** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review **
This year’s collection is a rich tapestry of personal reflection, cultural criticism, and sharp observation. The chapters move seamlessly from deeply personal memoir to wide-angle social commentary. I appreciated the editors’ choice to include essays that challenge as well as comfort, prompting me to think about familiar topics in new ways. The pacing of the anthology is thoughtful—lighter pieces give you a breather between heavier ones. Several essays stayed with me long after I finished, their language and ideas echoing in my mind. This is a volume worth savoring slowly.

it's very difficult reviewing essay collections, but i do agree that these are some very good essays. as a whole, this made me so uncomfortable and made me think. even if I disagreed with some essays, I knew they were compelling, just not what i think is right. some were very hard to read because of stylistic choices, others because of the emotional content. but stellar overall.

This book is a sampling of some truly excellent essays from 2024. It’s a nice way to gain access to writing that would otherwise require subscriptions to multiple different journals and publications. Understandably, this collection deals with incredibly heavy themes. Many of the essays address the climate crisis, the genocide in Palestine, and the war in Ukraine. Additionally , some of the pieces are written in a more academic style. The result is some seriously heavy reading, both emotionally and intellectually. But if you’re willing to indulge some existential dread, this collection contains some stellar writing.

Every year, The Best American Essays series is a collection I look forward to, and every year, the collection does not disappoint. The 2025 edition, curated with guest editor Jia Tolentino, features a myriad of gifted writers, some I've read before, many who I have not, but will now be on my radar. This is a collection to linger over, the words staying with you a long time after you've read the last word. Much to think of and ponder on in these pages.

In the introduction, it's noted that these collections are a product/snapshot of their time. What a time we live in. These essays are thoughtful, hopeful, and terrifying in turn. I will be encouraging patrons to engage deeply using the essay form as a counterpoint to the thirty second sound bites so easily available.