The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. For each volume, the very best pieces are selected by a leading writer in the field, making the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its kind.

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 includes:

Daniel Alarcón ? Aimee Bender ? Dan Chaon ? Daniel Clowes ? Tish Durkin ? Stephen Elliott ? Al Franken ? Jhumpa Lahiri ? Rattawut Lapcharoensap ? Anders Nilsen ? Georges Saunders ? William T. Vollmann ? and others

Pulled once again from the hip to the mainstream, this collection of fiction, nonfiction, alternative comics, and "anything else that defies categorization" (USA Today) is as fresh and bold as ever. Compiled by Dave Eggers and students from his San Francisco writing center, it's "a bouillabaisse of nonrequired reading that should be required" (Publishers Weekly). Contributors include Jhumpa Lahiri, George Saunders, William Langewiesche, Stephen Elliott, and others.

With the help of a cadre of Bay Area writing students, Eggers has again assembled an eclectic collection of fiction, nonfiction, humor, journalism, and alternative comics.

Dave Eggers, editor, is the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know Our Velocity!, and How We Are Hungry, and the editor of McSweeney's. He is the founder of 826 Valencia, a San Francisco writing lab for young people.

Beck, guest introducer, whose single "Loser" was instantly labeled an anthem for the slacker generation, is also known for his Grammy Award-winning albums Odelay, Mutations, and most recently, Guero.

'CONTENTS

Foreword by Dave Eggers xi

Introduction by Beck xxx

Joe Sayers. Passing Periods xii, xv

from Passing Periods

Anders Nilsen. The Mediocrity Principle xiii–xiv

from Blood Orange

Daniel Alarcón. Florida 1

from Swink

Jessica Anthony. The Death of Mustango Salvaje 15

from McSweeney's

Aimee Bender. Tiger Mending 39

from BlackBook

Ryan Boudinot. Free Burgers for Life 48

from Monkeybicycle

Dan Chaon. Five Forgotten Instincts 68

from Other Voices

Amber Dermont. Lyndon 78

from Zoetrope

Stephanie Dickinson. A Lynching in Stereoscope 96

from African-American Review

Tish Durkin. Heavy Metal Mercenary 112

from Rolling Stone

Stephen Elliott. My Little Brother Ruined My Life 123

from Maisonneuve

Al Franken. Tearaway Burkas and Tinplate Menorahs 134

from Mother Jones

Jeff Gordinier. The Lost Boys 148

from Details

Kate Krautkramer. Roadkill 164

from Creative Nonfiction

Jhumpa Lahiri. Hell-Heaven 175

from The New Yorker

Rattawut Lapcharoensap. At the Café Lovely 196

from Zoetrope

Molly McNett. Catalogue Sales 217

from New England Review

George Saunders. Bohemians 237

from The New Yorker

George Saunders. Manifesto 247

from Slate

J. David Stevens. The Joke 250

from Mid-American Review

Jonathan Tel. The Myth of the Frequent Flier 257

from Open City

Douglas Trevor. Girls I Know 263

from Epoch

William T. Vollmann. They Came Out Like Ants! 281

from Harper's Magazine

Lauren Weedman. Diary of a Journal Reader 313

from Swivel

Contributors' Notes 319

Notable Nonrequired Reading of 2004 326\n

'