The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016 book cover

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016

Paperback – Illustrated, October 4, 2016

Price
$11.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
432
Publisher
Mariner Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0544812116
Dimensions
5.5 x 1.05 x 8.25 inches
Weight
12.8 ounces

Description

“An eclectic collection chosen by a committee of San Francisco area high school students and brimming with wonderful short stories, journalism, interviews and poetry.”— TAMPA BAY TIMES "A wealth of strong material makes The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016 valuable reading."— POPMATTERS "What they have given us is a gift....xa0One wonders how the world might be different if works in Best American Nonrequired Reading were indeed required." —USA TODAY “A wide-ranging collection of civic-minded, literary, entertaining reads.” —BOOKLIST — In a small but comfortable conference room, in a publishing house in San Francisco, a group of high school students met weekly over the past year to read literary magazines, chapbooks, graphic novels, and countless articles. They had some good times. There was a whiteboard in the conference room, and often cartoons were drawn on this whiteboard. The cartoons were of varying quality. By the end of the year, with the help of a similar committee of high school students in Ann Arbor, and their guest editor, Rachel Kushner, they selected the contents of this anthology. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016 features stories about Bulgarian spaceships, psychedelic mushroom therapy, and a cyclorama in Iowa. If you don’t know what a cyclorama is, you aren’t alone. Read on to find out. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016 includes JESSE BALL, N. R. KLEINFIELD, REBECCA MAKKAI, DAN HOY, MICHAEL POLLAN, MARILYNNE ROBINSON, DANA SPIOTTA, ADRIAN TOMINE, INARA VERZEMNIEKS and others Rachel Kushner, guest editor, is the author of The Flamethrowers, which was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award and one of the New York Times ’s top five novels of 2013. Kushner’s debut novel, Telex from Cuba, was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, a winner of the California Book Award, and a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book. 826 NATIONAL is a family of seven nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping underserved students, ages six through eighteen, with their creative and expository writing skills. They're located in San Francisco. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • In a small but comfortable conference room, in a publishing house in San Francisco, a group of high school students met weekly over the past year to read literary magazines, chapbooks, graphic novels, and countless articles. They had some good times. There was a whiteboard in the conference room, and often cartoons were drawn on this whiteboard. The cartoons were of varying quality. By the end of the year, with the help of a similar committee of high school students in Ann Arbor, and their guest editor, Rachel Kushner, they selected the contents of this anthology.
  • The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016
  • features stories about Bulgarian spaceships, psychedelic mushroom therapy, and a cyclorama in Iowa. If you don’t know what a cyclorama is, you aren’t alone. Read on to find out.
  • The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016
  • includes N. R. KLEINFIELD,  ANNA KOVATCHEVA, DAN HOY, ANTHONY MARRA, MICHAEL POLLAN, MARILYNNE ROBINSON, DANA SPIOTTA, ADRIAN TOMINE, INARA VERZEMNIEKS
  • and others
  • Rachel Kushner, guest editor, is the author of
  • The Flamethrowers,
  • which was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award and one of the
  • New York Times
  • ’s top five novels of 2013. Kushner’s debut novel,
  • Telex from Cuba,
  • was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, a winner of the California Book Award, and a
  • New York Times
  • bestseller and Notable Book.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(64)
★★★★
25%
(53)
★★★
15%
(32)
★★
7%
(15)
23%
(48)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

A MUST BUY! SELECTED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS--GREAT IDEA!

This is an annual "must-buy" for our household, a tradition we started when my daughter was in high school. There are so many great writers represented here, in so many formats, from poetry and comics to essays and short stories. The allure of this series among many younger readers is that the content is selected by high school students in two cities. (I don't know if those cities are fixed, or if they move every year.) These students work for a number of months, reading stacks of literary journals, and obscure poetry and comics publications.The result is a beautiful mixture of great writing. You'll capture the heart of a young (but dedicated) reader if you introduce her/him to this annual. Enjoy!
4 people found this helpful
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buy the 2015 edition instead

not as good as the 2015 edition - too much about controversial political issues that I read to get away from
2 people found this helpful
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... something new to read and this has been a great resource.

One of my boys is always looking for something new to read and this has been a great resource.
2 people found this helpful
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Eclectic collection of diverse reads

Nice curated collection assembled by very talented youth editors and their mentors. Fun to read.
2 people found this helpful
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Not what I expected - thought it would be like the best published anthologies of fiction

Not what I expected - thought it would be like the best published anthologies of fiction, non fiction each year. This had some very boring stories, boring stories and not so good stories.
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Five Stars

This is a great reading series...enjoyed it immensely!!
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Great book for older teens - but adults will like it too

This is an excellent book for older teenagers. The stories are selected by teenagers. And they make good reading for older people as well.
It is interesting to see what stories and articles appeal to the younger generation.
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Bought as gift

Wish I had bought for myself too. Best selection of supplemental reading for the high school classroom.
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FUN, THOUGHTFUL, OFF-BEAT AND ENTERTAINING!

As ana author of 2 light science/fi books that Kirkus Review sid were "delightful" CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE MOONS AND SHERLOCK MARS I enjoyed this collection of stories. Off beat and entertaining.
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quirky well written essays

read this series every year. keeps me informed and up to date.