THE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING 2003

This annual collection tends to take armchair travelers to places they couldn't, or wouldn't, go on vacation: Cuba, Afghanistan, or the Arctic, to name just a few. Editor Ian Frazier sees to it that the journeys are lightened with edgy humor. "The Despair of Art Deco," a Geoff Dyer piece read with British indignance by Simon Jones, hilariously describes the sighting of a body on a sidewalk in Miami. "Pope on a Rope Tow," read by author Lisa Anne Auerbach, takes an irreverent journey in the ski tracks of the pontiff. "The Respect of the Men," a Jack Handey essay read by Ian Frazier, goes for laughs in describing how not to lead an expedition. The readings, mostly by authors, are good to excellent, often conveying the perfect personal tone. J.A.S.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]