The Best American Essays 2005

Book 26 of my 2018 Reading Challenge

The Best American Essays 2005

Summary

The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind.
The Best American Essays 2005 includes
Roger Angell • Andrea Barrett • Jonathan Franzen • Ian Frazier • Edward Hoagland • Ted Kooser • Jonathan Lethem • Danielle Ofri • Oliver Sacks • Cathleen Schine • David Sedaris • Robert Stone • David Foster Wallace • and others

My Opinion

As with any collection of essays, especially by different authors, there will be some hits and some misses.  I gave this book 3 stars because it seemed to be pretty evenly divided between the two.  I jotted down a few words about each essay as I was reading and will include them now.

La Vie en Rose - didn't get invested or interested.

The Sea of Information - To quote the essay, "So what is it, then, that I'm trying to say?"  I wondered the same thing even after I read the whole thing.

Storm Country - really good, descriptive writing.  I felt like I was there.

Joyas Voladoras - short but good. 

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog - I'm not familiar with diagramming sentences.  It looks confusing but kind of fun at the same time.

The Comfort Zone - surprisingly long but kept my interest.

If Memory Doesn't Serve - cute story that I really enjoyed reading.  It reminded me of the time before Google when I had to sit and see if the answer to a question would pop into my head suddenly. 

Against Exercise - I like the title right off the bat.  Interesting thoughts but a long way to say it.  I loved the line, "Nothing can make you believe we harbor nostalgia for factory work but a modern gym."

Small Silences - too long and meandering.  I don't disagree with his viewpoint of the need for preserving nature and animals but a lecture didn't feel right coming from a guy who made his observations while working in circuses.

Small Rooms in Time - My favorite!  Like all good ones, I felt it was over too quickly.  Really vivid.

Speak, Hoyt-Schermerhorn - tough one to get through.  Must have an interest in subways to enjoy this essay and living in Iowa, I don't even have basic knowledge of them.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - really, really good.  It covered her life in a way that felt light but was very revealing.

Contributor's Note - original topic but universal when thinking of all the readings I've watched.

My Friend Lodovico - cute, easy read.

Living Will - I was invested.

Dog Days - reminded me of a Sunday NPR story.  Nice and easygoing.

Speed - boring and long.

Dog Trouble - very descriptive.  I can't imagine putting that much effort in.

Old Faithful - I feel like I've read this essay before.  I loved the description of someone that is dramatic when sick as, "A tiny splinter works itself into his palm and he claims to know exactly how Jesus must have felt on the cross."

Six Seconds - fascinating and depressing.

Skill Display in Birding Groups - boring.

The Prince of Possibility - someone may enjoy this essay but that someone isn't me.

Dining with Robots - boring.

Consider the Lobster - footnotes are very overused.  I learned a fun fact: lobster was only eaten by poor people until the 1800's since they were so easily found and was definitely not considered fancy like it is today.  In fact, "some colonies had laws against feeding lobsters to inmates more than once a week because it was thought to be cruel and unusual, like making people eat rats."

Satin Worship - meh.

Quote from the Book

"That [essays] continue to be written and read is enduring proof that, all indications to the contrary, our voices matter to each other; that we do wonder what goes on inside each other's heads; that we wan to know each other, and we want to be known. Nothing is more meaningful - more human, really - than our efforts to tell each other the story of ourselves, of what it's like to be who we are, to think the things we think, to live the lives we live."