The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2014

Starred review from November 3, 2014
Anthologies can be a mixed bag, particularly when editors try to include something for everyone. But this latest annual collection of "journalism, fiction, poetry, comics, stage plays, interviews and podcast transcripts" is consistently impressive, with nary a dud in the 32 previously published selections. Some of the contributorsâAmos Oz and Zadie Smith among themâare well known. Others, like newcomers Cole Becher and Rebecca Rukeyser, get an excellent showcase, these two for their vivid, visceral stories. Becher's haunting "Charybdis" has Iraq War vets adjusting to life (or not) back home, while Rukeyser's "The Chinese Barracks" chronicles a woman working in a cannery. The nonfiction entries are equally strong, numbering among them Nathaniel Rich's "The Man Who Saves You from Yourself," about a private investigator specializing in cults, and Luke Mogelson's "The Dream Boat," an account of Iraqis making a perilous journey from Indonesia to Australia. Other entries not to be missed include an amusing excerpt from Anders Nilsen's graphic novel, Rage of Poseidon, and Yasmine El Rashidi's interview with Egyptian activist Mona Eltahawy. This book provides a fantastic compendium of "In Case You Missed It."