Jeff Greenwald’s four previous books, including his best-selling Shopping for Buddhas and The Size of the World, have taken thousands of readers on journeys ranging from the ruins of Angkor to the bazaars of Iran—journeys at once sublime and provocative, spiritual and absurd. Whether ascending a miraculous escalator in a Kathmandu shopping mall or sinking, amidst tattooed yakuza, into a Japanese electric bath, Greenwald finds beauty in the details—and knits them into his vivid, quirky narratives. Here is the best of Jeff Greenwald’s short travel writing, hand-picked from two decades of open-eyed dispatches. Spanning oceans, continents, and the quantum leap from the Smith-Corona to the Cybercafé, these stories provide an illuminating, often hilarious view of our changing world, as seen through the eyes of America’s favorite cult travel writer.
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From Library Journal
This "best of" collection gathers some of the earlier and hard-to-find essays in the 20-year travel-writing career of Greenwald. The former contributing editor for Wired, Greenwald is perhaps best known for his book Shopping for Buddhas and his real-time Internet dispatches detailing an overland, around-the-world trip, which would become his third book, The Size of the World. In this new volume, Greenwald reminds us of the "alchemical gift of travel" and the transformative potential of exploring "off the beaten path." Whether we are laughing at Greenwald's attempt to order from a Farsi menu in a small Iranian restaurant or sharing his fascination with the way aborigines make their bedding "in the bush," Greenwald offers a detailed picture of the surroundings and an informed understanding of the culture. Each of the 30 essays includes important contextual information that enhances our understanding and appreciation for all travel writing. After all, how can you not appreciate an essay that began as a series of letters typed on a typewriter that was being hauled across Kathmandu on the author's back? Recommended for all travel collections. Mari Flynn, Keystone Coll., La Plume, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Each of the essays includes important information that enhances our appreciation for all travel writing... Recommended for all travel collections." -- Library Journal, April 15, 2002
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Globe for All Seasons,
By
This review is from: Scratching the Surface (Paperback)
Jeff Greenwald is the kind of traveler most people rightly want to be--insouciant, funny, compassionate and cyncal at the same time. He's seems to have been just about everywhere (I'm sure he'd scoff at that), and seen it all, but most of all one gets from his writing a special sense of hope. He clearly loves the world and all its inhabitants--and in the manner in which the whole wild and poignant panoply of life pains and delights him, he brings the reader to their own natural place of wonder. Even better (I've read three of his other books), I always find myself Greenwalded into an eddy of determination not only to make my own next trip real, but when I'm on it, to be a better observer and a better participant in the magic all about me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good when he's not patting himself on the back...,
By Molly M "omdog" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Scratching the Surface (Paperback)
As an aspiring travel writer myself who just returned from 14 months around the world, I skimmed this book to get a sense of Greenwald's style, where he's been, and how he views the world. I found the writing to be really good when he wasn't so busy sharing all the great things he's done and how much he likes himself. There's an air of self-aggrandizement that gets in the way of the stories. If he could just take a more humble approach, I'd be more intrigued and inspired. To be perfectly honest, a part of me is jealous of Greenwald for having visited many of these places in the '90s before they became so overtouristed. Overall I think he does a great job of offering pertinent historical facts and great backgrounds that make the experience so much more real and interesting. He just needs to get off his high horse.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended,
By
This review is from: Scratching the Surface (Paperback)
(Planeta Journal) Collection of 31 tales span the globe in this anthology of travel writing at its finest. Insightful, inquisitive and inspiring, Greenwald reminds readers of the transformative potential of exploring areas off the beaten path. Readers accompany the author around the world, and it's hard to sit still after reading this book.
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