Publisher’s Preface: The Best Travel Writing 2009
I went to see Slumdog Millionaire the other night with a friend who does rural development work in Central America, and we were both reminded of the enormous gap between the poor and Those of Us Who Really Don’t Suffer Much But Complain a Lot. It’s been over twenty years since I was in Mumbai (then Bombay), but India is engraved in the memory rather easily, and the images of the slums caused me to reflect again on our culture in the West, and our own forms of poverty: poverty of imagination, poverty of friendship, poverty of family, poverty of compassion, poverty of life in the streets.
Added on March 10, 2009
Escape to Italy! What would you do if you were sentenced to 30 days abroad? We can’t all be shipped off for a month, but whether you have 30 days off or just a few, these 30 true stories of other travelers will give you ideas of where to go, what to do, and what it’s like to be there. What would you do if you were sentenced to 30 days abroad? We can’t all be shipped off for a month, but whether you have 30 days off or just a few, these 30 true stories of other travelers will give you ideas of where to go, what to do, and what it’s like to be there.
Simple Truth, Simple Wisdom
“The mythologist Joseph Campbell said that every culture needs ‘myths to live by,’ sacred and timeless stories that lend a sense of ultimate meaning and purpose. This book rests firmly in that venerable tradition of providing stories rooted in lived wisdom, grounded in earned compassion. Stories that even teach us, simply and humbly, how to live.”
—Phil Cousineau, author of Once and Future Myths
From the time we learn to talk, we tell stories to amuse, teach, frighten, or inspire. When friends, family, or strangers are suffering, we reach into that ancient bag of treasures for comfort. Here, in Stories to Live By, three award-winning editors have chosen some favorites.
Travelers’ Tales China takes you through 6,000 years of history to modern-day socialist China, from the Silk Road to the commercial centers of Beijing and Shanghai. Explore the old as well as the new—from the tombs of dead emperors to the world’s largest dam. Wander the vastness of the Gobi Desert, go dancing with Ghengis Khan, explore the Forbidden City, and walk along sections of the Great Wall that are seldom visited.