Rating: 
Summary: Must Miss
Review: This anthology is dull, dull, dull, full of mediocre writers who couldn't achieve recognition if it wasn't for the keen perceptive eyes of Dave Eggers and Zadie Smith, two "literary powerhouses"--yeah, I even have to laugh at that one. If you hate Smith and Eggers, you'll hate this anthology even more. This volume is titled Nonrequired Reading for a reason. It's somewhat amusing to skim through while you're on the toilet, but I can't say that it merits anything more than a cynical chuckle, before being tossed into the garbage bin with last month's Cosmo.
Rating:
Summary: Must Miss
Review: This anthology is dull, dull, dull, full of mediocre writers who couldn't achieve recognition if it wasn't for the keen perceptive eyes of Dave Eggers and Zadie Smith, two "literary powerhouses"--yeah, I even have to laugh at that one. If you hate Smith and Eggers, you'll hate this anthology even more. This volume is titled Nonrequired Reading for a reason. It's somewhat amusing to skim through while you're on the toilet, but I can't say that it merits anything more than a cynical chuckle, before being tossed into the garbage bin with last month's Cosmo.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking variety
Review: This category was added last year - short pieces from periodicals big and small, chosen for young adults by young adults - San Francisco high school kids. A dubious prospect. But, whether it's youthful enthusiasm or the editor's "firm, unrelenting" guidance, the result is a funny, serious, edgy, clever and thoughtful mix, for all ages.There's a long, quietly chilling piece on Saddam Hussein by Mark Bowden and a buoyantly resolute piece on growing up American and Muslim during the first Gulf War by V. Kvashay-Boyle. A number of pieces turn on the traumas of childhood and dealing with family. "Then there's the time I went as Hitler for Halloween," begins Ryan Boudinot. David Drury gets childhood cruelty and suburban conformity down pat in "Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire." David Sedaris, funny as ever, offers up his family on his brother, Rooster's, wedding day, and Jonathan Safran Foer has a clever piece on the silences of family communication. More edgy are Douglas Light's wrenching story of abandoned sisters, J.T. Leroy's tale of an angry, ambitious, homeless boy, and Judy Budnitz' eerie, creepy story of a girl visiting her busted-up brother in the hospital. The journalism is first rate, especially George Packer's fascinating exploration of what, exactly, happens to all those donated clothes, "How Susie Bayer's T-Shirt Ended Up on Yusuf Mama's Back;" and Chuck Closterman's profile of a tribute band, "The Pretenders." Shorter pieces - Sherman Alexie's meditative "What Sacagawea Means to Me," as well as the Onion's humorous "I'll Try Anything with a Detached Air of Superiority," and Amanda Holzer's brief, smart, story in song titles - round out the mix. Whether funny, grim, hip, winsome or informative, all these pieces are stimulating, gripping, thought-provoking. An excellent, well-balanced anthology.
Rating:
Summary: Very fun read
Review: This eclectic collection of writing was loaned to me by a friend who thought it would be right up my alley. She was right! I had never heard of the series and am now seeking out the other years of "Nonrequired Reading." Every selection is different, so you are bound to love something in here. Several entries had me giggling delightedly. Others had me crying. Most I just enjoyed without any sloppy emotionalism. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Nonrequired collection
Review: This is the second collection of the Best American Nonrequired Reading series. Like the first volume, this is a collection of a wide variety of writing, both fiction and nonfiction alike. Also, like the first volume, there are a few excellent pieces in this collection with the rest being good, but not quite as good. A couple of the standout pieces are Mark Bowden's "Tales of the Tyrant", Daniel Voll's "Riot Baby", and Ryan Boidinot's "The Littlest Hitler". The Tyrant in question in Bowden's piece is Saddam Hussein, and this is a very interesting look at the dictator. Daniel Voll's article is about a boy who was born during the L.A. Riots a decade ago. "The Littlest Hitler" is an excellent short story. Other pieces that I would highlight are: "Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire", "The Guide to Being a Groupie", "Love, and Other Catastrophes: A Mix Tape", "I'll Try Anything With a Detached Air of Superiority", "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post", and "Lost Boys". These are not the only pieces that I enjoyed, and as a whole, I would say that this collection was better than the first. There were fewer weaker pieces, and the Nonrequired Reading collection is one to look for every year.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Nonrequired collection
Review: This is the second collection of the Best American Nonrequired Reading series. Like the first volume, this is a collection of a wide variety of writing, both fiction and nonfiction alike. Also, like the first volume, there are a few excellent pieces in this collection with the rest being good, but not quite as good. A couple of the standout pieces are Mark Bowden's "Tales of the Tyrant", Daniel Voll's "Riot Baby", and Ryan Boidinot's "The Littlest Hitler". The Tyrant in question in Bowden's piece is Saddam Hussein, and this is a very interesting look at the dictator. Daniel Voll's article is about a boy who was born during the L.A. Riots a decade ago. "The Littlest Hitler" is an excellent short story. Other pieces that I would highlight are: "Things We Knew When the House Caught Fire", "The Guide to Being a Groupie", "Love, and Other Catastrophes: A Mix Tape", "I'll Try Anything With a Detached Air of Superiority", "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post", and "Lost Boys". These are not the only pieces that I enjoyed, and as a whole, I would say that this collection was better than the first. There were fewer weaker pieces, and the Nonrequired Reading collection is one to look for every year.
Rating: 
Summary: a step down
Review: This is the second year of the Best American's newest series, The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Last year's volume was an interesting mix of work. This year is another interesting mix of work, though I will say that it is not nearly as good as last year's volume. Let's focus on the best pieces, which includes Zadie Smith's introduction (skip the weak forward by Eggers). There is also a great article by Mark Bowden (who brought us Black Hawk Down), David Drury, Aamanda Holzer (great way to tell a story, by listing songs), Chuck Klosterman, Daniel Voll, and David Sedaris, who is great as he always is. I'd skip the pieces by Sherman Alexie, Lynda Barry, Michael Buckley, Dylan Landis, Andrea Lee, Nasdijj, and John Verbos--they're pretty weak. Still, the stronger pieces do make up for the weaker ones. But I do hope Eggers is careful, or next year he'll run the risk of turning this into another mediocre Pushcart-type volume.
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