More and more readers turn to The Best American Magazine Writing for their annual fix of the year's most captivating essays, columns, reporting, and criticism. Chosen from the winners and finalists of the 2009 National Magazine Awards, this year's selections include the haunting story by Chris Jones (Esquire) of an American soldier's final journey home; James Wood's brilliant critique of the award-winning novelist Marianne Robinson (The New Yorker); a compelling column by Naomi Klein (The Nation) on the return of class consciousness in America; two biting reviews of recent books on feminism by Sandra Tsing Loh (The Atlantic); and a moving and insightful account by David Lipsky (Rolling Stone) of David Foster Wallace in his final days.

Also featured are a fascinating report by Ryan Lizza (The New Yorker) on the political making of Barack Obama; an unforgettable profile by Hanna Rosin (The Atlantic) of a transgendered child struggling to be normal in rural America; absorbing reflections by Tom Chiarella (Esquire) on apprenticing as a butcher in an Indianapolis meat market; and an unusual look by Sean Flynn (GQ) at the legacy of the late singer and unstoppable personality, James Brown. Chris Anderson, popular commentator and author of the best-selling book The Long Tail adds his own, not-to-be-missed introduction. "Take a break from the screen and dive in," he writes. "I think you'll emerge, many pages later, no longer worrying about the future of print."