damsorrow's review against another edition
3.0
David Foster Wallace and the hostess essay were my favorites. Oh god, and against my better judgment, the fucking awesome Val Kilmer essay by Chuck Klosterman. Zen. Most of the rest had the middle-aged whole-foods shoppin' white gen x liberal vibe that makes me all embarrassed for my greater political family. Come on Dad, you're embarrassing me.
danakm's review against another edition
4.0
There were one or two stories that were terribly boring but overall the stories were a good pick. They were ranging in topics and style but all well relatively well written (relatively because of the boring ones) and meaningful.
mirage811's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent compilation of non-fiction pieces. For fun, read the one about Val Kilmer or the futbol hooligans. For something a little darker, read the piece about Saddam Hussein or World War II. A great collection!
edboies's review against another edition
4.0
I felt far too white after reading this. Still, it was good.
stenaros's review against another edition
4.0
A fabulous collection of nonfiction writers. It turns out I'm a somewhat "king reader of nonfiction" as I have read three of the pieces in the book in various sources. (Dan Savage's Republican Journey, Michael Pollan's Power Steer and James McManus' World Series of Poker.) Ira Glass, my radio boyfriend, says in the introduction:
"As far as I'm concerned, we're living in an age of great nonfiction wiriting, in the same way that the 1920s and 30s were a golden age for American Popular Song. Giants walk among us. Cole Porters and George Gershwins and Duke Ellington's of nonfiction storytelling. They're trying new things and doing pirouettes with the form. But nobody talks about it that way."
I loved almost all of the pieces in this collection and reading it, I lamented that I don't have time in my life right now for a subscription to Harpers and Atlantic Monthly where I used to read great nonfiction like this all the time. I can still remember reading the World Series of Poker article. I was completely absorbed and not only do I not play poker, I don't really understand the rules of the game. The way the article was written, however, pulled me in. How far would James McManus make it in the World Series? From that point on, any reference to poker in my life was immediately linked to that article.
In this book, I particularly enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's titled "Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg." Do you know Lois? I wouldn't be surpised. I also liked "Losing the War" by Lee Sandlin. In 50 pages Lee Sandlin gave an overview of World War II and challenged me to think differently about the D-Day invasion. I'm ashamed to say that "Host" was only the second or third piece I've read by David Foster Wallace though I have read a lot about him. I love his footnotes (see rant in the review of "The Year of Living Biblically") and his footnotes within footnotes were particularly delightful. I think his writing style most emulates how people read things on the internet.
Great short nonfiction informs people without the time or inclination to immerse themselves in a subject, for it provides enough information to get them asking questions. When done right, it successfully transports the reader to another world.
"As far as I'm concerned, we're living in an age of great nonfiction wiriting, in the same way that the 1920s and 30s were a golden age for American Popular Song. Giants walk among us. Cole Porters and George Gershwins and Duke Ellington's of nonfiction storytelling. They're trying new things and doing pirouettes with the form. But nobody talks about it that way."
I loved almost all of the pieces in this collection and reading it, I lamented that I don't have time in my life right now for a subscription to Harpers and Atlantic Monthly where I used to read great nonfiction like this all the time. I can still remember reading the World Series of Poker article. I was completely absorbed and not only do I not play poker, I don't really understand the rules of the game. The way the article was written, however, pulled me in. How far would James McManus make it in the World Series? From that point on, any reference to poker in my life was immediately linked to that article.
In this book, I particularly enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's titled "Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg." Do you know Lois? I wouldn't be surpised. I also liked "Losing the War" by Lee Sandlin. In 50 pages Lee Sandlin gave an overview of World War II and challenged me to think differently about the D-Day invasion. I'm ashamed to say that "Host" was only the second or third piece I've read by David Foster Wallace though I have read a lot about him. I love his footnotes (see rant in the review of "The Year of Living Biblically") and his footnotes within footnotes were particularly delightful. I think his writing style most emulates how people read things on the internet.
Great short nonfiction informs people without the time or inclination to immerse themselves in a subject, for it provides enough information to get them asking questions. When done right, it successfully transports the reader to another world.
timothygarrison's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting stories from unique perspectives. It's an anthology, so it's easy non-fiction to read without getting bored. I skipped the last one, but it was about poker, and since I have no interest, I felt obliged to give it back to the library in case somebody else wanted it.
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
All of the most interesting pieces are in the beginning of this anthology. It starts to drag by the last half of the book.
lpreadstoo's review against another edition
Like many collections of short pieces, this book includes some sections that are compelling and others that fall flat. I'd heard and enjoyed Susan Orlean's "The American Man, Age 10" as a radio piece, and this longer published version is one of the book highlights. "Power Steer" uses a compelling structure to highlight what we all know is wrong with American factory farms in an engaging way. Other pieces that stand out are "Toxic Dreams" and "Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy." Worth reading, if it does require some sifting to find the better pieces.