3.5
The Best American Travel Writing 2021
ByPublisher Description
"The beauty of good writing is that it transports the reader inside another person's experience in some other physical place and culture," writes Padma Lakshmi in her introduction, "and, at its best, evokes a palpable feeling of being in a specific moment in time and space." The essays in this edition of
are an antidote to the isolation of the year 2020, giving us views into experiences unlike our own and taking us on journeys we could not take ourselves. From the lively music of West Africa, to the rich culinary traditions of Muslims in Northwest China, to the thrill of a hunt in Alaska, this collection is a treasure trove of diverse places and cultures, providing the comfort, excitement, and joy of feeling elsewhere.
features:
KIESE MAKEBA LAYMON • LESLIE JAMISON • BILL BUFORD • JON LEE ANDERSON • MEGHAN DAUM • DOUG BOCK CLARK • LIGAYA MISHAN • SARAH MOSS • PAUL THEROUX and many others
"
has been the gold standard for short-form travel writing from newspapers, magazines and the Internet since its inception." —
"[A] superb travel annual . . . distinguished by its stellar guest editors." —
(starred review)
"[A] venerable series." —
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Best American Travel Writing 2021 Reviews
3.5
“I will definitely be looking into other entries in this series, and similar collections of travel essays. While this year may have proved somewhat exceptional in its content due to the various upheavals happening in 2020/2021, it provided a broad range of voices and perspectives, not all focused on the doom and gloom of the pandemic, and other crises.
Given the variety involved, I've included my impressions of each essay in the collection below.
From what I can tell all the articles featured appeared elsewhere first, so hopefully the title and author will let you find them individually if desired.
Inside the Nightmare Voyage of the Diamond Princess by Doug Bock Clark - Writing is a little sensationalist for my taste, but it's certainly important that the story is out there, for all the ways people can learn from the mistakes and injustices and do better in the future.
Mississippi: A Poem, In Days by Kiese Makeba Laymon - Disappointment, disillusionment, the attempt to act right when many are not, kind of full face back into the early days of COVID, reader beware.
The Warmth of a Lost World by Leslie Jamison - Sensual descriptions, addressing western perception of Turkish baths, author's experience of American and Istanbul versions of Turkish baths, sharing space with strangers, the loss of such an experience during quarantine, the vulnerability and openness conveyed by shared nudity, the contrast of pain and pleasure, hot and cold, changing to the baths as an activity after getting sober.
*Really liked the writing
To the Swimmer in the Borneo Rainforest by Meghan Gunn - Powerful 4 pages.
I Decided to Leave by Meghan Daum - Puppy!
The New York You Once Knew is Gone. The One You Loved Remains. by Glynnis MacNicol - Strange to have read two memoirs by this woman, to have picked up this collection because an essay by her was included, only to find that it didn't really feel like she said anything of note, or maybe just nothing I hadn't already read from her before? 🤷🏼♂️
Good Bread by Bill Buford - The warmth and simple comfort of bread, contrasted with a quietly heart-breaking story of loss.
Food, It Turns Out, Has Little to Do With Why I Travel by Noah Galuten - Restaurant business, experience of food and travelling for it, found greatly enhanced by human connections, tone of quiet reverence.
The People of Las Vegas by Amanda Fortini - Unsurprising perhaps considering the year in question, but it never occurred to me that depending on your origin, people could write about where they are, not travel, and it would still be something new to read about, a new place seen.
Some of the issues with travel writing, journalists dropping in and shoring up cliches with first impressions.
*Really liked the writing
In the City of Saints by Sarah Khan - Floored by how well 2 1/2 page essay was laid out - got a feel for the author, the city in question, the significance, the features.
Reindeer at the End of the World by Bathsheba Demuth - Sense of apocalypse no excuse for apathy, Soviet Union version of socialism/communism bad for everyone (I'd still argue it's not the best example of either ideology in practice), attempts to 'civilise' an indigenous population in the rush to exploit the resources they depend upon for survival apparently not just a Western thing.
Senegal's Beating Heart by Jim Benning - Felt a little rushed to cover the extent of the subject matter engaged with, but hit on some salient points, how music can form the core of travel, the way to see a new place, to have expectations challenged.
Five Oceans, Five Deeps by Ben Taub - Adventure! It's hard to see past the 'millionaire who wants to explore devotes ridiculous amount of resources to personal journey' narrative, or submarine follies for that matter, without wanting to roll your eyes these days, but insofar as there is a crew of interesting characters, and some scientific discoveries made along the way, I had a good time with this one.
*The writing engaged me in a way that feels rare, and I like to see in non-fiction essays.
Water or Sky? by Meg Bernhard - I see that there is travel, that it's somewhat written to have travel as a framework, but I think it's easy to argue this is not a travel writing piece, as the focus is the loss of loved ones, dealing with grief, mental health and death by drowning.
California's Weed Country is Lit by Jackie Bryant - The devastation of large fires on California agriculture and its workers, but from a cannabis industry perspective.
Youtopia by Carrie Battan - Elite community vibes, wellness market, (which leaves a bad taste in my mouth, lots of things to charge people a bundle for), makes me sceptical; at the end of it all, it's not a scale-able model, it's a living situation few can afford. Basically fully agree with author's assessment.
Can Travel Become an Addiction? by Natalie Stoclet - Kiiiind of pointless; even in four pages, it becomes obvious the author could have just answered 'no' to the title question and been done with it. Exploring what constitutes addiction is somewhat interesting, though something that can only be briefly touched on in an essay of this size. Underlining the reality that travelling to avoid life just means dealing with reality later, not a permanent antidote to suffering, somewhat saves the essay.
On the Complicated Questions Around Writing About Travel by Intan Paramaditha -
Should really be a necessary preface in every travelogue.
The year following intensive quarantine is when many are going to take stock of the costs of travel.
Out There, Nobody Can Hear You Scream by Latria Graham - Clear-eyed look at racism, white supremacy, how it hampers Black folks' ability to enjoy the outdoors, vulnerable and stressful in relating personal experience, knowledgeable on the history and statistics, ending in a brave entreaty and an offering of support, probably the most important article in the collection.
The Losing Coast by Elizabeth Miller - Humanity's negative effect on natural environments and its acceleration of climate change, how that is reflected in a specific geographical area, and of course, often hits indigenous, minority populations the hardest. 😑
To the Doctor of Bujumbura's Quarantine Hotel by Jina Moore -
This collection really wouldn't be an accurate reflection of 2020/21 travel writing if it didn't have the perspective of one traveller caught somewhere in quarantine.
A Change in Perspective by Sarah Moss - Learning to love the place you're in, whether you moved because of economics, or your children's future demanded it, or because the pandemic has eliminated your chance for travel.
Thousand Fields of Grain by Ligaya Mishan - Globalization of early civilizations, via trade and invasion, the nationalistic and minority/religious/ethnic suppressive tendencies of modern China, the story told of distinct and blending cultures in the food of various regions.
A Fear-Filled Lockdown by Paul Theroux - Didn't enjoy the book I read by this author, so decided to skip his 4 page essay.
Wanderlust by Jon Lee Anderson - Relating a story of travel from younger days sourced from old journal entries, pretty classic tale, went to seek adventure and exploit resources to fund an expedition, one in long history of 'pioneers' which again negatively affected an indigenous culture. Thankfully the author's narrative is more respectful, sees more agreeable interactions with indigenous population, though marks how they have historically been affected. Journey seems a bit scattered, but so does the author as a young man.
⚠️ Attempted assault, loss of (19 year old) child, mental health concerns”“This volume was written in the time of Covid so it was a little different from the others you found in this travel writing series. Many authors chose to address the pandemic. Others felt the need to examine the nature of travel itself or remember trips of from past.
Only about three of the stories didn’t really interest me. However, the ones that I did like were excellent.
I thought them both entertaining and enlightening.
I look forward to reading more from the series.”
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