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brittelkins's review
4.0
I read this series every year, and Andrew McCarthy did not disappoint! Not every year is as intriguing as others, but this collection reminds me of why I love to read travel writing, and why I love to travel.
kilkilshah's review against another edition
4.0
Diverse collection of good writing. I was a little surprised and disappointed in how little of the collection was actually about places in America.
pirate's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
mkat303's review against another edition
I started reading this, but had a digital copy on a library loan. Alas, I had only read a few essays when it was snatched away from my kindle when the loan period ended. Sigh. Wish you could renew digital stuff. Sometimes three weeks just isn't long enough.
pearseanderson's review against another edition
5.0
Best Travel Writing 2015 earns five stars. Each essay and article revealed a new aspect to the world I had not fully seen before or had not fully thought about. The voices creatively varied between essays, and I appreciated McCarthy's placement of each piece: thematically similar, overarching complaints or insights, similar locations (Timbuktu, etc.). The collection was definitely something to get through, but I know I'll be returning to many of these pieces and places (Berlin, Cairo, and Alaska, for example). Good stuff. Saw some points for improvement in terms of sentence structure, but hey, that's journalism.
joyfilledwander's review
4.0
This book was read for my 2016 Reading Challenge Around the World in 80 Books
Clearly, this is the year I will learn to embrace and appreciate short stories. I’ve read more compilations of short writings, fiction & nonfiction this year so far, than perhaps in my whole life. And have been pleasantly surprised each time! The Best American Travel Writing 2015 was no exception, it was a fantastic collection of American travelers exploring lands near and far. I almost intentionally read this at a slow pace, because there was just so much to take in. From a quirky tale about a mermaid theme park in central Florida to a somber piece on death & life in Varnasi, India, this collection captured highs and lows of travel, life abroad & at home, and the human connection we find as we travel. Adriana Paramo’s writing on a music festival in the desert of Mali reminded me of the joy of music festivals I attended in my own hometown. Peter Hessler’s Tales of the Trash gave unique insight into the people and the culture of Egypt through his conversations with his building’s trash collector. Many of these writings touched on war & terrorism & devastation around the world, from a writing on Cambodia’s genocide by Lauren Quinn to the war in Iraq from Benjamin Busch, a former soldier returning the Iraq he fought years later.
My favorite piece from this collection comes from Paul Salopek, entitled Out of Eden Walk. Salopek, a longtime journalist, is attempting something impossible. a seven year walk starting in Ethiopia, where some of the oldest human remains have been found and continuing the trail of human civilization from Africa to the Arabian peninsula, the Middle East, across Asia to North America and finally down to the tip of South America. He began his trek in 2013, which is where this writing starts. Months of writing and walking or “seven hundred miles of words”, Salopek captures the methodical pace at which human civilization emerged, and how over the centuries has changed & evolved. It’s a fascinating project that I’ll continue to follow on his blog, http://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.com/.
Overall, I adored this collection. I admittedly skipped through one or two that didn’t capture my interest, but the majority are delightful, full of whimsy and depth. Read and enjoy!
Clearly, this is the year I will learn to embrace and appreciate short stories. I’ve read more compilations of short writings, fiction & nonfiction this year so far, than perhaps in my whole life. And have been pleasantly surprised each time! The Best American Travel Writing 2015 was no exception, it was a fantastic collection of American travelers exploring lands near and far. I almost intentionally read this at a slow pace, because there was just so much to take in. From a quirky tale about a mermaid theme park in central Florida to a somber piece on death & life in Varnasi, India, this collection captured highs and lows of travel, life abroad & at home, and the human connection we find as we travel. Adriana Paramo’s writing on a music festival in the desert of Mali reminded me of the joy of music festivals I attended in my own hometown. Peter Hessler’s Tales of the Trash gave unique insight into the people and the culture of Egypt through his conversations with his building’s trash collector. Many of these writings touched on war & terrorism & devastation around the world, from a writing on Cambodia’s genocide by Lauren Quinn to the war in Iraq from Benjamin Busch, a former soldier returning the Iraq he fought years later.
My favorite piece from this collection comes from Paul Salopek, entitled Out of Eden Walk. Salopek, a longtime journalist, is attempting something impossible. a seven year walk starting in Ethiopia, where some of the oldest human remains have been found and continuing the trail of human civilization from Africa to the Arabian peninsula, the Middle East, across Asia to North America and finally down to the tip of South America. He began his trek in 2013, which is where this writing starts. Months of writing and walking or “seven hundred miles of words”, Salopek captures the methodical pace at which human civilization emerged, and how over the centuries has changed & evolved. It’s a fascinating project that I’ll continue to follow on his blog, http://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.com/.
Overall, I adored this collection. I admittedly skipped through one or two that didn’t capture my interest, but the majority are delightful, full of whimsy and depth. Read and enjoy!
rian501's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up initially to read one particular story, but then decided to cruise through the rest and see what 'travel writing' really is. I enjoyed most of the stories, and I also enjoyed that they are all very different in subject matter, tone, length, etc. I think it would have been more interesting, though, to be able to read these stories in their original publications, because the anthology doesn't have any pictures, and I'm sure the original stories had something.
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