It's my first time reading these bi-annual books with essays about varying topics. When I saw this one focused in on home, I knew I'd like it. What a HUGE variety of cultures, topics, and definitions of home. A woman who visits her hometown after years away, reliving the damage the factory bi-products have caused to the people in that community.  I've taken to reading anthologies one essay at a time before bedtime, and this book is excellent for that. One piece at a time gives you plenty to chew on intellectually. I especially liked the diverse offering of stories.

Freeman's: Home The Best New Writing on Home by John Freeman
The third literary anthology in this series, edited by John Freeman, centres on the question of home in a range of mostly memorable and heart-felt non-fiction pieces, with a few poems and fiction pieces. Some of the stand-outs include:

The first is one of the six shorts, included in the book, by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, which rests on a series of fate, coincidences or destiny around the writer Mario Vargas Llosa. To say more would be to spoil the delightful twist and surprise, which is thought-provoking, so say the least.

Kerri Arsenault’s excerpt from a book she is writing about Maine, titled ‘Vacationland’ is a chillingly brilliant and humane account of the effects of environmental pollution in the paper mill town of Mexico, Maine, where she grew up.

Another memorable and astonishing piece is the evocatively titled ‘Fishermen always eat the fish eyes first’ by Xiaolu Guo is a marvellous, poignant story about growing up with her grandparents in a remote Chinese village. Rich in detail and pathos and memories, this is a definite highlight of the collection.

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s short story, ‘The Committed’ is a harrowing account of refugees fleeing Vietnam after the war, ‘the wretched of the ocean’.

Rabih Alameddine’s ‘Hope and Home’ is both a mediation on what home means to this writer; and detailed, intricate descriptions of visits to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Leila Aboulela’s piece tells of her adoration of a favourite author, a fan letter never responded to, and the eventual disappointment of coming face to face with someone you have admired from afar. A special story.

Gregory Pardlo’s ‘Marine Boy’ is another brilliant account, in which he Edescribes his decision to join the Marine, and his experiences there.

Emily Raboteau’s ‘The Curse’ is a wonderful description of time spent with her Ugandan mother-in-law – a story of cultural divide, that is delightfully witty in the telling.

Loved this to bits! Such a great collection by some of the BEST writers around.