The Best American Magazine Writing 2007( Series - Best American Magazine Writing )

Annually, members of the American Society of Magazine Editors select the years most dynamic, original, provocative, and influential magazine stories. The winning and finalist pieces in this anthology represent outstanding work by some of the most eminent writers in America as well as rising talents.

This year's selection includes William Langewiesche's probing investigation in "Vanity Fair" of the slaughter of twenty-four Iraqis in Haditha; C. J. Chivers's chilling account in "Esquire" of the 2004 hostage crisis in Beslan, which killed 331 people, 186 of them children; Susan Casey's revelation in "Best Life" of a virtually unknown, Texas-sized garbage dump resting at the bottom of the Pacific ocean; and Andrew Corsello's harrowing portrait in "GQ" of Robert Mugabe's mad rule and two men-a white farmer and a fiery black priest-who strive for forgiveness instead of hate.

The collection also includes Vanessa Grigoriadis's hilarious portrait of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld in "New York Magazine"; Christopher Hitchens's profile of survivors of Agent Orange in "Vanity Fair"; Sandra Tsing Loh's coverage of the stay-at-home-mommy debate in the "Atlantic Monthly"; Paul Theroux's thoughts on the dangers of anthropomorphism and our misconceptions about birds in the "Smithsonian"; Janet Reitman's unraveling of the mysteries of Scientology in "Rolling Stone"; and the work of nine other exceptional writers.