Book Description
Giving new life to armchair travel for 2002, here are ten unabridged tales on such varied concerns as God and airports; a dangerous Bolivian festival; one perfect meal in Cambodial; the eternal pleasures of Rome, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
a couple of excellent pieces.......2005-03-09
What a convenience to be able to find high-quality travel writing all condensed into one volume. This book covers the globe in its range of articles and essays, from Papa New Guinea to the Texas/Mexican border, from Greece to the Sahara, from Bolivia to Israel.
I found several inclusions to be truly excellent - especially Scott Anderson's piece on 9/11, Rod Davis's article on the US-Mexican border in Texas, Michael Finkel's article about the void in the Sahara, Elizabeth Nickson's piece on Salt Spring Island, Molly O'Neill following a Cambodian chef home, Kira Salak in Papa New Guinea, and Kate Wheeler in violent Bolivia. Some pieces though were a bit blah and the fact that they were alphabetically arranged meant the flow wasn't ideal. For example, the first 144 pages of the book were all by male writers, leaving me starved for a different perspective by the time I reached Kate Hennessey's piece.
There is a decidedly male tone to the book, which I found disappointing, with only 7 women represented among the 26 writers. This was reflected in a thematic focus of finding the most outlandish, isolated place on earth. I would have liked a little less reading about people setting out to do what no one had done before, and more human interactions with people of different places and cultures.
But overall, this book offers armchair travelers the opportunity to enter many different worlds from the comfort of their favorite reading place.
Uneven collection..........2005-02-15
This was a frustratingly uneven collection - when I pick up a book like this I expect consistent quality because the editors have done the work for me. But like another reviewer, perhaps I should have considered the fact that Frances Mayes edited this collection, and I'm not a fan of her work.
That said, a number of these pieces are worth seeking out. The best include Michael Finkel's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Void," which will take you into the heart of the Sahara. Devin Friedman's "Forty Years in Acapulco," William Booth's "Throw Junior from the Car," and Lawrence Millman's "In the Land of the White Rajahs" are all very funny takes on the people and places that move us to travel. Kate Wheeler's "The Fist of God" is a stunning piece on the shocking fight festivals still held in some corners of Bolivia. Isabelle Tree's "Spetses, Greece" is a charming glipse of a corner of the world she has made into a home. And Tom Mueller's "Ancient Roads, Walled Cities" is a moving meditation on Roman roads and the power of stone to hold memory. David Sedaris' "The Man Upstairs" is funny but quite short.
On the downside, three pieces on 9/11 challenged my definition of travel writing. Only Scott Anderson's "Below Canal Street" had anything new to say on the topic, although to be fair all were writen much closer to that tragic day. Steven Bodio's "Sovereigns of the Sky" was much less about a place than a sport, and an archaic one that I didn't want to see up this close - hunting with birds. Rod Davis' "A Rio Runs Through It" told us a lot about the state and culture of life along the Rio Grande, but it is overlong and gets redundant. And I found Elizabeth Nickerson's "Where the Bee Sucks" to be a self-indulgent mess.
When this collection is good it's very good, but when it's bad it's awful.
Francis Mayes' style is evident.......2005-01-16
I have been a big fan of this series and really enjoyed last year's compilation edited by Theroux. I also must admit that I really enjoy Theroux's travel writing as well. This year's edition, edited by Mayes, has the same faults that her books do, namely, they are long on description and short on plot. I have not gotten all of the way through The Best American Travel Writing of 2002 yet but what I have read is very similar to Mayes' "Under the Tuscan Sun". If you really like tales of flowery, descriptive (and dull) walks though Italian streets, etc. you will probably enjoy this book but if you are looking for more "great adventures" travel stories, try the 2001 edition instead.
Worth it.......2003-07-07
Although I didn't like most of the stories in this anthology, there were a few that I really, really, really loved. And they made it worth the price of the book, over and over.
The introduction by Frances Mayes is a gem and really sets the tone. Especially if you were wondering why a report on 9-11 would qualify for "travel writing". (After you read that introduction, you'll -unbelievably - have to agree that it does).
The story "40 years in Acapulco" is worth the price of the book by itself. I came away feeling almost guilty like a voyeur, as if I had just gotten a sneak peek into somebody elses life. I was literally transported.
The 2000 version is much more upbeat than this one. But then, I suppose we were living in a much more upbeat "travel" world then.
Travel the world without leaving your living room.......2003-03-18
If you like short stories and travelogues you'll love this book. These are the best of the best. And like some reviewers have already mentioned, there are a wide variety of experiences and information in this collection of essays. I found myself laughing in Devin Friedman's "Forty Years in Acapulco" and Lawwrence Millman's "In the Land of the White Rajahs" and learning new information from Molly O'Neill's "Home For Dinner." I admit, however, that I did enjoy soem of the essays much better than others, but they are all very well-written and image provoking. It's as if I traveled the world without leaving my room.
Book Description
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads hundreds of pieces from dozens of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind. From The New Yorker to the Missouri Review, from Esquire to the American Scholar, the editors of The Best American Essays have scoured hundreds of the country's best periodicals in search of the most artful and powerful writing around. This thoughtful, provocative collection is the result of their search.
Customer Reviews:
Another Gem.......2007-08-07
This is another fine collection of essays in the Best American series, and perhaps it stands out also for two other reasons. First, it was edited by Stephen J. Gould shortly before his death, and, secondly, because it is a thematically-driven collection. Five years have passed since its publication, and I think the essays--as a collection--have an especially poignant connection to each other. They are personal, heartfelt, and decidedly reflective; most are beautifully written (as one would expect from a Best American collection); some are stunning in their quietly stated emotion.
The best essays? I'm a big fan of David Halberstam and Atul Gawande; they can do no wrong, and both of their essays are top notch. I liked the Richard Price and Anne Hudson-Price collaboration. Mario Vargas Llosa's essay is wonderful. My personal favorite in this book, however, is "Fire" by Amy Kolen, a powerful essay that captures the sweep of history and the dignity of lost lives. If we learned anything from 9/11, the event that this collection memorializes, it is that innocent citizens--women and men who care little about politics, who just want to go to work and earn a living and support a family--are often the tragic victims of greedy and politics.
Very timestamped, some powerful pieces.......2004-07-27
I stumbled upon this gem a few weeks ago at a used book store. What made me buy it (I didn't have time to finish reading it in-house) was the essay "Winner Take Nothing." It's a poignant tale of a middle age man coming to terms with the nature of his relationship with his father, particularly in light of his fahter's aging. It alone is worth the price of admission: it really lingers with you, and does what good literature should, it may alter the way you view your world, and even your parents.
Unlike the editor, I love confessional, stream of conscious, intensely personal narratives, and post 9/11 2002 (the year in which the essays were taken from) are loaded with them. Being that we are away from September 11, you may find the 9/11 essays enlightening in a long-term context, or you may just be a little saturated (like I was). It depends on the person.
The essays that really stand out in my mind of a non WTC variety are "My Father's Brain" and another one on a woman's journey with her son with a debilitating illness. These both haunt you and give a satisfying commentary on the nature of love, family, memory, human self-preservation and the darker aspects of duty: guilt, selfishness, fatigue and even resentment. I found "My Father's Brain" to be particulary well written and structured.
I think what's so great about these essays is: they're alive. Essays can have all the stimulating quality of warm milk. But these essays are *essays,* but they do more than just prognosticate and drone on in correct format. They educate, they emote, they live and they entertain. And I think that is why this volume was so enjoyable.
a chance to have CANCERLAND essay by barbara ehenreich.......2003-08-28
this essay was printed in Harpers and isn't available ANY WHERE else but in this book. It is easier to buy this book than to look for an old issue of Harpers. This is the BEST essay on breast cancer imho. It is wise and perceptive and cuts through a lot of the pink stuff of breast cancer activism. elsa dorfman, NoHairDay collective. Cambridge, MA
Thought provoking and absorbing.......2003-02-02
I had the false impression that the writing and thoughts in this year's Best American Essays would be overwhelmed by the events of September 11, but this book provides a lot of breadth and depth. Gould's selections are excellent; I can't think of a single essay here that does not have some kind of redeeming value. Jacques Barzun's The Tenth Muse and Mario Vargas Lhosa's "Why Literature?" are the requisite but eloquent pieces about the nature and necessity of art. Danielle Ofri's "Merced" is a standout piece: about how a young doctor learns about the fallibility of medicine through a patient's unsolvable illness. I disagree with the reviewers here who found Gore Vidal's "The Meaning of Timothy McVeigh" unworthy of inclusion in the volume; the essay shows another view on the perpetrator of the Oklahoma City bombing that warrants us to consider why some people commit acts of terror, though the piece ultimately fails when Vidal utilizes tired and trite anti government rhetoric. Nicholas Delblanco's "The Countess of Stanlein Restored" is an absorbing history of the origins and restoration of a Stradivarius cello. Adam Mayblum's "The Price We Pay" does not have the polish and pyrotechnics we expect from some of these essayists, but his straightforward telling of his escape from the World Trade towers on September 11 makes for a harrowing recounting of the events.
still going strong.......2003-01-09
This year's installment of the Best American Essays is a great selection (but then aren't they always). It was one of the last projects Stephen Jay Gould finished before he died last May. Of course there are all kinds of arguments that can be made for and against certain selections being included and not included.
Three essays really got to me as the best of the bunch (and essays that I imagine I'll reread again and again in the future). The first is Franzen's essay on his father's decline in Alzheimer's. It's a touching essay that is well-written, humorous at times, and helps to understand the `human' reaction to the disease. The other essays is Bernard Cooper's "Winner Take Nothing" which is a very funny interplay between a father and son who don't understand each other. I remember reading it in GQ, and thinking that this essay surely would be selected for the Best American series. Nicholas Delbanco's essay "The Countess of Stanlein Restored" is a wonderfully written essay that covers the history of violin making and the restoration of one of the more famous violins, and anyone who loves music will love this essay.
Barbara Ehrenreich has an essay discussing her ordeal with breast cancer, and what makes this essay so good is that it isn't all the hopefulness and joy you find in others of its type, rather she deals with the real emotions she felt-the bitterness. And with an almost tongue-in-cheek humor. Sebastion Junger has his `typical' style essay dealing with the fight for freedom in Afganistan. It's well-written, like his work tends to be. Andrew Levy's essay on Robert Carter III shows why we don't know who Carter is-he just isn't quite interesting enough to write about. There's also an interesting essay by Danielle Ofri on one incident in her medical school training (this essay has convinced me to pick up her collection of memoir essays on med school). There's a great essay by Darryl Pinckney dealing with a middle-aged, middle-class black man getting busted for marijuana possession. It's funny and frightening at the same time. Typical New Yorker material though. Gore Vidal has an essay on McVeigh-which is at times well-written, but at other times borders on the paranoid and juvenile. It is an interesting read though. And the final essay of the collection is Wolfson's "Moonrise" which is another autobiographical essay dealing with the illness of a relative-this one of her son. It's a touching essay that fills the reader with sadness and joy.
Some of the weaker essays are: Jacques Barzun's "The Tenth Muse" which is part biography of Clifton Fadiman and part question on culture, but doesn't ever say anything. And there are the group of obligatory 9-11essays, though not the best I've seen. Amy Kolen has an extremely dull essay, "Fire," which I found so boring, I couldn't even finish it.
Book Description
Our appetite for incisive and articulate reporting and analysis has been sharpened and made more urgent by recent events. And columnists and reporters have, as a group, responded by writing at a higher level. Indeed, this may be something of a golden age of political commentary. This highly readable, entertaining compendium collects the best political writing from the past year, from insightful analyses of the national and local political scene to sharply drawn profiles of some of the nation's most colorful political figures-covering the major topics of the year, including the contentious presidential election and its controversial resolution in the Supreme Court decision, Bush v. Gore, the ineradicable tragedy of September 11, and America's prosecution of seemingly limitless war. Composed primarily of short articles, longer pieces of particular merit, and excerpts from notable books, The Best American Political Writing 2002 covers all points on the political spectrum, gathering from the op-ed pages of the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and other leading national newspapers; commentary from periodicals like The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The Weekly Standard, and Foreign Affairs; publications of think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution; Web-based magazines like Salon.com; and significant speeches including George W. Bush's address to Congress in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. Selections come from the country's finest political writers, including Margaret Carlson, Thomas Friedman, Meg Greenfield, Seymour Hersh, Hendrik Hertzberg, Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman, Anthony Lewis, Marjorie Williams, and many others. Together, their voices are a distillation of our national conversation.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I had hoped........2005-02-09
Be aware that this book is not from the same publisher as the well regarded "The Best American Series" by Houghton Mifflin. I had hoped for equal, in-depth and fair analysis of political issues that would increase my political IQ. Instead I felt that each essay was based more on opinion than facts, although selective facts can be used to support just about any opinion. And I don't think they were chosen with balance in mind. There is only one article which is negative about the Bush tax cuts but not a corresponding positive article. There are 6 articles on Gay Marriage however.
If possible, look closely at the sources of the articles (listed in the table of contents) and read the brief descriptions by the editor at the beginning of each article before buying this book.
Nice to know some still care.......2003-10-12
This book is filled with topics that should be at the forefront of the national conversation but are falling on the deaf ears of an apathetic populace. Doesn't anyone care anymore? This is the important stuff, folks. Hard facts and important ideas on the issues that are vital to our future are being drowned out by the legions of bickering, partisan loudmouths with an axe to grind. This book is one of the dying breed that is not for only conservatives or only liberals but for AMERICANS, lest we forget we're all in this together. Highlights for me included the essays, such as Paul Kruger's "For Richer," that reveal how the interests of the wealthy have hijacked our government to a degree never seen before and why our politicians play along, despite overwhelming public opinion against it and the damage it does to our country. Also recommended is Robert Kuttner's reminder of all the promises George W. Bush made to us during his campaign opposed to what he's actually delivered. There could hardly be more distance between the two. Since it helps to know something about your reviewer, I'll tell you that I'm a Democrat, but you'll find a mix of serious conservative, liberal and independent voices here, though not from the extreme fringes. There's no shortage of other books you can look to if that's your thing. Left, right or center, you will find that the writers whose essays make up this book care deeply about which they write and that's what we could all use a lot more of; more caring and less squawking. If you care about your country but are tired of the shrill war of words and conspiracy theories that pass for political writing these days, this book is a beacon in the dark night.
Something for everyone.......2002-12-24
I know what they say about yesterday's newspaper, but these pieces from 2001, beginning with that mind-bending election and with a special section on September 11, are a slice of history such as we hope not to see again. And besides, many are think pieces from magazines like "The New Yorker" and "The Nation," "Vanity Fair," "salon.com" and "The Atlantic Monthly."
The book is divided into six parts, each followed by a "National Conversation," with column-length opinion pieces. Election 2000 includes five pieces from the likes of Vincent Bugliosi (liberal) and Charles Krauthammer (conservative); Politics in the Bush Era features Margaret Carlson and Nicholas Lemann, with columns from Molly Ivins and Paul Krugman. Lani Guinier and Frank Rich sound off on (Not) Politics As Usual, then Barbara Ehrenreich and David Brooks give their View from Main Street. The second half of the book concentrates on September 11 and the War on Terror and we hear from Richard Perle, Fouad Ajami, Richard Rodriguez, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Henry Kissinger. Among others. The writing is lively and forceful, of course, and if the predictions are sometimes wrong, it's nice to know such opinionated people aren't right about everything. For political junkies of all persuasions.
Book Description
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2002, edited by Natalie Angier, is another "eclectic, provocative collection" (Entertainment Weekly). Malcolm Gladwell, Joy Williams, Barbara Ehrenreich, Burkhard Bilger, Dennis Overbye, and many more of the best and brightest writers on science and nature explore such topics as the rise and fall of Islamic science, disappearing cancers, and the meaning of mountain lions in the back yard.
Customer Reviews:
Great examples with not so great examples.......2005-08-11
As a newcomer into the scientific writing world I decided to read as many articles as I could in order to understand how a scientist writes. As with most entities in the world there are two sides. Among the heavy science journals I found the collection of The Best American Science (and Nature) Writing of. . . whenever. These books gave a profound identity to the literary science writer. Such talent is important in these days so as not to cause separation; as if those who can stay awake through an entire article are a better being than the rest. I reached this book after two publications and having been ushered to the doorstep of science writing which shows one the importance of heavy data and equations. Though this book has some fantastic writing it only stands above the surface of an ocean of knowledge. It's good to read but lacks so much.
Good writing, but very little science.......2005-06-24
The writing in this collection is uniformly good, but there's precious little science. Most of the articles are dominated by a kind of gossipy tone about the people involved without ever actually touching on the science. For example, one of the longest pieces in the book is a review of the Intelligent Design debate from the New York Review of Books. It talks a lot about the politics and supposed motivations of the players, with a long discourse on Stephen J. Gould's atheistic approach to theology- but not once does the author touch on the scientific aspects of the debate. I assume the reader is expected to accept the anti-ID position simply as a consequence of being a Review reader.
No doubt the selection of articles was highly influenced by the editor's particular tastes and skills. Natalie Angier is a skilled writer, and her New Yorker pieces are always well crafted, but when it comes to science she's a lightweight. You won't see an equation, or even a number in any of her pieces, and the same is true, for the most part, of the pieces selected for this anthology.
As a collection of casual readings for the person with no scientific background at all, I'd give this volume a B; for the reader looking for some depth, some explanation of current issues in science- D.
A real pleasure.......2003-11-06
This is a truly wonderful anthology. Thought-provoking, humorous, almost every chapter taught me something new and fascinating.
Excellent Collection.......2003-10-01
This series is awesome! An anthology such as this allows the reader to get a taste of some wonderful articles without the possibly harrowing search for the diamond in the rough. All articles are well written and the subject matter is diverse. A true treat!
a new year of science.......2003-02-26
The Best American Science and Nature Writing series is always a great joy to pick up. This is the way to keep up with general science without spending hundreds of dollars on magazines and journals (well, not really, but it is a good series of books to read). This year Natalie Angier, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of _Woman: An Intimate Geography_ is the guest editor. None of the essays stand out as newborn classics, but they are good essays. And they cover the range of fields.
Anthropology - Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's "Mothers and Others"
Biology - Frederick C. Crews' "Saving Us from Darwin" originally published in The New York Review of Books (Crews attacks every form of creationism and the blending of science and religion, including Gould, but offers us no alternative idea or solution-that's what kept this essay from being an instant classic); H. Bruce Franklin's "The Most Important Fish in the Sea" (ecology/conservation science); Gordon Grice's "Is That a Mountain Lion in Your Backyard?"; "The Dirt in the New Machine" by Blaine Harden (which is both an ecology and technology essays); "Life's Rocky Start", an essay on the origin of life on earth and the importance of minerals, by Robert M. Hazen; Anne Matthews' "Wall Street Losses, Wall Street Gains" which is about birdwatching and the World Trade Towers; Chet Raymo "A Little Reminder of Reality's Scale" (a brief piece from the Boston Globe); Peter Stark's embarrassing piece (at least he should be embarrassed by this half poorly written `fiction' with facts on jellyfish-the most poisonous one there is) titled "The Sting of the Assassin"; Joy Williams' "One Acre" about her little plot in Florida that she tried to keep ecologically safe and sound
Medicine - Barbara Ehrenreich's essay about her fight with breast cancer "Welcome to Cancerland" (a great essay that is also included in the Best American Essays"; Gary Greenberg's touching essay "As Good as Dead" (about a young boy who has a brain tumor in his head and his incredible courage to continue living and dreaming and planning for his future); Judith Newman's"I Have Seen Cancer's Disappear"
Psychology - Roy F. Baumeister's "Violent Pride" (written in a pseudo-highschool-science fair report style. This could have been a great study, but...): Malcolm Gladwell's "Examined Life" (about the SATs and test taking); "Dumb, Dumb, Duh Dumb" by Steve Mirsky (again, about our test scores); Daniel Smith "Shock and Disbelief" which is about ECT of things-yes, the pros of electroconvulsive therapy
Physics - K.C. Cole's "Mind Over Matter" (originally in the L.A. Times); the heavy material of Dark Matter by Karen Wright ("Very Dark Energy" which first appeared in Discover
Computers - Clive Thompson's "The Know-It-All Machine" which goes into artificial intelligence
And the others: Burkhard Bilger's essay on eating odd animals, "Braised Shank of Free-Range Possum"; "In the Realm of Virtual Reality" by Richard Conniff and Harry Marshall, which discusses pseudozoology (creatures like the Yeti and such); Garret Keizer's essay on sound and noise, "Sound and Fury" (from Harper's); Verlyn Klinkenborg's odd newspaper column, "The Pursuit of Innocence in the Golden State", which is about California, but more on a two sentence sociological statement; Robert Kunzig's "Ripe for Controversy" which discusses cheese and health regulations' Dennis Overbye's "How Islam Won, and Lost, the Lead in Science" ; Eric Schlosser's "Why McDonald's Fries Taste So Good"
and above all, these essays are easy enough for the layperson, but good for the expert as well.
Book Description
If, as Matt Ridley suggests, science is simply the search for new forms of ignorance, then perhaps it follows that with science's advances come new questions. Will human genetic engineering become commonplace? Will human cloning ever be safe? Are there many universes? How much will the climate change during the coming century?
The Best American Science Writing 2002 gathers top writers and scientists covering the latest developments in the fastest-changing, farthest-reaching scientific fields, such as medicine, genetics, computer technology, evolutionary psychology, cutting-edge physics, and the environment. Among this year's selections: In "The Made-to-Order Savior," Lisa Belkin spotlights two desperate families seeking an unprecedented cure by a medically and ethically unprecedented means -- creating a genetically matched child. Margaret Talbot's "A Desire to Duplicate" reveals that the first human clone may very likely come from an entirely unexpected source, and sooner than we think. Michael Specter reports on the shock waves rippling through the field of neuroscience following the revolutionary discovery that adult brain cells might in fact regenerate ("Rethinking the Brain"). Christopher Dickey's "I Love My Glow Bunny" recounts with sly humor a peculiar episode in which genetic engineering and artistic culture collide. Natalie Angier draws an insightful contrast between suicide terrorists and rescue workers who risk their lives, and finds that sympathy and altruism have a definite place in the evolution of human nature, David Berlinski's "What Brings a World into Being?" ponders the idea of biology and physics as essentially digital technologies, exploring the mysteries encoded in the universe's smallest units, be they cells or quanta. Nicholas Wade shows how one of the most controversial books of the year, The Skeptical Environmentalist, by former Greenpeace member and self-described leftist Bjorn Lomborg, debunks some of the most cherished tenets of the environmental movement, suggesting that things are perhaps not as bad as we've been led to believe. And as a counterpoint, Darcy Frey's profile of George Divoky reveals a dedicated researcher whose love of birds and mystery leads to some sobering discoveries about global warming and forcefully reminds us of the unsung heroes of science: those who put in long hours, fill in small details, and take great trouble.
In the end, the unanswered questions are what sustain scientific inquiry, open new frontiers of knowledge, and lead to new technologies and medical treatments. The Best American Science Writing 2002 is a series of exciting reports from science's front lines, where what we don't know is every bit as important as what we know.
Customer Reviews:
Compelling collection of fascinating reading.......2003-01-08
These are exactly the type of articles I love to read on airplanes trips or in doctors' offices. Real science written for non-scientists.
More! More!.......2002-10-28
These essays are phenomenal- all intriguing and all lingering in our minds well after reading. Science writing is an art I particularly relish. The math is gone- and that's good- indeed all of the qualifiers for a scientific career or training are reduced to one- fascination- and there's plenty of that in this collection. My favorite author, in this category is Jerome Groopman, M.D. a feature writer for the New Yorker and a practicing oncologist. His topic is cell-speak, the astounding discovery that cells communicate between distances. The scientific term is `signal transduction.' Groopman's prose evokes molecular music receiving and answering and generating movement. Skeleton like structures are woven by these messages and the whole stunning revelation becomes political, economic and religious in its challenges and possibilities. The least of which is nothing less than universal design and grand scale unity of all matter. Microscopic matters, as equally valuable to the private sector laboratories as to the religious nature of being and infinity.
Athol Gwande, another New Yorker writer, writes about the painful ramifications of excessive blushing. The embarrassment is so defeating that people undergo surgery- and not minor surgery- just to control it. Post surgery, people report a quality of life surge that makes the risks and costs well worth it. Perhaps the most allegorical piece is a study of the plastic surgeon who dreams of giving people wings and other improvements as implanting rods and cones to make our vision more spectacular. These dreams are oddly absent when the same physician attends to remodeling a face eaten away by cancer. At odds most dramatically by the callow bedside manner and the narcisistic ego of this Leonardo of the dream. Condemned by colleagues and despised by the residents we try to ascertain if he is a visionary, Icarus or would he create another Frankenstein.
The strange and the miraculous are in turn celebrated and given to dark reservations and caution. All of the entries are nothing less than Magnificent!
Book Description
A treasury of great magazine pieces drawn from the winners of and finalists for the prestigious National Magazine Awards
In the world of magazines, no recognition is more highly coveted than an "Ellie," the National Magazine Award presented by the American Society of Magazine Editors. This is the magazine equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. Nominees and winners are chosen by hundreds of editors, educators, and art directors from more than a thousand submissions. These selections are among the very best of those.
The Best American Magazine Writing anthology puts between the covers of a single book some of the most outstanding writing by some of the most eminent writers in this country.
"My Father's Brain"
Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker
"The Crash of EgyptAir 990"
William Langewiesche, The Atlantic Monthly
"Inside the Battle at Qala-i-Jangi"
Alex Perry, Time Magazine
"Dr. Daedalus"
Lauren Slater, Harper's Magazine
"Salt Chic"
Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue
"Playing God on No Sleep"
Anna Quindlen, Newsweek
"Sullivan's Travels"
Michael Wolff, New York Magazine
"Moving"
Anne Fadiman, The American Scholar
And much more! Brilliant and illuminating, this book is for anyone who appreciates magazine writing and journalism at their highest level.
The American Society of Magazine Editors is the professional organization for editors of consumer magazines that are edited, published, and sold in the United States. It sponsors the National Magazine Awards in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Customer Reviews:
Read Straight Through- No Ads, No Lemons!.......2002-11-05
Readers of the New Yorker, Harpers, The Atlantic and anyone who's a sucker for those articles that hasten flight destinations and are always, no matter how long, too short at the end. This collection, by its virtuosity, range of subjects, severe to whimsical,is an automatic embrace. Don't be surprised if you catch yourself slowing down to delay the finish. But here are some specifics:
Sick of Franzen hoopla? His 'Father's Brain' transcends the muck by its own power. Caitlin Flanagan's article about the pushy parents and the spawning season at upstream universities,(Confessions of a Prep School College Counselor,) jabbed me outta nowhere- sometime in the 7th round. Who, afterall gets the grade when its all said and done? No rebouts. If that doesn't make you reach for the SSRI- the stats about the payoff for those Ivy League educations will!
Read about SALT- and decide for yourself- is it worth its own? -
There are two studies of powerful men in the media-Peter Barth-Variety Editor and Ted Turner- manic and megalo-everything. Both irkingly appealing for their hopeless flaws.
The only skip for me was the story about the last minutes of the Egyptian flight and the forces that kept the truth hidden. Not ready for that one yet. Fiction winds the whole thing up- as it should. Guess who takes it home?
This is a plum, no reason to do anything less than bite.
Book Description
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind. Each year, The Best American Sports Writing, well established as the premier sports anthology, offers a winning combination of fascinating topics and top-notch writers. This year, Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly assembles an all-star lineup sure to captivate fans of sports and great writing. From baseball to bullfighting, from horse racing to school-bus racing, this collection has something for everyone. Reilly has chosen columnists and feature writers, household names and talented unknowns, and most importantly, pieces that delve behind the statistics, examining the people and emotions that make the game.
Customer Reviews:
A real disappointment.......2003-09-05
There are a few good stories in this edition,but Reilly really dropped the ball more often than not. To many lengthy stories that just aren;t that interesting(Rae Carruth,moronic backyard wrestling)and far too many stories associated with death. Can we actually focus on the sports a little more? There are also too many articles on obscure topics.
Last Year in Sports.......2003-01-13
As is always true with these annual "Best of ..." books, there are several notable omissions that deserved to be included, but there is enough good material to make it well worth its price. More than anything it is a nice reminder of all that went on in sports in 2001, with several well written profiles of athletes, events, and sports that may not have received much coverage but are still fascinating and interesting to learn about. If you like sports or sports writing, this is the best anthology available every year so I would recommend it.
a couple interesting pieces and then SI cronyism.......2002-10-18
Tom Scocca's story is worth the price of the paperback, but otherwise Mr. Reilly's logrolling of mediocre pieces by his colleagues drags down the overall quality of the book. There are some notable exclusions--check out the honorable mention pages-- that were sacrificed for some howlers from the SI crowd.
Average customer rating:
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Best American Magazine Writing 2002
Harold Evans
Manufacturer: The Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Essays
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Almanacs & Yearbooks
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
| Almanacs
| Yearbooks & Annuals
ASIN: 1586481371 |
Books:
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- The Great Novels of Anatole France: Penguin Island, the Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard And the Revolt of the Angels
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