The Best American Essays 2024

A landmark nonfiction anthology, this collection of the year’s best essays is 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 volume 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 powerful personal essays and cultural criticism 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

This year’s volume offers a masterclass in the modern essay:

• Fearless Memoir: Follow Jenisha Watts from a Kentucky crack house to Maya Angelou’s living room in a stunning narrative of resilience and identity.
• Sharp Cultural Commentary: Join Teju Cole in a private, after-hours tour of the Rijksmuseum’s Vermeer exhibition to explore art, history, and complicity.
• Unflinching Looks at Family: Uncover a painful family secret with Jennifer Senior as she investigates the life of an aunt who was institutionalized and erased from memory.
• Profound Meditations on Memory: Question the very nature of truth as Sallie Tisdale interrogates the slipperiness of autobiographical memory itself.

 “Moving personal reflections and a uniformly strong crop of contributors make this a standout entry in the long-running series.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)