After seeing Dave Eggers speak at the Tattered Cover in Denver recently, it was essential that I purchase all of his books and read immediately. Mr. Eggers is a very personable and charismatic man that clearly cares about what he does and the characters he portrays.

The first book that I read (and only book so far) is The Best American Nonrequired Reading from the 2004 Best American Series. After getting through the comical foreward and introduction I was immediately gripped by the story "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. And it didn't stop there. Every short story that followed--there are 23 short stories that compose this book--kept me engaged and entertained or pensive.

Dave Eggers did a fantastic job editing this text. The fact that he did so with the help of teenagers that attend his after school program in San Francisco made it that much more endearing.