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I bought this book because Dave Eggers was the editor and I loved A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I was not disappointed by his selection overall. There were several smart, funny, thoughtful, and moving stories throughout. Pamphlets was touching in particular, and several others made me laugh out loud. I did feel the review was a little heavy politically, but I just avoided the stories that didn't grab me within the first paragraph or so. I read all but three. The ones I did read made it worth the money.
"The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002" is the first of a "best of" anthology series for the 15- to 25-year-old crowd culled from a variety of sources, including e-zines. As a literature professor over 50, I can say that persons of all ages will appreciate these pieces. Nonrequired? Earnest, casual posturing aside, this is a strong collection that includes short bursts of reportage, feature writing, fiction, satire, and even a comic strip. Michael Cart writes with self-consciously casual language in his foreword and Dave Eggers- "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"- replaces his portion of the introduction with a memoir of pool-hopping and awkward sexual desire. The two pieces from "The Onion" like water in this context, easily outweighed by works like "The Lost Boys," "My Fake Job," and "Higher Education." Some under-25 readers may still flee the book, feel targeted, but, as one of the largest age groups of readers, most should appreciate their coming of age. Michael Cart and Dave Eggers do an impressive job collecting these pieces, having the wisdom to include large focus groups of "young adults"- a term the editors dislike- in their quest. "The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002" provides the most grown-up young adult fiction excerpts I've ever read. Astute college professors and high school teachers would be wise to include this, and all of the subsequent annual anthologies, in their required reading curriculum.Read full review
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