My favorite story was “What Got Into Us” by Jacob Guajardo

This was such a strong and salient collection of stories and all really different. I love that Roxane Gay chose stories to collectively represent & explore America as it is now (in all its horrific dysfunction) rather than just choose some great short stories. My favorites, in order of appearance:-Boys Go to Jupiter-Everything is Far from Here-Control Negro-The Brothers Brujo-Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure-Whose Heart I Long to Stop with the Click of a Revolver-What Terrible Thing It WasThe...

I keep thinking about the story "The Prairie Wife." Roxane Gay chose a lot of great stories.

Some really excellent stories in here, some surprisingly pointless and dull. Still, the good ones in these anthologies always make the books a worthwhile read.

I learned a few years ago that I like short story collections…a lot!! I try to read a few every year. In general, I tend to prefer short story collections by a single author rather than anthologies. In anthologies, the amounts of appeal per story/writer often vary dramatically. That said, I really liked this anthology. This collection of 20 stories was very diverse both in content and mood. It also had a very wide variety of authors. This is a female centric collection (males contributed 25%). I...

75% of the stories I really connected with. Would highly recommend this collection.

I've never thought that I'd become such an addict that as soon as October comes, I always feel compelled to read the anthology of the given year, even though I haven't been blown away by anything I've read here in the past several years.The last time I found a great short story in this series was in 2013 (and I keep re-reading that story, Encounters with Unexpected Animals, ever since, though I never looked up anything else by its author), and though in the years since then, I kept on reading th...

I don't know how to give a star rating to this since I didn't read every story. Am I allowed to post a review without stars? I thought Roxane Gay wrote a great introduction and the stories seemed well chosen. It's the fault of my attention span that I only read a few from start to finish. My favorites were A Family by Jamel Brinkley, Los Angeles by Emma Cline, and Boys Go to Jupiter by Danielle Evans. I just realized I returned it to the library with a post it note by the table of contents. I wa...

I had the same problem with the 2018 edition of The Best American Short Stories that I had with the 2018 edition of The Best American Poetry: a disturbing feeling that something other than the quality and strength of writing was the driving concern in the editors’ decision-making process. That problem is even more severe in the short story collection than it was in the poetry collection. I can’t believe that this volume, inclusive and representative though it may be, comes anywhere near giving u...

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. I wish Roxanne Gay was appointed permanent editor because she did a fantastic job of choosing diverse stories by diverse authors that are each, individually, impressive and yet, somehow, cohesive as a collection, effectively smashing the ridiculous (and racist/sexist) notion that prioritizing marginalized voices sacrifices... well... anything. My favorites were numerous: The Art of Losing, Los Angeles, What Got into Us, Control Negro, A Big True, Suburbia!,

A diverse and fascinating selection of American stories, all superbly writter with very few misses (for me). Personal favs were Boys Go to Jupiter by Danielle Evans (a deep dive into racism and responsibility); Unearth by Alicia Elliott (exploring the trauma and legacy of residential schools); Good with Boys by Kristen Iskandrian (a beautifully simple coming-of-age story set in a museum); A Big True by Dina Nayeri (looking at immigration and changes in status it brings, but also the concept of l...

Can’t believe these are supposed to be the best short stories of 2018.

“if writers have a responsibility for how they narrate the world, certainly readers have a responsibility for what they consume and from whom.” —roxane gayi’ve seen quite a few “reviews” online about this collection. many citing that the stories are “too political” and that they reflect too deeply of roxane gay’s own political leanings—and maybe they do. however, we all know the real problem here isn’t how political these stories may, or may not be; it’s the lack of empathy in the people reading...

Such an impressive collection of stories this year! Some familiar names, some exciting brand new ones for me.An underlying question for this collection is can fiction keep up with real life? Does it have the ability to compete with the often ridiculous and flabbergasting reality we live in? I'd argue that this year's collection not only proves fiction's power but also gives a strong reassertion of it's need in the world.Roxane Gay, you did readers a big big service with this one.

A collection of 20 short stories that were published in American and Canadian magazines that were selected by author Roxane Gay. My favorites: a Big True by Dina Nayeri about Rahad, a wandering father who seems a disappointment to his daughter who is content living a bland, routine life. Couger - about living in isolation on the edge of society thinking of but not quite able to give it up. and Items Awaiting Protective Enclosure - Syl remembering her past life of searching for Elk spells (cast-o...

As a short story writer, I really enjoy this anthology series, from both a reader's and writer's perspective. But BASS 2018? This is my favorite year by far. Roxane Gay doesn't choose stories based on the magazine they are published in. There's even a piece or two of genre fiction (weeks later, I am still haunted by The Brothers Brujo. That first paragraph. THAT FIRST PARAGRAPH. It should be taught in every writing class about how to write a first paragraph.)I'm not surprised by some of the comm...

I knew that Roxane Gay would be great as the editor of this year’s Best American Short Stories, and she didn’t let me down. The stories here represent voices from diverse backgrounds but maintain a common theme of family dynamics and generational and cultural expectations. My favorites were “Good With Boys” and “A Big Truth.”

stellar stuff. 'real' people telling 'real' stories but it's all fake. i wish i could write words like these. it was an honor to read.

I don't think I've ever had a reaction to an volume of this anthology quite like this before. I didn't find any story to be boring. I do think a couple of the stories were relatively shrug worthy--decently written but not deserving of the "best" title. I'm specifically thinking of "Los Angeles" by Emma Cline (which surprised me, cos I remember really liking her story last year!) and "The Baptism" by Ron Rash. And some stories I did see as a little too focused on the "political" and not focused e...

this selection was hit-or-miss for me, which i should have expected since Gay is usually hit-or-miss for me too (love her short stories, have never really loved her memoirs or essays). while i wasn't really drawn to the majority of these, i think "Everything is Far from Here" should be required reading for every single human on this planet right now.