The Best American Short Stories 2008

This brilliant collection, edited by the award-winning and perennially provocative Salman Rushdie, boasts a “magnificent array” (Library Journal) of voices both new and recognized.With Rushdie at the helm, the 2008 edition “reflects the variety of substance and style and the consistent quality that readers have come to expect” (Publishers Weekly).

“We all live in and with and by stories, every day, whoever and wherever we are. The freedom to tell each other the stories of ourselves, to retell the stories of our culture and beliefs, is profoundly connected to the larger subject of freedom itself.”—Salman Rushdie, editor

Introduction / by Salman Rushdie --
Admiral / T.C. Boyle --
The year of silence / Kevin Brockmeier --
Galatea / Karen Brown --
Man and wife / Katie Chase --
Virgins / Danielle Evans --
Closely held / Allegra Goodman --
May we be forgiven / A.M. Homes --
From the desk of Daniel Varsky / Nicole Krauss --
The king of sentences / Jonathan Lethem --
The worst you ever feel / Rebecca Makkai --
The wizard of West Orange / Steven Millhauser --
Nawabdin Electrician / Daniyal Mueenuddin --
Child's play / Alice Munro --
Buying Lenin / Miroslav Penkov --
Vampires in the lemon grove / Karen Russell --
Puppy / George Saunders --
Quality of life / Christine Sneed --
Missionaries / Bradford Tice --
Straightaway / Mark Wisniewski --
Bible / Tobias Wolff