Falling Off the Map: Some Lonely Places of the World
Pico Iyer (1993)

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Pico Iyer's Falling off the Map is a collection of essays describing the curiosity and craziness of traveling to "lonely places", those locations severely isolated by geography, politics, and culture.   His observations on the impact of isolation are both interesting and funny, starting with his visit to North Korea in 1990 under the autocratic rule of Kim Il Sung and to Cuba at around the same time period.  Both experiences provide a fascinating background to the political situation of today.  His travels also take him to the "chilly, ghosty streets" of Iceland, the extremely remote kingdom of Bhutan, Argentina, Paraguay, Vietnam, and Australia.  These are roads truly less traveled.  Like all of Iyer's work, his insights are generally less tied to his own individual travel experiences, and more focused on external observations on the effect of crossing cultures.  The writing is masterful, and those who liked Video Night in Kathmandu will also like this book. 
Click here to see reviews and prices for this book.

OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - PICO IYER

photo of Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer is a prominent travel writer, best known for his books on crossing cultures and trips to some of the world's least explored places.  He has published a number of non-fiction travel books and a couple novels, and he is a frequent contributor to Time, Harper’s, the New York Times, and many other publications.  Click here to learn more about Pico Iyer and his work.

THE PREFACE

“Most of these essays were originally written, in somewhat different form, to introduce potential visitors to places of potential interest; to serve, that is, as open-eyed first impressions.  In many cases, circumstances have overtaken me – Argentina has stabilized its peso, Cuba’s destiny changes with every passing month, parts of Vietnam are probably unrecognizable.  Still, I have not tried to update the chapters, or to allow myself the luxury of retrospective wisdom or prescience.  These pieces were aimed to catch their subjects at interesting historical moments, but in moods that would not change with history’s tides.”
- Pico Iyer, the preface to Falling Off the Map

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read the LA Times review of Falling Off the Map in 1993 by Kevin Coyne.
  • Read an interesting review by Zephyr from The Cyber Nag, a blog about social issues and conscience.  The review itself however is posted on a website called thisandthatmumbai.wordpress.com.