The Best American Travel Writing 2018

November 1, 2018

Guest editor Strayed (Wild) has gathered 24 essays from a variety of the best American travel writers. "There will be a reckoning" is the central theme of these varied and thought-provoking pieces: reckonings of war, ecological disaster, political turmoil, and social inequities. Richard Manning returns to his hometown of Flint, MI, wondering how the city that offered middle-class lives to auto workers could poison its citizens with lead-tainted drinking water. "Why should a melon cost as much as a car?" asks Bianca Bosker, writing in sensuous detail of the pampered Japanese luxury fruits that the wealthy crave. Eritrean American Rahawa Haile recounts hiking the Appalachian Trail, reading racist trail graffiti, looking at the many RVs flying Confederate flags, and greeting hikers surprised by her color, who tell her that "blacks don't hike." A fantastic variety of tales here, from Ian Frazier's report of forgotten sites of the Russian Revolution to a ride-along tour of cult leader Charles Manson's infamous locales. VERDICT Libraries that own previous books in the series, and readers who enjoy travel writing and essays on provocative and fascinating subjects will want to purchase this latest installment.--Susan Belsky, Oshkosh P.L., WI

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2018
Setting the tone with her affecting introduction, editor Strayed (Wild?, 2012) writes that an alternate title for this collection of 24 essays could be There Will Be a Reckoning. Hiking the Appalachian Trail on the centennial of the U.S. National Parks system, Rahawa Haile catalogs the responses of fellow walkers perplexed by her blackness and considers the system's historic exclusion of people of color and Native Americans. Jennifer Hope Choi's mother becomes less of a stranger in the postcards and pictures she begins sending from her solo, midlife travels. There is lighter fare, too: John von Sothen is thrilled to take his first weeks-long, French-style vacation as an American expat only to learn that if traveling in a large group of friends makes travel affordable, perhaps it's better to not have friends. Echoing among the essays are Trump Towers, the beauty and vastness of South Dakota, and writers of color considering how they move about a country marked by police violence against black lives. This is a particularly strong entry to the popular series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)