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The Best American Travel Writing 2007 (The Best American Series (TM))
from: Houghton Mifflin
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 818.5408
EAN: 9780618582181
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0618582185
Label: Houghton Mifflin
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: October 10, 2007
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Studio: Houghton Mifflin
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Editorial Review:
"Travel is not about finding something. It's about getting lost -- that is, it is about losing yourself in a place and a moment. The little things that tether you to what's familiar are gone, and you become a conduit through which the sensation of the place is felt." -- from the introduction by Susan OrleanThe twenty pieces in this year's collection showcase the best travel writing from 2006. George Saunders travels to India to witness firsthand a fifteen-year-old boy who has been meditating motionless under a tree for months without food or water, and who many followers believe is the reincarnation of the Buddha. Matthew Power reveals trickle-down economics at work in a Philippine garbage dump. Jason Anthony describes the challenges of everyday life in Vostok, the coldest place on earth, where temperatures dip as low as minus-129 degrees and where, in midsummer, minus-20 degrees is considered a heat wave.David Halberstam, in one of his last published essays, recalls how an inauspicious Saigon restaurant changed the way he and other reporters in Vietnam saw the world. Ian Frazier analyzes why we get sick when traveling in out-of-the-way places. And Kevin Fedarko embarks on a drug-fueled journey in Djibouti, chewing psychotropic foliage in "the worst place on earth."Closer to home, Steve Friedman profiles a 410-pound man who set out to walk cross-country to lose weight and find happiness. Rick Bass chases the elusive concept of the West in America, and Jonathan Stern takes a hilarious Lonely Planet approach to his small Manhattan apartment.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - my first year
I've long been a fan of the various Best American books, but this was my first year to read the travel writing, but I figured, Susan Orlean, okay. My mistake. Most of the pieces were tedious, though I did enjoy Jason Anthony, Ian Frazier, Steve Friedman, Nando Parrado (but didn't he already write this), and my two favorites, though I'm not sure I'd call them travel writing, Andrew Solomon and Jonathan Stern. It's because of them two that I'll probably pick up next year's edition.
Rating:  - Fun, Fast, Diverse -- Highly Recommended
This is the fifth in this series that I have read. Only one other (I think it was 2002) was this good. I love this series and give it as Christmas gifts every year. This editor had exactly the right point of view in compiling these stories.
Rating: - Excellent collection
I loved this year's collection, edited by Susan Orlean. Many great essays, but the highlight is definitely Elizabeth Gilbert's report of a two week eating/walking tour through Provence via rural trails.
Rating:  - pathetic
This has to be the worst "Best American Travel Writing" edition I've seen so far. As a big taveler and a big fan of travel writing, I buy this book every year. There's usually four or five great essays in it, which makes it worth the money for me. But this issue of 2007 is so off the mark. I found almost nothing in it of real interest. I don't know what the editor was thinking. As far as I can tell, Susan Orlean is not known a a traveller. Why she was chosen to put together this year's editon ... Read More
Rating: - Not up to previous standards
As a fan of the series who has the previous seven editions in a prominent space on the bookshelf, I too was disappointed with this year's collection.
Only about half the entries really held my interest. Unfortunately, the least compelling were also the lengthiest, led by Elizabeth Gilbert's tedious "Lonnnnnnnnnnnng Day's Journey Into Dinner". Most telling about the lack of depth (perhaps there wasn't a lot to choose from this year?) is that the most captivating piece is Nando Parrado's ... Read More
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