The Best American Travel Writing 2005

by Jamaica Kincaid (Editor)

The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind.

The Best American Travel Writing 2005 includes

William Least-Heat Moon • Ian Frazier • John McPhee • William T. Vollmann • Simon Winchester • Tom Bissell • Madison Smartt Bell • Timothy Bascom • Pam Houston • and others

Jamaica Kincaid, guest editor, is the author of numerous award-winning works, including the memoirs My Brother and The Autobiography of My Mother and the novel Annie John. Her travelogue Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas appeared in 2005. She lives in Vermont with her two childen and a garden, in which she travels a great deal.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Essays, Short Stories, Anthologies

374 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2005

About the author

Jamaica Kincaid is an Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. She was born in St. John's, Antigua (part of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda). She lives in North Bennington, Vermont (in the United States), during the summers, and is Professor of African and African American Studies in Residence at Harvard University during the academic year.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating ride of short stories, taking the reader from one far-flung locale to the next -- tropical Gabon to windswept Chile to the remote and all-but-inaccessible Ascension island. The stories share magic -- those moments of wonder and discovery that remind us why we travel and what we're really searching for as we roam the far corners of our planet. Two evocative snippets:

"On a long journey, the only secrets kept are the ones people forget to tell. When you're living in close quarters without many physical comforts, no amount of card playing and small talk can allay homesickness and loneliness. the demands and disappointments of a remote place... press you to talk"
--Maps and Dreaming, by Charles M. Kearney.

"In this grand conjunction... new friendship, tropical warmth, white sand, sea swimming, Brazilian turtles, an eclipse of the moon and the rising of a comet -- was perhaps the greatest wealth of experience any one individual could ever know in one moment. Blessed beyond belief, beyond all understanding. That state of grace had all come about purely and simply because one man and woman has decided to offer me, no more and no less than their kindness."
--Welcome to Nowhere, by Simon Wnchester.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a stretch to call some of this travel writing. Luckily the articles that didn't capture my attention could be skipped. And I'd recently read a William Least Heat Moon book from which a chapter was included in this book. So I skipped that.

But while I would not characterize this as a travel book, there were interesting articles included. And a couple DID qualify (in my mind) for travel writing status.

A better description would be of international non-fiction writing rather than travel writing.

I might have enjoyed it more had I known in advance. Since this is from 2005 I don't expect many others will run across this book, but I'd like to know if others find it more interesting after reading this review.

[omars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearing out my to-read shelf. A few good pieces, but skimming through this reminded me how completely this type of anthology has been replaced by online formats.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the whole, I really appreciated this collection! As always, there are some pieces that are more interesting than others, but none that I felt the need to give up on midway or skip entirely, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. I would have been interested in a more thematic arrangement of the essays (as opposed to just alphabetically by author), but that's not something I can fault the authors featured in the collection for. Definitely a good nightstand read to take your time with!

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting collection that once again made me tip my hat to the "Best American" series that Houghton Mifflin puts out. The pieces were almost all worth reading, and they ranged all over the world. There were articles that take place in Haiti, Vietnam, Florida, the West African coast, New Jersey, the Great Lakes, China, the Grand Canyon, Thailand, Panama, Saudi Arabia, the middle of the ocean, Afghanistan, the Scottish Highlands, and Tijuana. There were known writers like Simon Winchester, William Vollmann, John McPhee, Thomas Kenneally, Pam Houston, Jim Harrison, and Madison Smartt Bell.

Most of the pieces were were not intended for guidebooks, and deal with serious issues. One dealt with the world's dead and dying languages. Another discussed a few days spent with an American military intelligence man in the Middle East - I learned more from that one about what really goes on in those places than I have from hundreds of other news stories. Wacky and incredibly persistent William Vollmann goes on a quest to discover the hidden tunnels that Chinese immigrants supposedly used in Tijuana. William L. Heat-Moon goes on a quest to find some ciscos, once a popular fish for people's tables. Simon Winchester unintentionally spends some time in the tiny British territory of Asuncion Island, essentially a big dormant volcano sticking out of the sea. Murad Kalam describes a pilgrimage to Mecca, and the chaos and suffering that he encounters there. J. Michael Fay describes efforts by environmentalists to protect the African coast and its creatures from exploitation. In a piece that I have read before, noted gourmand Jim Harrison describes a fantastic 37 course lunch, all based on ancient recipes, that he experienced at a French chateau. Ben Ryder Howe wanders around the wild, dangerous area between Panama and Colombia. Closer to home, Tom Bissell relates a trip he took to Vietnam with his macho, war veteran father; and William Blundell takes on Florida and his father's retirement years there.

Most of it was fascinating and wonderfully written - travel journalism at its best.

[PATRICK · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me ten months to read this? Woah. In my defense, a) I was in college from October to January b) these were essays, each essay has its own pace, some are dragging and some are long and some are quick reads c) we moved from Manila to the U.S. (bum life January-March, did nothing but watch movies, tv shows, American things, went around every weekend) d) I was trying to write my novel which never exceeded 10,000 words e) I now have a job I work for 6 hours a day + the time I get ready, buy my lunch, and commute = 11 hours so basically I have no time to read it.

I loved a lot of essays in the book. It inspired to spend money on travel magazines that will be coming soon on my doorstep. I would want to write about travel one day soon. Although I'm curious how difference 2005 Travel Writing to 2015. There's more technology now, and accessibility to places. 2005 got no Google Image Search, no Tripadvisor.

I want to do an entire blog entry about this but I'm probably too busy too

Will drop by again

[Toure Folkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for the summer for those who catch summer ADD and don't want to be bothered investing in a novel. The book includes the best essays travel essays from 2005, including pieces from National Geographic, Outside, Harpers. The New Yorker and other periodicals. Also puts you on to a bunch of great writing voices, some under the radar and other that you should be reading anyway.

There is a whole assortment of different titles that come out in the annual "Best American" series that are all equally as good.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong anthology. I especially liked the piece from Jack Hitt on the dying out of the Kawesqar language in Chile. Also excellent were William Vollmann's tale of searching for Chinese-built tunnels in Mexicali, Mexico, and Simon Winchester's almost magical story of washing up on Ascension Island in the north Atlantic. Seth Stevenson's "Trying Really Hard to Like India" manages to be both tragic and hilarious. See here for the Stevenson story: [http://www.slate.com/id/2107063/entry...]

[Kamili · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think, in general, I'm opposed to thematically constructed books. But these books are really good. I read 2004 and 2005, and I just ordered 2000 and 2001 (edited by Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux, respectively) for like $0.48 on Amazon.com. They also make for excellent subway reading.

[Velimir Randic · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting take on travel writing, but I'm sorry that I'm really not that interested in the political history of Haiti since the 1950s. The veteran travelling back to Vietnam with his son was better, still...

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got it as a birthday present. As with these kinds of books, some good, some not so good. I liked "A Really Big Lunch" the best. I'm thinking about a 40-course meal for my 40th birthday!

[Jrobertus · Rating 3 out of 5]

25 essays, all pretty interesting. the last one, by simon winchester, about 2 days on ascension island, is very up lifting and entertaining.

[missy jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series makes me want to be a travel writer. Desperately.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great selection of writing styles and locations, and many of them are funny! I'm a fan of the editor, Jamaica Kinkade and so far have enjoyed her selections.

[Carrie]

travel narratives