The Best American Short Stories

Brief Description: "Selected from U. S. and Canadian magazines."Brief Description: Includes the Yearbook of the American short story, 1978-. Brief Description: An annual selection of short stories taken from American and Canadian periodicals. Brief Description: "In "Until Gwen," Dennis Lehane offers a narrative experiment and a haunting picture of a father and son. Tom Perrotta's "The Smile on Happy Chang's Face" explores a Little League umpire's attempt to cope with his biggest personal regret and the inability to make a decisive call on the field. Thomas McGuane's "Old Friends" examines the intersection of shared history and obligation, while Joyce Carol Oates meditates on the inescapable bonds of family in "Cousins." In "Stone Animals," Kelly Link takes a chilling look at a family spiraling beyond control in the surreal landscape of their new home. By turns humorous, poignant, and profound, the stories of 2005 add up to an eclectic installment of this anthology."--BOOK JACKET. Brief Description: The Best American Series First, Best, and Best-Selling The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind. The Best American Short Stories 2005 includes Dennis Lehane - Tom Perrotta - Alice Munro - Edward P. Jones - Joy Williams - Joyce Carol Oates - Thomas McGuane - Kelly Link - Charles D'Ambrosio - Cory Doctorow - George Saunders - and others Michael Chabon, guest editor, is the best-selling author of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Wonder Boys, A Model World, and, most recently, The Final Solution. His novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. Table of Contents: Contents Foreword ix Introduction by Michael Chabon xiii Tom Perrotta. The Smile on Happy Chang's Face 1 from Post Road Dennis Lehane. Until Gwen 19 from The Atlantic Monthly Lynne Sharon Schwartz. A Taste of Dust 35 from Ninth Letter Thomas McGuane. Old Friends 43 from The New Yorker J . Robert Lennon. Eight Pieces for the Left Hand 58 from Granta Kelly Link. Stone Animals 67 from Conjunctions Nathaniel Bellows. First Four Measures 109 from The Paris Review Charles D'Ambrosio. The Scheme of Things 125 from The New Yorker Alice Munro. Silence 149 from The New Yorker Tom Bissell. Death Defier 174 from Virginia Quarterly Review Joy Williams. The Girls 212 from Idaho Review Cory Doctorow. Anda's Game 223 from Salon.com Alix Ohlin. Simple Exercises for the Beginning Student 251 from Swink Edward P. Jones. Old Boys, Old Girls 265 from The New Yorker David Means. The Secret Goldfish 288 from The New Yorker Joyce Carol Oates. The Cousins 298 from Harper's Magazine David Bezmozgis. Natasha 318 from Harper's Magazine Tim Pratt. Hart and Boot 339 from Polyphony Rishi Reddi. Justice Shiva Ram Murthy 356 from Harvard Review George Saunders. Bohemians 374 from The New Yorker Contributors' Notes 383 100 Other Distinguished Stories of 2004 394 Editorial Addresses of American and Canadian Magazines Publishing Short Stories 398 Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 08/15/2005 pg. 28 (EAN 9780618427055, Paperback)

Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2005 pg. 931 (EAN 9780618427055, Paperback)

Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 84 (EAN 9780618427055, Paperback) - *Starred Review

Booklist 10/15/2006 pg. 27 (EAN 9780618543526, Paperback)

Kliatt 03/01/2007 pg. 30 (EAN 9780618543526, Paperback)

Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2006 pg. 805 (EAN 9780618543526, Paperback) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 08/15/2005 pg. 28 (EAN 9780618423491, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2005 pg. 931 (EAN 9780618423491, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2004 pg. 769 (EAN 9780618197347, Hardcover)

Booklist 10/15/2004 pg. 388 (EAN 9780618197347, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Chabon, Michael Michael Chabon is the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Summerland (a novel for children), The Final Solution, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, and Gentlemen of the Road, as well as the short story collections A Model World and Werewolves in Their Youth and the essay collections Maps and Legends and Manhood for Amateurs. He is the chairman of the board of the MacDowell Colony. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, the novelist Ayelet Waldman, and their children. Contributor Bio:  Kenison, Katrina Katrina Kenison has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 1990. She currently resides in Massachusetts.