THE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING 2002

The readers for seven of these short travel stories are the authors themselves, and three are done by editor Frances Mayes. Locales range from Bolivian festivals to Devin Friedman's emotional and painful essay on his father's 40 annual trips to Acapulco. In most cases the authors drop their words, hurry, and mumble as they narrate, but the flavor of ordinary people unloading their stories makes hearing the vicissitudes of travel more enjoyable. David Sedaris moans and whines as he recounts a horror story about an airport delay, but his experience as a stand-up comedian makes the subtle delivery fun to hear. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]