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Scratching the Surface by Jeff Greenwald
Most travel writing is deadly; it manages to leech all the exhilaration, misery and weirdness out of the vagabond life while replacing it with tips on where to find the best crumpet in York. Jeff Greenwald, however, has an eye for the odd, a soul that likes surprises and he can tell a story. His new book, "Scratching the Surface: Impressions of Planet Earth, From Hollywood to Shiraz," is a collection of 31 pieces written over the last two decades. Here he is during a 1980s trip to Nepal: "We carry sticks to fend off rabid dogs, boil the buffalo milk for 20 minutes before daring to drink it. The flowers that grow here eat human flesh." (Nummy! Bet they don't have those in York.) Greenwald's stories capture the sometimes disturbing thrill of moving through places that are foreign with a capital F, and the qualities that separate travel from tourism and make it cathartic. Real journeys put you at the center of the plot -- you become the protagonist who must change if there's to be a story to tell when, or if, you get home. Greenwald understands this. Sometimes he's the one that changes, sometimes it's someone else or someplace else, sometimes it's you, the reader.
-- Douglas Cruickshank
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