areader09's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. As I say with every volume of "Best American" that I review, the edition lives and dies by the guest editor. In my opinion, the best volumes are ones that are the most representative, in terms of gender, race, publication, etc. A good volume is also one that thinks broadly about the subject at hand, in this case, travel writing. Fortunately, Padma Lakshmi thought liberally about what constitutes travel writing and selected pieces that contributed to a well-represented volume. I also appreciate that, while this edition explored the pandemic, it was not overly fixated on it.
Some of my favorite pieces in this edition were: "To the Swimmer in the Borneo Rainforest" by Meghan Daum; "The People of Las Vegas" by Amanda Fortini, "Mississippi: A Poem in Days" by Kiese Makeba Laymon, and "Good Bread" by Bill Buford (also in this year's edition of Best Food Writing).
Some of my favorite pieces in this edition were: "To the Swimmer in the Borneo Rainforest" by Meghan Daum; "The People of Las Vegas" by Amanda Fortini, "Mississippi: A Poem in Days" by Kiese Makeba Laymon, and "Good Bread" by Bill Buford (also in this year's edition of Best Food Writing).
firerosearien's review
4.0
How do you write about travel when everyone's locked down and there is no travel?
There are some very creative ways of addressing that here, but the saga of the Diamond Princess was probably my favorite in the collection, though I also enjoyed many of the others.
There are some very creative ways of addressing that here, but the saga of the Diamond Princess was probably my favorite in the collection, though I also enjoyed many of the others.
m_peacock's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.0
Yes, travel during the pandemic waves of 2020 and 2021 was difficult. But if you're going to publish a book titled The Best American Travel Writing 2021, then figure out how to get it done. The start of this book was way too New York-centric -- the story of celebrity lock-down life in the introduction by Padma Lakshmi, the inane stories about the guilt of ditching Manhattan or the inner strength required to stay. About 25% of the stories were good reads; too few for a book that claims to contain the best American travel writing of last year.
zac_housedownbooks's review
3.0
Travel writing is at an interesting juncture as it becomes more diverse. I saw a lot of intention in these essays to "decolonize travel," but most of the white writers left it at that – words about diversity. Their own essays still felt navel gazey, or "touristy." There were multiple essays about how "New York City just isn't the same" due to the pandemic, which is a thoroughly boring topic to write about. And giving Paul Theroux a platform is always a bad idea in my mind. Thankfully his essay was just four short pages.
The content shone when ACTUAL diverse viewpoints were showcased. Most notable for me included the essay from Latria Graham about being Black in the outdoors, and the essay from Elizabeth Miller about the disappearing barrier islands of Louisiana (and by extension, the world). Another high point was the format of Kiese Makeba Laymon's "Mississippi: A Poem, in Days." These were essays that moved me and kept my attention amid too many entries that felt chopped off. In "In the City of Saints" by Sarah Khan, for example, I felt that I learned next to nothing. If only editorial guidelines would have let her expand upon her story and point. As it was, it felt like a few pages of empty words. Multiple essays in this collection felt that way.
In all, I don't feel that this represents the best of travel writing in 2021, even given the constraints of a global pandemic. I definitely feel that the curation missed the mark, and that there was too much filler. The essays that shone, however, shone brightly and demonstrated why so many people long to put themselves out of their comfort zones each year to travel. I hope to see a more solid edition in 2022.
The content shone when ACTUAL diverse viewpoints were showcased. Most notable for me included the essay from Latria Graham about being Black in the outdoors, and the essay from Elizabeth Miller about the disappearing barrier islands of Louisiana (and by extension, the world). Another high point was the format of Kiese Makeba Laymon's "Mississippi: A Poem, in Days." These were essays that moved me and kept my attention amid too many entries that felt chopped off. In "In the City of Saints" by Sarah Khan, for example, I felt that I learned next to nothing. If only editorial guidelines would have let her expand upon her story and point. As it was, it felt like a few pages of empty words. Multiple essays in this collection felt that way.
In all, I don't feel that this represents the best of travel writing in 2021, even given the constraints of a global pandemic. I definitely feel that the curation missed the mark, and that there was too much filler. The essays that shone, however, shone brightly and demonstrated why so many people long to put themselves out of their comfort zones each year to travel. I hope to see a more solid edition in 2022.
ryner's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
In this latest annual edition of 'The Best American Travel Writing,' Padma Lakshmi has curated a diverse selection of articles and essays intended to inspire wanderlust. Overall, for me this was at best a pleasant read, just not as inspiring as I'd been expecting or hoping for. This was partly my fault for selecting the 2021 edition and it not occurring to me that the content could be quite different from previous editions with traditional travel having been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In hindsight, I should have chosen an earlier year. There was a bit more focus on travel philosophy than I would have preferred — I rather needed someone to be going somewhere interesting or exciting. "Five Oceans, Five Deeps" turned out to be my favorite story — deep ocean exploration is fascinating in an eerie, anxiety-inducing way!
tabbycat26's review
3.0
Apparently I forgot to rate this. But it was pretty good. And some interesting travel
sierratakushi's review
5.0
This collection of stories had me crying, gasping, and reading full essays out loud alone in my room because they were so poetic or relatable or inspiring. What an great capsule of moments+places+events of 2020 - and what outstanding representations of what travel writing can be!
Favorite stories include: Doug Clark’s piece on passengers quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in the early days of COVID-19, Kiese Laymon’s poem and reflections about Mississippi, Meghan Gunn’s piece on assault and realization in Borneo, Glynis Macbicol’s essay on the new New York City, Amanda Fortini’s local perspective about Las Vegas, Latria Graham’s letter touching upon Blackness in the outdoors and the world, and Ligaya Mishan’s reflections on Han and Uygur relations in Xi’an, China.
Unlike most books in this series, this edition felt complete, rich with an array of perspectives, experiences, and commentary on the current state of the world!
Favorite stories include: Doug Clark’s piece on passengers quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in the early days of COVID-19, Kiese Laymon’s poem and reflections about Mississippi, Meghan Gunn’s piece on assault and realization in Borneo, Glynis Macbicol’s essay on the new New York City, Amanda Fortini’s local perspective about Las Vegas, Latria Graham’s letter touching upon Blackness in the outdoors and the world, and Ligaya Mishan’s reflections on Han and Uygur relations in Xi’an, China.
Unlike most books in this series, this edition felt complete, rich with an array of perspectives, experiences, and commentary on the current state of the world!