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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 (originale 2005; edizione 2005)di Dave Eggers (A cura di), Beck (Introduzione)
Informazioni sull'operaThe Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 di Dave Eggers (Editor) (2005)
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 Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro.   ) JBD1 | Jul 29, 2017 |  I read and was really impressed by a couple of the later volumes in the series -- specifically the 2011 and 2012 editions -- so I figured I'd go back and check out some of the older ones. I have to say, though, that I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as those other two. That's probably partly my fault, though. The 2011 edition, which was the first one I read, featured some really excellent non-fiction pieces, which impressed me so much that, despite the fact that the next one was a lot more fiction-heavy, I seem to have gotten it thoroughly stuck into my head that this is a great series to go to when you're in the mood for some top-notch journalism. And, going into it in precisely that mood, it was a little hard not to be irrationally disappointed when the first nine pieces in the collection turned out to be short stories. Not that the fiction was bad. There were a couple of pieces I liked a great deal: Jhumpa Lahiri's "Hell-Heaven" immediately made me decide I needed to read more Jhumpa Lahiri, and George Saunders' "Manifesto" darned near made me cry and, short as it is, would still have made the entire collection worthwhile even if the rest of it had been awful. A lot more of it, though, was stuff that I can recognize as skillful, but that wasn't nearly as much to my taste. Alas, a story about bullfighting is probably never going to appeal to me, no matter how well it's written. And while I am certainly capable of appreciating slice-of-life literary stories about unmotivated characters with pathetic lives, there does seem to be a limit to how many of them I can take in short period of time, and that limit might have been exceeded in just those first nine stories. Ironically, I found the non-fiction in this one to be weaker, overall, than the fiction. A couple of the pieces actively annoyed me. Specifically, Al Franken's account of doing a USO show, complete with jokes that apparently the troops liked, but which I found deeply unfunny; and Kate Krautkramer's bizarre piece about removing teeth from roadkill for artistic purposes and not wanting to wear a fetal monitor while giving birth because she is just too sensitive a soul for science. I fear I may have sprained something in my face while rolling my eyes at that one. Anyway. I do still think this is a pretty cool series, and I'm still intending to read more of it, but this one definitely isn't going to go down as my favorite. (  ) bragan | Jun 3, 2016 | This year, the collection has one strange aspect – most of the selections are fiction. To me, the real strength of this series is usually the non-fiction. (In fact, the last one I reviewed was saved only by the non-fiction; the fiction choices were not that good.) However, in spite of the fact that well less than half of the 25 selections are non-fiction, the collection is excellent. And that is because of the strength of the fiction pieces – almost every single one stands on its own as a great piece of writing. Three of the memorable non-fiction pieces: Al Franken writes about his travels with the USO to Afghanistan and Iraq in “Tearaway Burkas and Tinplate Menorahs”. This serves as an excellent reminder that patriotism is firmly entrenched in both political persuasions. “The Lost Boys” by Jeff Gordinier provides insight into a slightly different aspect of the plural marriages occurring in the Arizona Strip – the men and boys who are apparently excommunicated to remove the competition. “They Came Out Like Ants!” by William T. Vollman which explores the history of the Chinese in Calexico and the mysterious underground tunnels within the town. And each piece of fiction has its own attraction. A few of them stand out (Jessica Anthony’s “The Death of Mustango Salvaje” which relates the story of a successful female matador and the occasion of her final bullfight, J. David Stevens’ “The Joke” which follows the fate of four characters waiting for their joke to finish [as well as the fate of their creator], or Aimee Bender’s “A Tiger Mending” about two sisters – one of which is such an excellent seamstress that she is hired to help mend the tigers) but, even if the quick synopsis of their plots renders them ineffective, each will grip and stop you as you read it. One of the best of collections of one of the best series you will ever read. (  ) figre | May 31, 2010 |  ) woodge | Nov 20, 2009 | I guess I liked about half the stories. Some of the ones that still stir a memory definitely had an impact, but there were others that were just annoying. The second story, The Death of Mustang Salvaje, was memorable, about a female bullfighter and her struggles with this eminently male sport. Tiger Mending was short and sweet, as was Manifesto. Free Burgers for Life was interesting but annoying. A Lynching in Stereoscope was very good - two interwoven tales told in parallel. The Lost Boys was an essay about polygamists in the west and what happens to the boys who are expelled from the groups to improve the ratio of old men to young girls. Lastly I found the Myth of the Frequent Flier to be interesting, and also Diary of a Journal Reader. The story that I got stuck on and just forced myself to pick up and finish was They Came Out Like Ants! It was about searching for tunnels where Chinese workers lived and hid in Mexicali. ( ) LisaMorr | Nov 23, 2008 | nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
The Best American Series First, Best, and Best-Selling The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. For each volume, the very best pieces are selected by a leading writer in the field, making the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 includes Daniel Alarcón * Aimee Bender * Dan Chaon * Daniel Clowes * Tish Durkin * Stephen Elliott * Al Franken * Jhumpa Lahiri * Rattawut Lapcharoensap * Anders Nilsen * Georges Saunders * William T. Vollmann * and others And perhaps you even know that in the storefront of the San Francisco tutoring center, we sell supplies to buccaneers. Yes, you know this. We sell eyepatches, peg legs, lard, planks (by the foot), hand replacements, puffy shirts, and red and white striped socks. This is true. We run the Bay Area’s only independent pirate-supply store, but this is not easy. As you know, we have competition. There is a chain pirate-supply store, and every week, it seems, they open a new franchise, encroaching ever more closely on our territory, such as it is. Can we survive the tidal wave that is known as Captain Rick’s Booty Cove? We are not sure, but we intend to fight to the end. Who is Captain Rick? you ask. That is what many people want to know. He claims to be a seafarer of some renown, who, after many decades on the ocean, decided to hang up his parrot and perpetual tan and open a few humble supply shops. Sounds like a nice story -- if it were true. In the interest of informing you, the buying public, about Captain Rick, we’re enclosing in these pages six of our ongoing informational posters about Captain Rick. Once a week or so, 826 Valencia publishes its newest findings about our competitor, and though this may not be the most appropriate venue, the truth must be heard. One thing not mentioned in these announcements is that Captain Rick’s planks are made of balsa. Balsa is no good for planks. (From the foreword by Dave Eggers) Dave Eggers is the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know Our Velocity!, and How We Are Hungry, and the editor of McSweeney's. He is the founder of 826 Valencia, a San Francisco writing lab for young people. Beck, whose single "Loser" was instantly labeled an anthem for the slacker generation, is also known for his Grammy Award-winning albums Odelay and Mutations. Tony Millionaire (cover art) is the creator of Maakies, one of the most popular alternative newspaper comic strips in the world, and of the award-winning comic book Sock Monkey. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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 Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni...GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)810.08Literature English (North America) American literature American LiteratureClassificazione LCVotoMedia: (3.69)
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