An eclectic volume introduced by David Sedaris and compiled by Dave Eggers and students of his San Francisco writing center, who don’t leave a stone unturned in their search for nonrequired gems.
Cover art by art by Maurice Sendak.
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Review
"Thriller addicts who love intricate webs of conspiracy mixed with an adrenalin rush of action and global adventure will snap this one up." (Library Journal on The Bourne Objective )
"Reading a Ludlum novel is like watching a James Bond film...slickly paced...all-consuming." (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY )
"Complicated, action-packed.... it's a testament to Lustbader's skills that he can keep everyone in place and blazing away without losing track of the ongoing plot." (PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
)
"The twists, the nonstop action, and the multilayered plot that Ludlum fans expect are here in abundance. Fans of the Bourne films will eat this one up." (BOOKLIST )
Fans of the book and movie franchise will love this new plot-driven international thriller...This is classic Bourne."
(Carol Memmott, USA Today
) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Reading a Ludlum novel is like watching a James Bond film...slickly paced...all-consuming." (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY )
"Complicated, action-packed.... it's a testament to Lustbader's skills that he can keep everyone in place and blazing away without losing track of the ongoing plot." (PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
)
"The twists, the nonstop action, and the multilayered plot that Ludlum fans expect are here in abundance. Fans of the Bourne films will eat this one up." (BOOKLIST )
Fans of the book and movie franchise will love this new plot-driven international thriller...This is classic Bourne."
(Carol Memmott, USA Today
) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
DAVE EGGERS is the editor of McSweeney’s and a cofounder of 826 National, a network of nonprofit writing and tutoring centers for youth, located in seven cities across the United States. He is the author of four books, including What Is the What and How We Are Hungry.
David Sedaris is the author of six books, including When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and Public Radio International�s This American Life.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's Not Required But It's Worth Extra Credit
Oct 11 2010
By takingadayoff
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The pieces in Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010 are fiction and nonfiction, articles, stories, lists, and comics, chosen from online blogs and publications as well as print magazines. The front section consists of the short items, mostly lists, mostly funny, some just silly. Among the funny is a short blog post - Best American Woman Comedy Piece Written By a Woman by Wendy Molyneux.
The larger second part of the book is an unsorted group of stories and essays. Without much context (such as Best American Short Stories or Best American Travel Writing) it was not always clear which pieces were fiction and which were nonfiction. I found this uncertainty rather invigorating. Is Sherman Alexie telling stories or is this a moment of truth? I vote truth. Did Evan Ratliff really Vanish? Truth, I think. Is Bryan Furuness really the Man of Steel? Fiction, probably. I hope the tent city of George Saunders' journalistic piece is fiction, but I'm afraid it's fact.
The Photographer is a combination of photojournalism and comic about a Doctors Without Borders mission in an Afghanistan war zone. The photos are from the 1980s, when the Soviet Union was fighting the Mujahideen. Coincidentally, I found out about the artist, Emmanuel Guibert, a few days ago when I was listening to a podcast about his inspiration for a previous book, Alan's War, about a US soldier who settled in France after he fought there during World War II.
The "nonrequired" in the title of the book appealed to me, probably because I have read so many reviews lately that insist that "this book should be required reading." Imagine someone shoving a book in your face and instructing "You have to read this book!" Even if it's your best friend and you were planning on reading that book anyway, your reaction is to lose enthusiasm. Now that it's an assignment, you no longer look forward to it. Your well-meaning friend has ruined it for you. So a sarcastic thanks to Publisher's Weekly for their quoted review for this very book "...nonrequired reading that should be required."
The larger second part of the book is an unsorted group of stories and essays. Without much context (such as Best American Short Stories or Best American Travel Writing) it was not always clear which pieces were fiction and which were nonfiction. I found this uncertainty rather invigorating. Is Sherman Alexie telling stories or is this a moment of truth? I vote truth. Did Evan Ratliff really Vanish? Truth, I think. Is Bryan Furuness really the Man of Steel? Fiction, probably. I hope the tent city of George Saunders' journalistic piece is fiction, but I'm afraid it's fact.
The Photographer is a combination of photojournalism and comic about a Doctors Without Borders mission in an Afghanistan war zone. The photos are from the 1980s, when the Soviet Union was fighting the Mujahideen. Coincidentally, I found out about the artist, Emmanuel Guibert, a few days ago when I was listening to a podcast about his inspiration for a previous book, Alan's War, about a US soldier who settled in France after he fought there during World War II.
The "nonrequired" in the title of the book appealed to me, probably because I have read so many reviews lately that insist that "this book should be required reading." Imagine someone shoving a book in your face and instructing "You have to read this book!" Even if it's your best friend and you were planning on reading that book anyway, your reaction is to lose enthusiasm. Now that it's an assignment, you no longer look forward to it. Your well-meaning friend has ruined it for you. So a sarcastic thanks to Publisher's Weekly for their quoted review for this very book "...nonrequired reading that should be required."
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect!
Nov 4 2010
By Eileen Granfors
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
A book edited by Dave Eggers with an intro by David Sedaris, how can we resist?
In "The Best American Nonrequired Reading" we get lots of laughs in things like "Fast-food Related Crimes" and "Best American Magazine Letters."
But there's also a section of "Six-Word Memoirs About Love and Heartbreak"--this will turn a lot of readers into believers about the power of 6-word memoirs as a viable reading form and a viable, meaningful writing form.
"Overqualified Cover Letters" and "Best American Fictional Names" seemed to be stuck in one gear, but still entertained me.
Part II is devoted to short fiction. If you think short stories are a lost art form, think again. We have George Saunders' "Tent City, USA" and Elizabeth Gonzalez, "Half Beat."
This is a great book for taking on a trip. You can dive into any chapter for any length of time and come out feeling enlightened or at least amused.
Good idea for an anthology, gentlemen!
In "The Best American Nonrequired Reading" we get lots of laughs in things like "Fast-food Related Crimes" and "Best American Magazine Letters."
But there's also a section of "Six-Word Memoirs About Love and Heartbreak"--this will turn a lot of readers into believers about the power of 6-word memoirs as a viable reading form and a viable, meaningful writing form.
"Overqualified Cover Letters" and "Best American Fictional Names" seemed to be stuck in one gear, but still entertained me.
Part II is devoted to short fiction. If you think short stories are a lost art form, think again. We have George Saunders' "Tent City, USA" and Elizabeth Gonzalez, "Half Beat."
This is a great book for taking on a trip. You can dive into any chapter for any length of time and come out feeling enlightened or at least amused.
Good idea for an anthology, gentlemen!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Bag
Nov 19 2010
By Buffy
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
A very wide range of pieces in here. There are lists, blog entries, magazine articles, comics...it's all over the place. It will really be hit or miss on whether you like something so I'd rate this 2.5 our of 5 stars. A little too jumbled for my tastes.
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