One for the Road (04/13/07)

by Kelly Amabile on

If you’re a superstitious type (and single) you might be leery of the fact that this new book about the state of singledom launches on Friday the 13th. Scary for some, maybe… but not for the traveling wonder women whose essays are included in this new anthology. Single State of the Union is a collection of stories focusing on the ups and downs of going solo through this great big world of ours. And four of the essays included are specifically travel tales I wanted to point out to all the wanderlust women who read Gadling:

“Tangled Up in Wild Blue” by Amanda Castleman, globetrotting freelance journalist and travel writing instructor; “Postcard from the Edge” by Seattle artist Heather McKinnon; “Me Make Fire for Lynn” by Brooklyn-based novelist Lynn Harris; and “Out of Africa in Karen Blixen’s Footsteps” by Jillian Robinson, an award-winning TV producer, whose programs have aired on PBS, The Discovery Channel, and in over 45 countries worldwide. Incidentally, Jillian’s essay is adapted from her new book, Change Your Life Through Travel, which was released earlier this year. Maybe we’ll take a closer look at that book in a future OFTR.

Info on all the contributors can be found here, and you can see a list of west coast author events here. Happy trails…and happy weekend reading to all the single ladies.

Biografi: Tracking Down a Dictator’s Double in Albania

by Neil Woodburn on

Historical fiction is a popular genre; historical fiction travel writing is not.

And yet, Lloyd Jones has managed to embark on this literary journey and produce a remarkable travel book that expertly combines an insightful travel narrative with a healthy dash of fiction.

Biografi is the story of a man traveling through post-communist Albania in search of a rare animal indeed: a dictator’s double.

Petar Shapallo was a dentist who was plucked from obscurity, forced to undergo plastic surgery, suffers the murder of his entire family, and then spends the rest of dictator Enver Hoxha’s life sitting in on state functions, public appearances, and otherwise doubling for Albania’s communist ruler.

There is little doubt that Hoxha employed the use of a double during his long career as Albania’s leader; the dictator suffered from paranoia after cutting off ties with the Soviet Union, China, and the Western world. In fact, the madman severed all international train lines entering the country and then built 700,000 bunkers–one for every three Albanians–to guard against an inevitable invasion.

If a real Petar Shapallo existed, his name is lost to us. Nonetheless, Biografi takes us on a journey through post-communist Albania and all the troubles and challenges which were facing the nation in 1991 and which continue to face it today.

Despite the fictional accounts of actually tracking down the double, the book reads much like a travelogue; Jones obviously spent much time in the region in the 1990s. Many of the places he passed through are documented very nicely in the book and haven’t really changed very much in the meantime (I visited last summer and found it a very accurate description).

The narrative keeps the book nicely moving and thanks to Shapallo, provides a unique perspective not normally found in travelogues. Digging into what life must have been like for Hoxha’s double was truly enthralling and Jones does such a great job of speculating that you easily buy into it. Even if it all didn’t really happen, you find yourself wishing it had.

I must highly recommend this book for anyone on their way to Albania. It provides wonderful insight, history, and paints an extraordinary picture of a strange, paranoid land governed by an even stranger and more paranoid dictator.

One for the Road (04/12/07)

by Kelly Amabile on

The Handsomest Man in Cuba was originally published in the US in 2003. This month it has been re-released by Globe-Pequot USA. Chinese-Australian author Lynette Chiang (a.k.a. The Gal from Down Under) wrote a memoir about her adventures as a solo biking nomad. Heralded as a Rugged Individualist by Forbes in 2005, Chiang continues to make her way through the world via two wheels, speaking to bike clubs and serving as Customer Evangelist for Bike Friday, the folks who make the folding bike that she used while traveling. (Get the latest goss on where she’s cycling these days at her blog.) Just glancing at her website and photos, it’s apparent that Lynette is one ACTIVE woman and full of creative ideas too — check out her handlebar movie ventures and YouTube videos, which include biking the world’s highest paved road, as well as activities that don’t require wheels, like pole dancing and guitar lessons. Hmmmm…I’m sure the book is full of similarly unique and varied undertakings. You can read a few chapters for free on her website.

One for the Road (04/11/07)

by Kelly Amabile on

Since it looks like U.N. inspectors are one step closer to getting inside North Korea, how about a book that will help you get a better look at what goes on within the borders of this mysterious and powerful nation. Photographer Mark Edward Harris had rare access to the country, capturing images from the interior and border that portray the culture of control which exists Inside North Korea. Along with stunning photography, the book includes short essays, extended captions, and a foreword by North Korea expert Bruce Cumings.

Scroll from left to right on this page to see some photos from the book, which was released by Chronicle in February. Aisit Harris’ website to see more photos from North Korea and his other projects, including one called Wanderlust, an impressive collection of black & white photos places like China, Lebanon and the South Pacific.

One for the Road (04/10/07)

by Kelly Amabile on

It’s time to throw our first travel-inspired cookbook into the mix, which is an appropriate word for this selection — The Ethnic Cookbook: Bringing the French Melting Pot Into Your Kitchen is not your ordinary French cookbook. This recent release is a unique celebration of the diverse culinary offerings that centuries of immigrants have bestowed upon Paris. The authors selected over 100 recipes from the menus of international restaurants throughout the city, highlighting the best in taste from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon and Syria. Each regional section contains adapted recipes and stories about the chefs, shops and markets influencing the ethnic Parisian food scene.

If you’re a Slashfoodie, then you may already own a copy of this colorful cookbook, since our sister site gave away a few copies at the end of March. But any cookbook that creatively combines cuisine from such a variety of places surely deserves a mention for our traveling crew too. (We just don’t have any to give away…sorry!)

So now it’s time to get tasting. If you feel like taking a stab at recreating some of these dishes yourself, go get yourself a copy, or, even better, if you’re in NYC, stop by Labyrinth Books on April 15 at 2:30 pm to meet the authors, Charlotte Puckette and Olivia Kiang-Snaije. I wonder if they’ll have any samples to munch on?