A rather amazing selection of essays chosen by this Haitian American novelist/essayist whose introduction focuses on the essay as a way of searching deeper into ourselves—using the craft to connect to others, fulfilling our faith in our ability to communicate with others. She describes herself as feeling “personally addressed” by each of these essays and I totally agree, despite my lack of common background, race, class, education with so many of the authors. These are powerful, personal stories, many involving the darker side of childhood (abuse), marriage (spousal murder), a day at the beach (police harassment), and plane travel (crashes). Immigration (from Korea, Alabama), abortion, incarceration—it’s all here, difficult to read but wonderfully rendered. As in the selection of an African-American to edit the Best Poetry 2011 series, the selection of Danticat has given voice to many who would not have appeared in prior volumes—by my informal count, at least seven essays are by African-Americans, one Korean, one Indian and perhaps others. The essays by Zadie Smith, Patricia Smith, Rachel Reederer were superb!

The Essays:

Hilton Ale—Buddy Ebsen

Mincha Berludie—Port-Au-Prince: The Moment

Katy Butler—What Broke My Father’s Heart

Steven Church—Auscaltation

Paul Crenshaw—After the Ice (child abuse)

Toi Denicotte—Beds (child abuse)

Meenakshi Gigi-Durham—Grieving (tenure)

Bernadette Esposito—A-LOC (plane crashes)

Christopher Hitchens—Topic of Cancer

Pico Iyer—Chapels

Victor LaValle—Long Distance (phone sex and obesity)

Charles LeDuff—Who Killed Aryana Stanley-Jones

Chang Rae-Lee— Magical Dinners

Madge McKeithen—What Really Happened (murder of girlfriend)

Caryl Phillips—Rude am I in my Speech

Bridget Potter—Lively Girl (illegal abortion 1962)

Lia Purpura—There Are Things Awry Here (environment)

Rachel Reederer—Patient (bus accident, leg injury)

Patricia Smith—Pearl, Upward (Black migration into Chicago)

Zadie Smith—Generation Why? (Facebook)

Susan Straight—Travels with my Ex (Blacks in LA-Copo)

Christy Varnoy—A Personal Essay by a Personal Essay

Jerald Walker—Unprepared (teenage boy exposed)

Resha Moneon Yaqub—The Washing