This group of essays has much to offer. Many of them are personal essays, several of those having to do with old age or illness. But there is actually a wide variety in this collection, including humor and philosophical or political meditations. I particularly liked Meghan Daum's heartbreaking "Difference Maker," her story of attempting to mentor and be an advocate for needy children. Mark Jacobson's "65," in which he muses on the horror of turning that age, is another gem. And Anthony Doerr's "...

This is a good book to read for an English class or just as reference material, the essay's in this bo0k are really easy to follow along with. The chapters are short enough to where they can be read all at once instead of stopping and then resuming at a later time, so if you are on the bus, at a library or at home then it is perfect for that. I had to get this book for my English class which focuses on composition and reading and we have topics every week which this book is good for since the es...

Faves:Isaiah Berlin, "A Message to the Twenty-First Century"Tim Kreider, "A Man and His Cat"Kate Lebo, "The Loudproof Room"John Reed, "My Grandma the Poisoner"Ashraf H. A. Rushdy, "Reflections on Indexing My Lynching Book"

Reading the Best American Essays by Ariel Levy was a fun experience. I got to experience stories like It will look like a sunset by Kelly Sundberg which showed a story of tremendous growth of a strong woman. In Vision by Tiffany Briere we see a father move past a traumatic experience to help make his daughter happy. Those are just the some of the stories that were my favorites. The stories in the book were able to grab my attention and pull me into a sad world that ended up having a happy ending...

A few good essays, a few blah, a few pretty bad, and one disgusting essay. Let’s start off with the essay that I find disgusting and abhorrent and awful: Meghan Daum’s “Difference Maker.” Long story short: it’s an ego-centric, self-centered, whining, pat-herself-on-the-back essay that basically brags about how great she is because she “tries” to help foster kids and considers herself better than couples who have biological kids. She never once speaks about how the foster kids she supposedly “hel...

As usual, these essays were exceptional examples of creative non-fiction and personal essays. Though many came from easy-to-find sources (The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, etc.), small literary journals were represented as well. The strength came from a variety of subject matter and many were heart-wrenching as well as reflective. I look forward to 2016's collection.

For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong •🌟🌟🌟/5Collections like this are hard to rate and review. I read this collection slowly over the last month or so. I connected with some essays more than others. It has a wide range of pieces from a diverse selection of writers. I do love reading these types of collections because it introduces me to new writers! This was my first experience reading Zadie Smith. I know, I know. I enjoyed her essay so I will definitely be reading more o...

My first BAE! A trusted reader recommended the anthology and upon finishing I thought, "What took me so long to read one of these?" It's like having access to all those wonderful literary journals and magazines I can't afford, just there, on my nightstand, for my usual 3 a.m. open eyes. So many of the names in this collection are familiar: Justin Cronin, Anthony Doerr, Malcolm Gladwell, Margo Jefferson, Kate Lebo, David Sedaris, Zadie Smith, Rebecca Solnit, Cheryl Strayed that I wondered, "Did t...

I'll do my best to recall as many of The Best American Essays 2015 as possible but I won't be able to, because I read them over an extended period, particularly one long period between essays and then I got back to this collection. Before I get into the essays, I would like to say that I've discovered just how every year's essays really does bear the mark of the editor. This year's editor was Ariel Levy, an incredible author in her own right, and she has made quite a good compendium here. Here a...

Read for Book Riot’s Read Harder challenge task #22: an essay anthology. I didn’t even realize these essay collections were published, much less every year. I’ll definitely be checking out more of these from the library. I love short story collections so these will be great alternatives when I’m in the mood for quick, diverse reads.

So, yes, I'm five years behind on my Best American Essays reading. But no, that doesn't really matter with these collections. Good writing tends to wear well, and the essays are often a bit more interesting when history has moved on just a little.I read most of this collection on a week-long trip to Baton Rouge, which involved four different flights, and let me tell you, essay collections like this are EXCELLENT trip books. If a particular essay bothers you, you can skip. The subject changes com...

From Stepping Out, David Sedaris“At the end of my first sixty thousand step day, I staggered home with my flashlight knowing that I’d advance to sixty-five thousand and that there will be no end to it until my feet snap off at the ankle. Then it’ll be just my bones jabbing into the soft ground. Why is it some people can manage a thing like a Fitbit, while others go off the rails and allow it to rule, and perhaps even ruin, their lives? . . . In recognition of all the rubbish I’ve collected since...

I read this book for a college English course, and frankly I was surprisingly satisfied with this read. Do not be discouraged from the title containing “Essays” and think this book is consisted of extensive dull writings, but rather the quite opposite. This book is composed of diverse essays, short enough for a quick read through actually. As I would recommend, if you are sensitive to subject matter containing abuse, or death, you might want to stray away from the first two essays-but it is not

These essays are arranged alphabetically by author’s last name, and I’m impressed by how well that’s worked out here, with several meditations on aging in the first third or so, and a final essay on love and abuse that took my breath away.

Every year, I read both The Best American Essays and The Best American Short Stories cover to cover and always am impressed by many of the works included. The essays, as usual, range from the humorous to the heartfelt, the political to the social, the surprising to the mundane. Recommended yearly reading!Side note: I didn't discover that I hadn't read the 2015 volumes until I purchased the 2016 volumes and added them to my to-read pile. I'm not sure if this says something about me or about the s...

The best thing that came out of my first semester of grad school was being asked to read one of these Best American Essays anthologies. Now I'm sort of hooked. Now I'm that person who sits around in coffee shops with a big mug of something yummy and a sweet treat on the side looking all literary and stuff while reading these collections. The best part is I have so many left to read since I'm getting into this game exceptionally late. And I'm not, for once, being weird about it - when I find a co...

So many feels reading this book!! Kate Lebo's "The Loudproof Room" was simply astounding. I loved her final paragraph: "Disability can create sensibility.My disability is invisible, my limitations are aesthetic. They make art and they make mistakes, reminding me constantly that the way I sense and experience the world is different. At a slight angle, as Forster said of Cavafy. Which is a reminder that difference isn't unique to me. That's why listening creates a conversation. That's how reading

To escape the dark depths of reality, one must face it. Ariel Levy’s series of essays immerses you into this idea. Each piece crafted by its own author depicts the arduous struggles of life. The unfair, unjust and, unimaginable comes to fruition through their very words. By recruiting their stories, Levy establishes a firm stance on what truly makes these The Best American Essays. A good essay, can provide insight into the lives of their authors. Although, their stories and recollections may be...

I read The Best American Essays by Ariel Levy in the college English course, and it was a fun time. I have not to finish whole essays in the book, but I have read some and that gave me a big impression. Also, for the first time, I have felt that reading a book is experiencing other people’s thoughts and their lives.The Best American Essays by Ariel Levy is about many different themes of essays. I like the book because essays are shorter than a book, so it was not burdening to read the whole book...

Each year's collection is a bit of a gamble. Sometimes there are only a few essays that connect, other years it's a jackpot. This year is closer to the jackpot end of the spectrum. Guest editor Ariel Levy tosses in a few sure bets -- Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris. The essay by Roger Angell about being old, which also appears in the forthcoming Best American Magazine Writing of 2015, is worth reading more than once, if you already saw it in The New Yorker. If there's a theme to this bunch of...