Of all the ‘Best American’ series, the Best American Nonrequired Reading tends to have the most varied content and - I’m guessing this reflects the high school editors - the most intense, colorful selections. That’s true again this year, but I’m also struck by two other aspects - first, how unfun this collection is - the pieces that seem intended to be lighter are mostly either surreal (which doesn’t do much for me, but may for other readers) or are darkly clever, funny without being light. Amon...

"In between scientific reticence and science fiction is science itself.""A group of grandmothers is a tapestry. A group of toddlers, a jubilance (see also a bewailing). A group of librarians is an enlightenment. A group of visual artists is a bioluminescence. A group of short story writers is a Flannery. A group of musicians is—a band.""When I swim at the public pool, I wear sunglasses so I can admire the hairless chest of the nineteen-year-old lifeguard. I love it that he, a child, really, is g...

It's an interesting concept, looking at contemporary short stories selected by teenagers. While there are several jewels in here, I didn't love the collection overall (some of these stories seemed to be selected for their shock value over the uniqueness of their voice/story). I would be willing to look at other editions in this collection just because the concept intrigues me. Maybe better luck next time ;)

Some stories in this are 4-star-worthy , but the collection overall is quite average, IMO

The kids who picked these stories must be great fun at parties.

Year on year, this anthology introduces writers and stylings new to me. Selections that stood out for me:-> Alex Tizon, "My Family's Slave"-> David Wallace-Wells, "The Uninhabitable Earth"-> Kathy Fish, "Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild"-> Kristen Roupenian, "Cat Person" (One of the few New Yorker fictions I read in the magazine -- and I actually read it before media picked it up. My reactions/understanding on this 2nd reading so different from my first.)-> Lucy Huber, "A Fair Accusation

(Star rating doesn't apply, for obvious reasons)Mixed bag, as one might expect. Never read anything by Roxane Gay before now; the extract from "Hunger" is encouragement to explore further. Quite a few pieces were very polished, wilfully surreal, and rather empty. Fun to read, but I wouldn't return to them. The David Wallace-Wells on climate change scared the bejesus out of me. "Cat Person": well, I know this is a "Peninsula Story" sort of thing (ref. Nora Ephron, "I Feel Bad About My Neck"): but...

I really enjoyed this. It was fascinating to see what high school students viewed as important, and I definitely found pieces in here that I really love and will recommend to others. I didn’t love every piece, but I think I can definitely say I got something out of each one.

I like to think of this anthology not as a portrait of this past year, but as a portrait of the collective taste of these specific, fifteen Bay Area teenagers, in the year 2017. Who were born just after the turn of the millennium; for whom Obama was the first president of their politically conscious lives; who started the year by telling each other what pronouns they prefer; who snap their fingers in agreement when another person talks; who are readers, and self-define as such.This book was m

This is one of the worst BANR anthologies I’ve ever read, with the exception of three or four pieces. The best story was “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian. Five stars! It prompted me to purchase her book of short stories, “You Know You Want This” which I just started.

Did I pick up this book because it was the cheapest book at the Strand? Yes. Is it now one of my favorite collections ever? Yes.

One of my least favorite volumes of this series.

There are a few pieces in here that didn't really register with me, but there are also pieces I will never forget. Favorites (You can find them all online): "The Uninhabitable Earth" by David Wallace-Wells "Cat Person" by Kristen Roupenian "A Refuge for Jae-in Doe: Fugues in the Key of English Major" by Seo-Young Chu"My Family's Slave" by Alex Tizon

A decent anthology with some powerful pieces. With that said I questioned the inclusion of some others. Overall I am a fan of The Best American series, but this lacked the extra “oomph” to merit 4 stars. This year’s The Best American Short Stories was a stronger collection.

The Best Nonrequired Reading 2018 is a collection of works edited by Sheila Heti. Essentially it's people telling stories about stories, but sometimes these works don't necessarily create stories. As a reader, I want a story. Three of the pieces in the collection did this for me and the last, a non-fiction piece, created stories within me. Those four are worth mentioning."My Family's Slave," by Alex Tizon is about a slave named, Lola living as such in an American household for 52 years. The stor...

There are always going to be some pieces in an anthology that you don’t like, but that’s what makes a good, diverse anthology. BANR is one of my favorite annual traditions, and this one rescues the series from 2017’s rather undistinguished showing. Glad it’s back!

Really great collection this year. My favorites:-"A Refuge for Jae-In Doe: Fugues in the Key of English Major," the aftermath of assault, written in poetry and prose, by Seo-Young Chu-"My Family's Slave," an essay by Alex Tizon-"Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild," a poem by Kathy Fish-"The Uninhabitable Earth," a series of essays on how climate disaster is even closer and likelier than we think; horror nonfiction by David Wallace-Wells-"Divine Providence," a story of a life's work that bec...

A Christmas gift from my younger brother! Sheila Heti is great, and I love this series. Refreshing to read exciting, well-written pieces across genres.

I'm a big fan of the "Best American ..." series, having gone through all the sports books, and several of the travel, nonfiction, and more. This is my first of the nonrequired reading genre.This book is uneven, in my opinion, as the there's an effort to stretch for the unusual or challenging that doesn't always work. A couple of pieces are presented in unusual ways, such as linked, numbered paragraphs, that would work with stronger material, but not here.Also, I can't stand comics or any type gr...