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McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #34
McSweeney's Issue 34
Our laurels went unrested on for this one: Issue 34 features new stories of shipwrecks and kidnappings and bad vacations by (among others) Anthony Doerr, Daniel Handler, and T. C. Boyle, new letters about wine and Hawaii from John Hodgman and Sarah Vowell, twenty-one dead-on self-portraits drawn by the likes of Michael Martone, Michel Gondry, and Sarah Silverman, and, beyond all this, in a standalone volume, Nick McDonell's stunning exploration of the latest iteration of the war in Iraq—a ground-level account from within the 1st Cavalry Division.
The whole thing weighs in at just under 400 pages, and comes in its own custom-made double-sleeve. It is, without a doubt, a beaut.
The whole thing weighs in at just under 400 pages, and comes in its own custom-made double-sleeve. It is, without a doubt, a beaut.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
About the author
Dave Eggers
343 books9,582 followersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 14, 2012
Liked Boyle story, Bridget Clerkin story, Daniel Handler story; really liked Sean Casey story.
August 21, 2019
This is the first time I’ve read a literary magazine, and I really liked it. Maybe it’s because it’s McSweeney‘s, but it was funny and irreverent and I enjoyed every story.
September 19, 2011
McSweeney's 34 is 2 paperbacks inside a plastic jacket. It's well presented although the paperbacks stink of plastic when you're holding them.
The first paperback is the usual McSweeney's, short stories. There's also a letters page where writers like John Hodgman and Sarah Vowell try to be as funny as Robin Cooper and fail. The only contribution worth reading in this book is an extract called "The Wreck of the Beverley B" by TC Boyle, from his forthcoming novel "When The Killing's Done". It's an excellent story about a woman out on a fishing boat with her husband and his friend who gets shipwrecked and winds up on a deserted island with huts full of food and clothes. Who lived in the huts and when will rescue come? Boyle proves why he's the only famous name here with this great story and usual high quality writing.
The second paperback is Nick McDonell's book "The End of Major Combat Operations", a look at the American occupation of Iraq.
The novelist Nick McDonell is embedded in the 1st Cavalry Division for 2 weeks ostensibly on behalf of Time magazine to gather information on an article about the tensions between the Arabs and the Kurds and whether this would escalate into a civil war. The book is an account of his day to day time in Iraq during those 2 weeks.
McDonell sees how soldiers who have been trained to fight have to learn to become diplomatic policeman as they patrol the streets, direct traffic, search houses, and mediate disputes. It's an uneasy situation for the soldiers who mostly seem lost and bored.
The book shows how fragile the supposed democracy of Iraq is. Iraqi interpreters (or "terps" in military slang) are saving money to leave the country before the end of 2011 as that's the date set for US Military withdrawal. If they stay behind, they will likely be killed. When McDonell talks to soldiers in the Iraqi army, they say quite brazenly that as soon as the US leaves they will take off their uniforms and run away. There is a lot of talk about police chiefs supporting terrorists and taking bribes.
Even when the Americans are trying to do good they end up inadvertently causing trouble for the locals. On one occasion, soldiers are monitoring the distribution of rice sacks to the population. 2 masked men show up and begin shooting at the soldiers who shoot back. The masked men run off but 2 young boys who were playing by a nearby truck are shot dead in the crossfire. McDonell wonders if the soldiers had not been there if the boys would not be dead. McDonell organises a basketball game with a friend's cousin but has to reschedule due to meetings. The game never takes place and he receives an email saying the cousin was killed because he was playing basketball and seen to be promoting a Western pastime.
The overall impression of the book is faint as, personal tragedies aside, there isn't an overall message or vision that will come as a surprise to many. Iraq is a mess and the occupation is, and always has been, shaky. The American presence is the only reason any perceived progress is made and when the Americans leave, all that they've tried to set up, the infrastructure, the ideology, all the work gone into improving society, will probably come undone.
It's a well written book that holds your interest but there isn't anything groundbreaking imparted by the writer. But then he was only there for a fortnight. The book left me with a weariness I feel whenever I think about the Iraq war. It just seems so pointless. One of the soldiers, Specialist Patterson, a medic with the 1st Cavalry, sums it up succinctly: "They were fighting each other before we got here. They're gonna be fighting after we leave." Why are we still bothering this country?
It's not a strong issue after the triumphant newspaper issue but it's got a couple of highlights anyway.
The first paperback is the usual McSweeney's, short stories. There's also a letters page where writers like John Hodgman and Sarah Vowell try to be as funny as Robin Cooper and fail. The only contribution worth reading in this book is an extract called "The Wreck of the Beverley B" by TC Boyle, from his forthcoming novel "When The Killing's Done". It's an excellent story about a woman out on a fishing boat with her husband and his friend who gets shipwrecked and winds up on a deserted island with huts full of food and clothes. Who lived in the huts and when will rescue come? Boyle proves why he's the only famous name here with this great story and usual high quality writing.
The second paperback is Nick McDonell's book "The End of Major Combat Operations", a look at the American occupation of Iraq.
The novelist Nick McDonell is embedded in the 1st Cavalry Division for 2 weeks ostensibly on behalf of Time magazine to gather information on an article about the tensions between the Arabs and the Kurds and whether this would escalate into a civil war. The book is an account of his day to day time in Iraq during those 2 weeks.
McDonell sees how soldiers who have been trained to fight have to learn to become diplomatic policeman as they patrol the streets, direct traffic, search houses, and mediate disputes. It's an uneasy situation for the soldiers who mostly seem lost and bored.
The book shows how fragile the supposed democracy of Iraq is. Iraqi interpreters (or "terps" in military slang) are saving money to leave the country before the end of 2011 as that's the date set for US Military withdrawal. If they stay behind, they will likely be killed. When McDonell talks to soldiers in the Iraqi army, they say quite brazenly that as soon as the US leaves they will take off their uniforms and run away. There is a lot of talk about police chiefs supporting terrorists and taking bribes.
Even when the Americans are trying to do good they end up inadvertently causing trouble for the locals. On one occasion, soldiers are monitoring the distribution of rice sacks to the population. 2 masked men show up and begin shooting at the soldiers who shoot back. The masked men run off but 2 young boys who were playing by a nearby truck are shot dead in the crossfire. McDonell wonders if the soldiers had not been there if the boys would not be dead. McDonell organises a basketball game with a friend's cousin but has to reschedule due to meetings. The game never takes place and he receives an email saying the cousin was killed because he was playing basketball and seen to be promoting a Western pastime.
The overall impression of the book is faint as, personal tragedies aside, there isn't an overall message or vision that will come as a surprise to many. Iraq is a mess and the occupation is, and always has been, shaky. The American presence is the only reason any perceived progress is made and when the Americans leave, all that they've tried to set up, the infrastructure, the ideology, all the work gone into improving society, will probably come undone.
It's a well written book that holds your interest but there isn't anything groundbreaking imparted by the writer. But then he was only there for a fortnight. The book left me with a weariness I feel whenever I think about the Iraq war. It just seems so pointless. One of the soldiers, Specialist Patterson, a medic with the 1st Cavalry, sums it up succinctly: "They were fighting each other before we got here. They're gonna be fighting after we leave." Why are we still bothering this country?
It's not a strong issue after the triumphant newspaper issue but it's got a couple of highlights anyway.
May 23, 2010
The latest McSweeney's presents two, preposterously unrelated, paperback volumes--held in a rubber sleeve whose smell reminds me of my old snorkeling gear when I was a kid. First volume is a collection of short fiction pretty typical of these guys: plentiful, uneven, sometimes too whimsical, but with a killer piece or two and many good ones. The best is TC Boyle's "Wreck of the Beverly B," with Tom Barbash's Nabokovian tennis-camp story "Letters from the Academy" and Peter Orner's prose poem "105 Riparian Lane" my other favorites. The centerpiece seems to be Anthony Doerr's 48-page "Afterworld," which I have not read, as I am prejudiced against stories that attempt to imagine heaven (see: The Lovely Bones).
The second volume is Time reporter Nick McDonell's book-length The End of Major Combat Operations. McDonell writes a clean prose and has a good eye--The End is without question a solid little piece of war reportage--but I find it a little scant on event, and sure enough, in the book's acknowledgments we learn that McDonell's "embed" lasted barely over two weeks. It may be a little much to hope for a whole book, no matter how short, out of such a whirlwind tour. Nonetheless his depiction of an operation in Iraq that excels only at completely screwing up people's lives is certainly worth the couple hours it takes to read.
The second volume is Time reporter Nick McDonell's book-length The End of Major Combat Operations. McDonell writes a clean prose and has a good eye--The End is without question a solid little piece of war reportage--but I find it a little scant on event, and sure enough, in the book's acknowledgments we learn that McDonell's "embed" lasted barely over two weeks. It may be a little much to hope for a whole book, no matter how short, out of such a whirlwind tour. Nonetheless his depiction of an operation in Iraq that excels only at completely screwing up people's lives is certainly worth the couple hours it takes to read.
November 25, 2015
Picked this up on something of a whim (primarily for the book that came with it "The End of Major Combat Operations"), and wasn't a fan.
Much of this has to do with my own personal preference and expectations. I'm not a fan of short stories for the most part, and this collection didn't do much to change that. One or two interesting stories, but these are overbalanced by the rest of the collection. Some are stuffy, some dull, and most are not particularly easy or entertaining reads. This is definitely more of a "thinky" collection, better for literature students than casual readers.
The collection of letters at the beginning was a terrible way to open this edition (although I haven't read any other editions, so I'm not sure if this is a regular feature). Much like the stories, there were one or two interesting/amusing letters, but they are sandwiched in between a range of pretentious and stuffy posts that had me rolling my eyes.
This is the book equivalent of a dinner-party bore: there are some good bits, but overall you may wish you hadn't invited McSweeneys 34 to the meal at all.
Much of this has to do with my own personal preference and expectations. I'm not a fan of short stories for the most part, and this collection didn't do much to change that. One or two interesting stories, but these are overbalanced by the rest of the collection. Some are stuffy, some dull, and most are not particularly easy or entertaining reads. This is definitely more of a "thinky" collection, better for literature students than casual readers.
The collection of letters at the beginning was a terrible way to open this edition (although I haven't read any other editions, so I'm not sure if this is a regular feature). Much like the stories, there were one or two interesting/amusing letters, but they are sandwiched in between a range of pretentious and stuffy posts that had me rolling my eyes.
This is the book equivalent of a dinner-party bore: there are some good bits, but overall you may wish you hadn't invited McSweeneys 34 to the meal at all.
June 13, 2010
Issue 33 was amazing; this issue, 34, seems like an afterthought. None of the stories are particularly noteworthy. Boyle's is well told, but it doesn't seem to strive for much more. Davis's story of Vietnam reporters in Katrina is good and at least grapples with some larger issues of the time.
There are no less than six editors listed on the copyright pages, and yet there are numerous typos and misspellings throughout this issue (and I wasn't looking particularly hard) that detract from the writing that is already substandard. It is almost as if the editors didn't even really want to finish most of the stories in this collection themselves.
There are no less than six editors listed on the copyright pages, and yet there are numerous typos and misspellings throughout this issue (and I wasn't looking particularly hard) that detract from the writing that is already substandard. It is almost as if the editors didn't even really want to finish most of the stories in this collection themselves.
May 22, 2010
This is the first issue of McSweeney's I've read since getting the subscription for Christmas (Thanks, Mom) and I enjoyed it very much. It's hard to rate a collection of stories...some were amazing, some were good, some were okay. But for the most part, quite enjoyable. I'm excited to read McSweeney's to discover new authors. In this issue I discovered Anthony Doerr, whose work I definitely want to read after reading his piece in McSweeney's.
And since I've finished the issue, if anyone wants to borrow it, let me know. I'm glad to share.
And since I've finished the issue, if anyone wants to borrow it, let me know. I'm glad to share.
October 8, 2010
A pretty good one, particularly Nick McDonell's long-form story on the state of the American mission to Iraq. Seven years in, it's still awfully hard to make the Iraq War make sense, and McDonell's account is eye-opening, thoughtful, and engaging. It shows the complications of our mission (and the daily brutalities and stupidity of war) very clearly.
I also liked the T.C. Boyle story, which is hardly surprising since T.C. Boyle is great.
I also liked the T.C. Boyle story, which is hardly surprising since T.C. Boyle is great.
July 12, 2010
A good issue, split into a collection of short fiction and a short book of reportage from an embedded journalist in Iraq. But come on, McSweeney's - I like the unique slip-cover packaging, but only if it actually works - the vinyl sleeves tore as soon as I tried to put the book back together. I liked reading it, and I'm glad the letters section is back, but shitty packaging choice.
June 1, 2010
The standout of this issue is definitely Anthony Doerr's "Afterworld". However, the reason you should buy it is the accompanying volume by Nick McDonell, The End of Major Combat Operations, a collection of vignettes about modern-day Iraq. It doesn't delve too deeply into the underlying issues of the war, but it's still a fascinating read.
October 13, 2010
like any collection of anything both the good and the bad, with the sparkling few exceptional pieces. Anthony Doerr's contribution is incredible and I will be taking a gander at one of his novels as hopeful confirmation. Love em' or hate em' Eggers continues to put out worthy and unique collections that remind this contemporary world that we still need literature.
August 21, 2013
Still thinking about Doerr's "Afterworld".
What I like best about McSweeney's is that I go in blind. With novels, I usually know what I'm going to be reading, with short stories, I have no idea. This means I have no expectations, usually. It kind of cleans my reading plate. After reading a short story collection I'm ready to start something new.
What I like best about McSweeney's is that I go in blind. With novels, I usually know what I'm going to be reading, with short stories, I have no idea. This means I have no expectations, usually. It kind of cleans my reading plate. After reading a short story collection I'm ready to start something new.
August 4, 2010
This is not my favorite McSweeney's collection. My previous Mcsweeney's reviews have gone "Best fiction humanity has been exposed to to date." Humanity has been exposed to finer fiction.
It's still a great read.
It's still a great read.
May 20, 2013
I liked this edition. The Iraq book was very good. Wonderful material about daily life in a war that makes no sense. T.C. Boyle's entry was great. As were some others, but I can't remember their titles right now. Maybe I'll edit this later after I've unpacked my books and can consult the TOC.
December 5, 2010
I liked this edition. The Iraq book was very good. Wonderful material about daily life in a war that makes no sense. T.C. Boyle's entry was great. As were some others, but I can't remember their titles right now. Maybe I'll edit this later after I've unpacked my books and can consult the TOC.
July 9, 2011
I'm still thinking about some of the stories in this volume. There's some great stuff in here.
Also- my version of this book is missing the red mcsweeney's title on the cover. I bought it at the thrift store, so maybe its originally from the scratch and dent?
Also- my version of this book is missing the red mcsweeney's title on the cover. I bought it at the thrift store, so maybe its originally from the scratch and dent?
September 2, 2010
New short stories. Mostly tragic, some less so.
October 29, 2010
i think it was not the worst edition since i could finish it, but can't remember anything... read some months ago... pity. i have to update goodreads more often
February 7, 2011
Boyle's "The Wreck of the Beverly B" is gripping, and Doerr's "Afterworld" will crawl into you, but on the whole this is a fairly banal collection.
July 20, 2016
I'll just chime in with the crowd that Anthony Doerr's story in this volume is astonishing. Haven't been able to get it out of my head.
April 10, 2011
I usually dislike short stories. But I always enjoy what Mcsweeney's puts together.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews