And your Star Wars quote (while very profound) has nothing to do with the book and the point we are

Here it comes, the post that almost every travel blog has tacked in the past.  But it is media week after all and how can one talk about all the different mediums that inspire travel the grove park inn and not talk about our favorite travel books?
The books that we have come up with on our list are simply the books that we like.  The books about a specific the grove park inn country or a journey that have either inspired us to visit them, make a difference or try something new.
Arguably the best drummer of all time, Neil Peart is a part of the iconic Canadian rock band Rush .  Many people know him as a massively talented musician, but many people do not realize that Neil Peart is an Avid Cyclist.  Masked Rider is an honest and undisguised account of his time cycling in West Africa.  It is not your average Rock Legends journey.  He suffers from the usual problems that poor backpackers face.  Disgusting accommodations, heat, exhaustion, personality clashes and don t forget the inevitable dysentery.  Neil Peart lets us see the man behind the rock star and he makes us realize that superstars are people too.
Set in Apartheid Era South Africa, the Bang Bang Club is a true account telling the tale of the 4 photojournalists that dared to enter the townships and document history as it was happening.  Heartbreaking and shocking, the Bang Bang Club doesn t hold back when telling of the brutality of that time.  The photographers had to come to terms with their own demons and what they witnessed day in day out as war correspondence reporters.   They were the top of their profession with their photographs in demand around the world. Their photos made history and set new standards achieving two Pulitzer Prizes between them. But it took it s toll on each and every one of them and only 2 men managed to survive this tumultuous time in history.
If you are looking for the perfect little picture of India and a beautiful homage to its temples the grove park inn and culture, or paying tribute to its burgeoning place as a powerhouse on the world market, this is not the book for you.  White Tiger tells of a dirty and unforgiving India.  An India that doesn t let people claw their way out of their caste and an India that doesn t have sympathy for the poor or helpless. This is a book that neither the grove park inn of us could put down and a book that we feel needs to be read by everyone traveling to India.   The people the grove park inn that have spent their time in an Ashram or driving around the country in an air conditioned car hire or in their sanitized tour group isolated from the people of India won t like it, but like one review said This is the book that India Tourism doesn t want you to read.
This no hold s bar autobiography of Child Soldier Ishmael Beah is gripping.  A Long Way Gone tells how an innocent child can be forced into savage warfare.  Having lost everything including his family, his home and his soul, Ishmael tells of his journey to evade the military for three years by hiding in the jungle and half starving to death.  Recounting the fear and despair he felt each day until he was finally captured by the government army.  Hopped up on drugs, forced to commit unthinkable acts and eventually accepting the life of revenge and violence, this is a story of going to hell and back.   It was after a long and painful rehabilitation once rescued by UNICEF that he began to heal and rebuild his lost childhood.
Who would have thought that the author the grove park inn of such best sellers as Jurassic Park, Rising Sun and Disclosure could also be an extraordinary travel writer.  Travels is one of the best travel books we have ever read.  A collection of memoirs dating back to his medical school days, Crichton weaves a story through time blending his life with his travels.  It was his retelling of his climb up Mount Kilimanjaro that inspired me to always be truthful the grove park inn when writing about travel.  People always forget the bad and only tell the good when they get home from a trip.  Travel the grove park inn is tough and it is not always fun, but travel will always be an extraordinary experience.  Do yourself the grove park inn a favour and get a copy of Travels, he was doing it all before the grove park inn it was easy.
Oops, I replied to Trisha on the wrong post, that is supposed to be on Celebrities that inspire travel post. Taking it off now, but didn t want you to think that I was a crazy person the grove park inn and going off on a tangent the grove park inn regarding celebrities:) Sorry Laura.
Hahaha, I am laughing because the two books I can t stand about India are The White Tiger and Shantaram and both are mentioned here, in your post and in the comments. I have read a lot of books about India and I think there are far better books, the grove park inn more balanced, more insightful, more honest. I find these two blow a lot of hot air.
I think there is a kind of reactionary response to the shining India of economists or the magical India of travel writers and spiritual seekers. In fact, India like life is all of these things. Magical, poor, spiritual, dirty, friendly, nerve-wracking. A lot depends on your perspective, attitude and perception.
the grove park inn Well, we will agree to disagree on this subject. We enjoyed the grove park inn many parts of India and made friends with many wonderful people, but a book that talks about the negatives the grove park inn of any country is important. That is how change is made. The poor need a voice and White Tiger gives them one in a very entertaining way to let people know their side of the story. I would love to know the books that are more balanced and insightful, it would be great if you could list a couple of recommendations and I will check them out.
And your Star Wars quote (while very profound) the grove park inn has nothing to do with the book and the point we are making. White Tiger is about the people that are living in India, not about what a tourist is supposed to get out of their spiritual journey to India.
Thanks for your comment Mariellen, I know that you love India and this recommendation isn t meant to offend people that do, it is just a book that we felt hit the nail on the head of a lot of what we saw and read in the papers while we were there.
I m glad you replied to this Dave, the post made me feel stupid and ignorant when I first read it, but then I thought about it more and my point still stands I read the book and it made me want to go to India. I will stand with the agreement to disagree Shantaram is a work of fiction, which is a story with hints of lives and attitudes the grove park inn in India, but through extreme views. It s like saying you d never go to Virginia because of Patricia Cornwell s books. If I wanted earnest travel writing with a true anthropological view, I d have gone to the travel writing or the history section. Perhaps it s even more impressive that a work of fiction can open your mind to a country. I get a better view of what it s really like from Indian friends, but I m also a literature fan and have many influences in my travel life.
I m currently struggling the grove park inn through Open Veins of Latin America, which is a socio-historic view of the region, before travelling out to Costa Rica later this year. It s very worthy and I would really like to understand more of the politics, history and culture before I go but I m highly unlikely to finish it as history presented in fact is rarely inspirational and certainly more difficult to absorb. My partner bought me Costa Rica: A Traveller s Literary Companion, which is a series of local, translated short stories and folklore. I ve whizzed through it because it was enjoyable and accessible far more inspiring than the worthier tome that will give me a better view.
Thanks for the comment and don t be sorry at all. That is what we love about blogging, it encourages discussion. I think that your point is bang on. Books of extremes can make me want to go the a country even more. The Bang Bang Club is very unforgiving and yet, I think that it inspires people to go to South Africa. I read it while I was there and loved it even though it didn t portray the country is a perfect light.
And you are right, this is a book of fiction and it is impressive that a book can open your mind to a country and evoke such strong feelings on either side of the coin. That makes for great writing I think, when people feel passionate about it either way absolutely loving it, or genuinely hating it.
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