The Best American Essays 2024

A collection of the year’s best essays, selected by Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Wesley Morris and series editor Kim Dana Kupperman. “Imparting some piece of yourself—any part—is arduous and warrants some kind of commendation,” writes guest editor Wesley Morris in his introduction. Both personal and personable, the essayists in this compelling volume of literary nonfiction use their own vulnerability to guide readers on excursions that unfold on uncomfortable edges. From contemplating the nuances of memory to exploring the complexities of family, romance, gender identity, illness, and death, Morris’s selection of unforgettable true stories presents a roundup of the thinkers who masterfully grapple with the issues of our time. The Best American Essays 2024 includes TEJU COLE • MICHAEL W. CLUNE • YIYUN LI • JAMES McAULEY • RÉMY NGAMIJE • JENNIFER SENIOR • SALLIE TISDALE • JERALD WALKER • JENISHA WATTS and others What happens when today’s most insightful writers dare to tell the unvarnished truth? Personal History: Follow Jenisha Watts from a Kentucky crack house to Maya Angelou’s living room in a breathtaking story of resilience and the power of words. The Nature of Memory: Question everything you believe about the past as Sallie Tisdale masterfully interrogates whether any memory can truly be trusted. Family Secrets: Uncover the devastating cost of hiding a relative away in Jennifer Senior’s powerful investigation into her institutionalized aunt. Art and Cultural Criticism: See the world anew through the eyes of Teju Cole as he stands before a Vermeer and asks what a work of art is truly trying to show us. Memoir as Confession: Laugh, cringe, and explore the boundaries of storytelling as Jerald Walker recounts, with thrilling ambiguity, the seven weeks he swears he was a pimp.