The Best American Essays 2022

By: Alexander Chee

Narrated by: Robert Atwan, Iva-Marie Palmer, Ewan Chung, William DeMeritt, Tyla Collier, Rainy Fields, Eunice Wong, Micky Shiloah

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A collection of the year’s best essays, selected by award-winning writer Alexander Chee.

Alexander Chee, an essayist of “virtuosity and power” (Washington Post), selects twenty essays out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Robert Atwan (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Best of this series ever

I've never read completely any of the Best American Essays, or Best American Short Stories, for that matter. Over several attempts at the last 15+ editions, I've come to understand the Editor is as--if not more-- important than the authors and their essays/stories. Apparently, Chee and I have similar literary tastes. These essays divert from the traditional, research-heavy style, which can leave readers flipping the pages if the specific topic isn't of great interest, no matter the strength of its other attributes. They read like academic essays, rather than personal ones. This compilation is not only contemporary in its memoir-esque, and in some, lyrical style, but the collection represents the most daunting issues of our day. But it does so artistically. Never has a volume, of essays especially, struck me as a true piece of art. Everyone should read this book and everyone could; each author's story evokes thoughtful contemplation and compassion, without pushing an agenda.

The only category I gave less than 5 stars was for narration. I listen to a lot of books and narration can make or break my ability to stay with it. Because these essays are individually short compared to a novel, and because the writing is so beautiful, I listened 'through' a few of the voices, about 3-4 of them, not too terrible.

Provocative looks at the World from Different Points of View

No, I didn’t love and admire every essay, but it was great to have them assembled together in one book I could listen to and contemplate. The best way to learn about good, creative non-fiction is to read some and decide for yourself. What resonates with you and what doesn’t. Thank you for making this book available.

Excellent writing and essays; disappointing narration

Chee, a remarkable talent in his own right, has collected some truly moving and elegantly crafted essays. You probably won’t relate to many, if any, of them, but that feels like the point of the collection - these are not the same old middle-class white dude literary darlings; we get personal essays from a variety of sources and points of view and you’ll learn about experiences you won’t have had yourself. Truly excellent collection.

Sadly, many of the narrators aren’t well matched to the content - some are fine, a few are great, but several of them sound nearly flippant and lighthearted while reading serious essays, a mismatch that is not only distracting but in a couple of cases nearly ruins the impact of the story. It’s a disservice to the authors that’s a shame.

Boring

These essays are not anywhere near the best of 2022. This is worst collection of “best essays” I’ve read in Robert Antwan’s anthologies.