The Best American Magazine Writing 2021

The Best American Magazine Writing 2021 showcases outstanding journalism and commentary on urgent topics like COVID-19, racial inequality, and more. It includes powerful essays by Jesmyn Ward, Elizabeth Alexander, Aymann Ismail, Mitchell S. Jackson, and others. The anthology also features explorations of city futures, online privacy, and a reflection on Weird Al Yankovic.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 544 pages
Publication date: 11 January 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The Best American Magazine Writing 2021 showcases exceptional journalism and commentary that address pressing issues such as COVID-19 and entrenched racial inequality. In "The Plague Year," Lawrence Wright delves into the missteps taken in responding to the pandemic (New Yorker). Lizzie Presser reports on the "Black American Amputation Epidemic" (ProPublica). Jesmyn Ward, in powerful essays, explores her grief over her husband's death amidst the pandemic and antiracist uprisings (Vanity Fair). Elizabeth Alexander contemplates "The Trayvon Generation" (New Yorker). Aymann Ismail examines how "The Store That Called the Cops on George Floyd" handled the consequences of the fatal call (Slate). Mitchell S. Jackson analyzes the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the challenges faced by Black America in running (Runners World).

The anthology features remarkable reporting, including explorations of the cases of children who disappeared into the U.S. immigration system for years (Reveal) and Oakland's efforts to rethink its approach to gun violence (Mother Jones). It includes selections from a Public Books special issue that investigate what 2020s overlapping crises reveal about the future of cities. Excerpts from Marie Claire's guide to online privacy examine topics ranging from algorithmic bias to cyberstalking to employee rights. Aisha Sabatini Sloan's perceptive Paris Review columns delve into her family history in Detroit and the impact of a brutal past and present. Sam Anderson reflects on a unique pop figure in "The Weirdly Enduring Appeal of Weird Al Yankovic" (New York Times Magazine). The collection concludes with Susan Choi's striking short story "The Whale Mother" (Harpers Magazine).

Weight: 644g
Dimension: 134 x 204 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231198035