"Magill's Literary Annual 2016 follows a long tradition, beginning in 1954, of offering readers incisive reviews of the major literature published during the previous calendar year. The Magill's Literary Annual seeks to evaluate critically 150 major examples of serious literature, both fiction and nonfiction, published in English, from writers in the United States and around the world. The philosophy behind our selection process is to cover works that are likely to be of interest to general readers, that reflect publishing trends, that add to the careers of authors being taught and researched in literature programs, and that will stand the test of time. By filtering the thousands of books published every year down to 149 notable titles, the editors have provided librarians with an excellent reader's advisory tool and patrons with fodder for book discussion groups and a guide for choosing worthwhile reading material. The essays in the Annual provide a more academic 'reference' review of a work than is typically found in newspapers and other periodical sources."--Publisher's Note.