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.