BEST AMERICAN MAGAZINE WRITING 2009 

Featuring: Chris Jones, David Lipsky and Selena Roberts 

More and more readers turn to The Best American Magazine Writing for their annual fix of the year’s most captivating essays, columns, reporting, and criticism. Chosen from the winners and finalists of the 2009 National Magazine Awards, this year’s selections include the haunting story by Chris Jones (Esquire) of an American soldier’s final journey home; James Wood’s brilliant critique of the award-winning novelist Marilynne Robinson (The New Yorker); a compelling column by Naomi Klein (The Nation) on the return of class consciousness in America; two biting reviews of recent books on feminism by Sandra Tsing Loh (The Atlantic); and a moving and insightful account by David Lipsky (Rolling Stone) of David Foster Wallace and his final days.
 
Also featured are a fascinating report by Ryan Lizza (The New Yorker) on the significance of Chicago in the making of Barack Obama; an unforgettable profile by Hanna Rosin (The Atlantic) of a transgendered child struggling to be normal in rural America; absorbing reflections by Tom Chiarella (Esquire) on apprenticing as a butcher in an Indianapolis meat market; and an amusing look by Sean Flynn (GQ) at the legacy of the late singer and unstoppable personality, James Brown. Chris Anderson, popular commentator and author of the best-selling book The Long Tail adds his own, not-to-be-missed introduction. “Take a break from the screen and dive in,” he writes. “I think you’ll emerge, many pages later, no longer worrying about the future of print.”

“Consistent excellence distinguishes this annual series. . . . Significance and relevance delivered by way of superlative prose and keen journalistic investigation.”—Kirkus

“Balanced, comprehensive, thought-provoking, involving, and well-crafted.”—Library Journal
 
“The compulsive readability of a good novel, but the immediacy and moral power of good journalism.”—Irish Times

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is a nonprofit professional organization for editors of print and online magazines edited, published, and distributed in the United States. Established in 1963, ASME consists of close to 900 members nationwide and, in association with the Columbia School of Journalism, sponsors the National Magazine Awards.