Rate this book

The Best American Essays 2013 (2013)

by Robert Atwan(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0544103882 (ISBN13: 9780544103887)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Mariner Books

review 1: Disappointed! This was full of depressing drivel. The tone of the works was dark and there was no nugget of inspiration, morality, ethics, etc to chew on. Basically each work focused on something happening to someone and them dying. OK, so what about it. The human experience is mired in hard times and darkness. That's life, I get it. However, if I'm going to spend my time reading about someone else's hardships, I'd like to have my own takeaway. This basically felt like listening to people vent about bad things, and not in an interesting way. This was why Strayed's Wild was panned. Many critics complained about her focus on the bad and whining. I did enjoy Wild despite the whining, it seemed to have a message. Most of these stories do not and are purely boring and depressin... moreg. If you are looking for a 2012 Best American read, pick up the Science and Nature Writing. It was really good this year.
review 2: BAE 2013 is a good addition to your creative nonfiction library—well it is to mine, which includes just the Touchstone anthology. But it does leave a bit to be desired, seeing as they're all mostly personal essays. Not that there's anything wrong with a personal essay, but most of these are also quite straightforward narratives. Some of my favorite essays play with techniques and structure. Though there are several duds (I had to skip two snoozers), it's no surprise that my favorite from this collection and one of my new favorite essays is "When They Let Them Bleed" by Tod Goldberg. Other notables: "Night," "Highway of Lost Girls," "The Exhibit Will Be So Marked," "The Girls in My Town," "Epilogue: Deadkidistan," and "The Book of Knowledge. less

Download links for: The Best American Essays 2013

Advertising