired reading 2010
Eggers, Dave
Adult Nonfiction 818.6 B464 2010
From Publishers' Weekly:
David Sedaris's unflappable inventiveness translates, in the first section of this anthology, to a smattering of pieces with giddiness, daring, and heart. A particular highlight, by Wendy Molyneux, earned his award for "Best American Woman Comedy Piece Written by a Woman" and is guaranteed to set off snorts of delight with each re-read. In the second section, as in previous years, Eggers's picks prove solid and balanced, if expected. Rana Dasgupta's superb article, exploring India's new wealth and subsequent fallout, as well as David Rhode's profound and gripping account of his seven months as a Taliban hostage reflect not only the literary achievements of 2009, but also the horrors and complexities of these current times on. Meanwhile, Tea Obreht's "The Tiger's Wife" and Kurt Vonnegut's "The Nice Little People" embody the ageless miracles of surprise and originality that comprise the human imagination. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
From Library Journal:
Eggers here obliges the dictates of the "Best American" series-beloved of many public library habitues-with an eclectic mix of entries. The first section includes mostly ironic works, here under goofy headings, e.g., "Best American Patents" and "Best American Lawsuits." But the contents of "Best American Poems Written in the Last Decade by Soldiers and Citizens Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan" are moving and well crafted, and their inclusion after such light, mocking fare jars and calls into some doubt Eggers's probity. The remaining 90 percent of the book contains longer short stories and journalism, and some of the more famous choices, e.g., Sherman Alexie's funny, wincing account of his father's hospitalization and Andrew Sean Greer's retelling of being gay at a NASCAR encampment, are ragingly humorous. George Saunders's faux-ethnography of life in another kind of encampment, among homeless crackheads in Sacramento, may be the piece that will have the longest shelf life. David Rohde's story of his abduction by and escape from the Taliban and Evan Ratliff's Wired assignment to try to disappear in a ubiquitously networked world are celebrated for what they chronicle, not how well they are written. Verdict Essential for public libraries, but colleges should pass. Readers may not consume this cover to cover, but some lesser-known writers and journals get much-deserved attention.-Scott H. Silverman, Earlham Coll. Lib., Richmond, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Eggers, Dave
Adult Nonfiction 818.6 B464 2010
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From Publishers' Weekly:
David Sedaris's unflappable inventiveness translates, in the first section of this anthology, to a smattering of pieces with giddiness, daring, and heart. A particular highlight, by Wendy Molyneux, earned his award for "Best American Woman Comedy Piece Written by a Woman" and is guaranteed to set off snorts of delight with each re-read. In the second section, as in previous years, Eggers's picks prove solid and balanced, if expected. Rana Dasgupta's superb article, exploring India's new wealth and subsequent fallout, as well as David Rhode's profound and gripping account of his seven months as a Taliban hostage reflect not only the literary achievements of 2009, but also the horrors and complexities of these current times on. Meanwhile, Tea Obreht's "The Tiger's Wife" and Kurt Vonnegut's "The Nice Little People" embody the ageless miracles of surprise and originality that comprise the human imagination. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
From Library Journal:
Eggers here obliges the dictates of the "Best American" series-beloved of many public library habitues-with an eclectic mix of entries. The first section includes mostly ironic works, here under goofy headings, e.g., "Best American Patents" and "Best American Lawsuits." But the contents of "Best American Poems Written in the Last Decade by Soldiers and Citizens Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan" are moving and well crafted, and their inclusion after such light, mocking fare jars and calls into some doubt Eggers's probity. The remaining 90 percent of the book contains longer short stories and journalism, and some of the more famous choices, e.g., Sherman Alexie's funny, wincing account of his father's hospitalization and Andrew Sean Greer's retelling of being gay at a NASCAR encampment, are ragingly humorous. George Saunders's faux-ethnography of life in another kind of encampment, among homeless crackheads in Sacramento, may be the piece that will have the longest shelf life. David Rohde's story of his abduction by and escape from the Taliban and Evan Ratliff's Wired assignment to try to disappear in a ubiquitously networked world are celebrated for what they chronicle, not how well they are written. Verdict Essential for public libraries, but colleges should pass. Readers may not consume this cover to cover, but some lesser-known writers and journals get much-deserved attention.-Scott H. Silverman, Earlham Coll. Lib., Richmond, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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