In his introduction to The Best American Travel Writing 2008, editor Anthony Bourdain writes that the pieces that (Chicago Sun Times).
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Sep 07, 2009
RandomAnthony
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I saw Bourdain's name plastered across the front of this book while passing my local library's "new releases" shelf. I've never read anything from "The Best American..." series before; the books seemed like the kind you passed quickly when browsing at a church booksale, so I was pleasantly surprised by this collection. The Best American Travel Writing 2008 houses more hits than misses, reads like a dream, and more than serves its wandering purposes.
As one would More...
As one would More...
Sep 07, 2009
Gina
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Here's the thing that has struck me the hardest so far:
"In January 2006, the corruption [in Chad:] became so apparent that the World Bank, which helps finance Chad's oil boom, suspended $124 million in loans and grants, and stopped payment of an additional $125 million in oil royalties after the government resisted pressure to invest its oil profits in projects to aid its impoverished people, who survive on an average income of $30 a month. Chad's president, Idriss Deby, threatened to More...
"In January 2006, the corruption [in Chad:] became so apparent that the World Bank, which helps finance Chad's oil boom, suspended $124 million in loans and grants, and stopped payment of an additional $125 million in oil royalties after the government resisted pressure to invest its oil profits in projects to aid its impoverished people, who survive on an average income of $30 a month. Chad's president, Idriss Deby, threatened to More...
Sep 07, 2009
D.W.
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I had my reservations about a collection of travel essays edited by celebrity chef (and author of food-themed gangster novels) Anthony Bourdain. As it turns out, he has impeccable taste. I'd expected, of course, a few more essays on food than in past years, a few more taking place in zany or dangerous locations—and there are a few—but it's the uncommonly high quality of the writing that really unites these pieces. As I flipped through the book, trying to make a list of which essays deserved a me
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Sep 07, 2009
Greg
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If those who lack the means to travel read travel literature, those who lack the time to read travel literature are stuck with travel literature anthologies. The one-shot celebrity editors of these series are mainly a marketing gimmick, I suspect, as there is consistency from year to year. Perhaps the best observation in this edition is from an article on China, which notes that part of that country are changing so rapidly that not even long-term residents know what to expect. Essentially eve
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Feb 28, 2010
Ellie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 03, 2010
Sarah
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I've read the last seven years of Best American Travel Writing (skipping the occasional, or even more than occasional, piece, no doubt), and this may be my least favorite. I jumped straight to the Bryan Mealer piece Bourdain (?!) praised so highly in his intro, a piece on the Congo River from Harper's, and it was very good. Then I went back to the beginning and found, well, a bunch of food pieces mixed in with a bunch of political pieces. Mind you, each of these can be great in its own right, bu
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Feb 11, 2012
Arja
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The Best American series collects work that has been published in American magazines and periodicals the previous year in various volumes ranging from travel writing to short fiction to essays and so on. This latest volume of travel writing, selected by chef and travel writer Bourdain isn’t the best, for my money but it still provides some examples of compelling travel narratives. Highlights include Peter Hessler’s ‘Wheels of Fortune’ which looks at driving in China and the lack of rules, wheth
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Feb 08, 2010
Blair
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The stories I liked most in this collection surprised me. I was captivated by megalomaniac(al) dictators and monarchs, from Tonga to Eastern Europe. And I want to travel up the Congo. And go to the Easter Island of thirty years ago.
I think Anthony Bourdain said it best. (Not surprising.) "...a successful show or book or article is seen and enjoyed by many, and perhaps inspires others to travel. And the next time I roll through town, the place is packed with Americans. There' More...
I think Anthony Bourdain said it best. (Not surprising.) "...a successful show or book or article is seen and enjoyed by many, and perhaps inspires others to travel. And the next time I roll through town, the place is packed with Americans. There' More...
Sep 16, 2011
Jade
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This is so far the best "The Best American series" book I have ever read. I have read quite a few, like The Best American Short Stories, 2007 & 2008, The Best American Mysteries 2007, etc. In these books, I could always found a couple of stories that were not my cup of tea. But in this book, I read each and every writing, and they were all good and very interesting to read. They brought the readers to all over the world, Africa, Cambodia, Russia, and China. I like the editor Anthony Bo
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Sep 07, 2009
Christopher
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Another year of travel writing, another year of highly satisfying reads. I love, love, love this annual collection. It is the ultimate cure for the third-rate travel pieces so often published in newspapers.
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Apr 05, 2011
Logan
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I'm a bit of a sucker for the Best American collections. They always tempt me from the sale shelves at Powell's with their ever-descending prices and the promise of shorter reads to break up my regular diet of longer fiction. The 2008 Best American Travel Writing was no different. Compiled by everyone's favorite gourmet curmudgeon, Anthony Bourdain, this collection features a host of interesting tales culled from "the darker side, those moments fearful, sublime, and absurd..." Accordin
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Apr 03, 2010
Beth
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The books in this series are all great. I don't love every story, but I read them all. In this one, Extreme Chocolate was wonderful, about the guy who started Dagoba (and later sold to Hershey - bah!). The River Is a Road, captivating. I love the stories about familiar places (David Sedaris on an overnight flight) and the not familiar (Phnom Penh) remind me that I need to push the horizon.
Best part? I always find these books on the $6.98 table @ Powell's @ PDX.
Best part? I always find these books on the $6.98 table @ Powell's @ PDX.
Jan 27, 2010
Tiah
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Just finished this, whilst on vacation. Of course it's pretty damn near the perfect read if you are traveling, and are interested/curious in other people's expeditions, especially if they are to lands you will probably never go to. It's got it all(all being humor, sadness, contemplation, current events, etc etc). I suspected that Anthony Bourdain would not steer me wrong, he's the editor on this one, and he came through.
Oct 29, 2009
Betsy
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It's always tough to review a collection of writing, but this one had such consistantly enjoyable stories (and on such a breadth of places) that I would recommend it. Anthony Bourdain's contribution at the beginning is nearly non-existant, but that's perhaps to the book's benefit. A good read if you're feeling unable to commit to a single story-line and in need of a form of escapism.
Sep 16, 2009
Dan
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This collection was not as good as last year's collection, but it still had a few gems. One of my particular favorites was a travel essay written by a man who traveled down the Congo river on a huge ship. The fine line between luxury on the ship and the abject poverty on the banks of the river really opened your eyes.
Feb 05, 2010
Nicole
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I enjoyed most of the selections and learned a fair bit about some parts of the world that I'd never really thought about before (both from the essays and from further investigation). This wasn't a book I'd sit down and read cover to cover, but it was a good one to read gradually between other things I was doing.
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Sep 19, 2009
Thom
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I totally bought this book because Bourdain was the editor. Some of the essays have been very interesting, especially Calvin Trilling (Singapore) and Seth Stevenson (Dubai). I'm saving the David Sedaris essay for last. I was sort of surprised that Bill Buford's piece didn't grab me, but maybe I'll get into it later.
Aug 12, 2010
Chris
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This is the 2008 compilation of travel essays by various authors including David Sedaris and Paul Theroux, edited by chef Anthony Bourdain of t.v.'s "No Reservations". I enjoyed the inside non-tourist look at countries I have, or would like to visit. Very enlightening. I plan on reading 2009 and 10.
Jul 19, 2010
Adam
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Good collection of essays, though I'd read some of them before in the New Yorker (like Bill Buford's great "Extreme Chocolate"). Bourdain deliberately picked pieces that showed the dark side of human nature, but the stories on Africa are especially heartbreaking.
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Dec 14, 2011
Bridgette
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I too was a bit skeptical about Anthony Bourdain as the guest editor, but I was pleasantly surprised. My favorite passage was Extreme Chocolate; how can you go wrong with any story about chocolate?
Sep 07, 2009
Carrie
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I think Anthony Bourdain must be one of those people who craves an adrenaline rush. This was appealing, even captivating, in Kitchen Confidential, but somehow I didn't care for how it carried over to this essay collection, which he edited. Nearly every essay was about some extreme situation -- revolutionary Burma, eating poisonous food, whatever -- as if there wasn't enough to say about a simple visit to a commonly visited place. I did like some of the essays, but not enough to recommend the boo
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Dec 10, 2010
Bill
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I had mixed feelings about this book. Some of the stories were good, but not what I think of as travel writing. They're more like journalism stories from foreign places. When I think of travel writing, I think of stories that a person such as myself might experience on a trip, whereas a lot of these stories are about reporters doing their jobs overseas. Also, being edited by Anthony Bourdain it seems a lot of the stories are about food more than about travel. So I'll give this one an overal
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Jun 05, 2010
Michael
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A drawback is that a fair number of the selections are from the New Yorker, so I had those already. (On the other hand, I got it out of the library, so no big deal.) A good selection of stories about travel in Africa and the Arab world; not one about Europe (other than Russia and the former Soviet Union). I'm not sure I know why they allowed quite so much variation in length; a couple of items are only a few pages which isn't so much fun.
Sep 07, 2009
Sarah
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If I could give this book two different ratings, I would give it one star for the first half and four stars for the second half....so I'm giving it a rating somewhere in between. I think the turning point was when the stories transitioned from being merely informational to more along the lines of personal refelctions. There were a few authors I was not familiar with before that I will definitly be seeking out more of. The final story about Easter Island especially hit home for me. It dealt with
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Sep 07, 2009
Clarke
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just started it, find Anthony Bourdains' foreward interesting, he speaks of 2 books (both I couldn't finish) because they are about whining writers and how they're life is so hard; being paid to travel around the world, and then being forced to write what the publisher wants....wah wah.
Also interesting to note is the first article by Bill Buford, which speaks of the search for Chocolate/Cacao; which relates directly to "At the Table with Anthony Bourdain" show which was on More...
Also interesting to note is the first article by Bill Buford, which speaks of the search for Chocolate/Cacao; which relates directly to "At the Table with Anthony Bourdain" show which was on More...
Aug 26, 2010
Dustin
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Very nice collection. Obviously influenced by Bourdain's culinary background. Made for interesting reading since I don't get into that topic much.
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Sep 26, 2009
Lyn
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These complilations are hit or miss for me from year to year - whether I enjoy really depends on the guest editor. That being said, I did enjoy this year's edition - Anthony Bourdain apparently likes to read the same travel writing that I do.
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Sep 07, 2009
Elaine
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My last book to close out 2008. I found some of the travel stories quite interesting. I like other people's perspectives on various geographical locals. I find that even though Americans are all vastly different we still have a common thread that transcends age/social status, so that reading other American's travel experiences is a bit humorous and familiar. I enjoyed reading about the far flung central asian counries of Georgia and Turkmenistan. (I told Stuart that if we ever have a lot of mone
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Aug 04, 2011
Marie-claude
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Perfect vacations read... short stories, well written, well chosen!
Great book!
Great book!
Feb 20, 2011
Matthew
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If only I could describe my travels half as well. Some pretty interesting trips and observations to boot.
