The Best American Short Stories 2001

Rating:
Summary: Worthy and uplifting
Review: There is a solemn streak running through this collection. People die in most of the stories. The general idea seems to be that they are supposed to give us insights into human nature and, to be fair, they often succeed.
No science fiction is included. The editors don't say that this exclusion is a policy.It would be interesting to know whether any was considered. Is science fiction too frivolous? For me science fiction is the genre where I am most likely to read short stories rather than full length novels.
The word "American" is broadly interpreted; two stories are set in China, one in the Himalayas, one in Wales and one in Madagascar.
It's tempting to review a short story collection by picking out the ones I like best. In this case the five stars belong to the excellent Foreword by Katrina Kenison (who made the preliminary selection) and the Introduction by Barbara Kingsolver (who didn't have to work so hard) giving reasons we should read short stories and berating us for not doing so.
One reason I read collections like this is the hope of coming across a writer I didn't previously know and must rush out and read read more of. A problem with this collection for this particular purpose is that it contains work by well-known writers; one of the stories I liked best was by a writer whose every book is already on my shelves. The collections are also good for reading on flights with short hops (I bought this one at Logan Airport). For reading in bed or flying to California I need longer narratives.