About this title: Edited by the critically acclaimed writer David Foster Wallace, this years collection includes such contributors as Jo Ann Beard, Mark Danner, Malcolm Gladwell, Louis Menand, Molly Peacock, and others.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: SOME ] [ Writing: SOME ] [ Torn pages: NO ] [ Broken Seams: NO ] Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Pub Date: 10/10/2007 Binding: Paperback Pages: 336. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date Published: 2007-10-10
ISBN-13:9780618709267ISBN:0618709266
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2007-10-10
ISBN-13:9780618709274ISBN:0618709274
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2007-10-10
ISBN-13:9780618709274ISBN:0618709274
Description: Good. Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket not necessarily included minimal wear to binding, majority of pages undamaged, minimal to no highlighting/underlining of text, no missing p. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780618709274ISBN:0618709274
Description: Good. Paperback With Moderate Wear To The Edges & Corners Of The Cover. Underlining Present. Great Customer Service. We Stand Behind All Of Our Products. read more
"I like David Foster Wallace, and this collection would be better if he had written the essays. The ones he picked, though, were often full of abstract thought, which is something his often are, but without the vigorous language and cramming-full-with-life quality that his often are. The result is a rather dry and boring Best American Essays. What is missing most is the selection of personal essays that the anthology usually offers. Sad."
"Lots of good stuff in here, but my favorites: "Werner" (Jo Ann Beard), "Iraq: The War of the Imagination" (Mark Danner), "What the Dog Saw" (Malcolm Gladwell), "Onward Christian Liberals" (Marilynne Robinson), "Disappointment" (Richard Rodriguez), "Dragon Slayers" (Jerald Walker), and of course the introducttion, "Deciderization 2007 - A Special Report" by Mr. Foster Wallace which had the following bit of wisdom that I'd like now to share:
"In sum, to really try to be informed and literate today is to feel stupid nearly all the time, and to need help.""
"Of course, the intro essay was fantastic and, in spite of his self-deprecating comments to the contrary, one of the best parts of the book. It makes me even madder at DFW for killing himself. Such a loss to all of us. He talks about how the best essays help us make sense of the glut of information that surrounds us, that somehow add to our understanding of the world rather than just our information about it. The first essay, Werner, about a man who escapes a fire, was absolutely amazing. So, in their own ways, were the essays about how we don't have a clue what we're doing in Iraq -- somehow, these essays were more illuminating than the usual essays of that kind, and made me realize that I really _don't_ know/understand what's going on there. There was an essay by Peter Singer that, as usual, made me think really hard about how much we give to help the poorest of the poor. Totally worth it for his intro alone, though."
"A bit too Iraq-War centric for me, but there are other essays in the collection well worth the read, especially the opening selection, which is one of the best descriptions of a tragedy that I have ever read. Wallace's intro is intriguing, though I have to admit that I probably would never have picked up the book if I did not have a curiosity into what he was about after he committed suicide last year."
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