The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012

A “category-defying [and] engaging” collection of short fiction and nonfiction by Phil Klay, George Saunders, Jess Walter, Nora Krug, and more (Kirkus Reviews).

Chosen by Dave Eggers and a freewheeling discussion group of passionate student readers, this edition of the annual anthology includes selections ranging from novelist Mona Simpson’s eulogy for her brother Steve Jobs to a piece by prize-winning historian Adam Hochschild first published in the Occupied Wall Street Journal to short fiction from Louise Erdrich and Julie Otsuka. They are not on the syllabus. There will not be a test. You are not required to read them. But you’ll probably be glad you did.

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 also features works by

Sherman Alexie * Kevin Brockmeier * Judy Budnitz * Junot Díaz * Robert Hass * Eric Puchner * Said Sayrafiezadeh * Adrian Tomine * Wesley Yang * and others

“An excellent literary compilation . . . Eggers deserves credit for another first-rate collection.” —Publishers Weekly