Rating: 
Summary: It's good for a funny line here and there....
Review: Basically...he drops a few funny lines, but doesn't really write about his travels in any depth. If you are actually interested in the travels themselves...don't read this book. If you want a few laughs....from a skimpy and slightly dull book, read it. It's not horrible. I just expected more.
Rating: 
Summary: Lukewarm
Review: Disappointing. Dull. The only saving grace is that the travel stories are short. Like pulling a tooth, at least it is over quickly.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Doug Lansky is a syndicated columnist whose travel columns are published in a handful of newspapers around the country. I have caught a few of his columns in my local paper and thought that I'd check out this book. Unfortunately, his writing really disappointed me.'Up the Amazon' is a collection of some 60 plus of Doug Lansky's travel columns. Lansky's particular hook on travel writing is that he travels the world looking for humorous adventures off the beaten track that most tourists travel. This setup has a lot of potential; after all, what traveler hasn't experienced his or her share of funny mixed up stuff while 'on the road.' The problem is that Lansky's book fails to live up to its 'off the beaten path' billing. First off, I realized that I had read different accounts of the places and events Lansky describes in his books in the work of other travel writers. Perhaps Lansky discovers the out-of-the-way places he visits by reading what others have written first. For novice travelers and readers, this isn't a problem. However, if you have read more than a passing of travel literature, the constant deja vu of Lansky's experiences will really irritate. My second problem with this book was Lansky's paternalistic, spoiled-American view of life. If he isn't complaining about how much people in other cultures smell (such as this quote, describing what is special about India: '...it's a wicked combination of curry, cow [dung], and breath-taking body odor.') then he is trying to show how he isn't a coarse foreign tourist, even as he does the things all the other tourist do. For example, while in Thailand, Lansky takes the 'original' trip to a Bangkok sex show. After describing in infinite detail all of the kinky stuff that goes on there, he closes with the comment: 'As I later found out, thousands of young girls are forced into this 'work.' Tourists who don't know this may be curious and venture in. Perhaps this description--and I hope I have made myself clear--will satisfy your curiosity.' This seems to be a convenient rationalization so that Lansky doesn't have to feel embarrassed by partaking of the Thai sex industry. My final problem with the book is that Lansky's writing is merely adequate. For example, his poorly-constructed metaphors will drive you crazy, and his descriptions of exotic places are totally lacking. While I did laugh at his writing, I doubt it was in the way he intended. All of this is a shame. Doug Lansky is the son of two well-known writers. His parents, Bruce and Vicki Lansky, founded Meadowbrook Press, where his mother published numerous influential parenting books and his father publishes children's poetry books. Still, I imagine that if Doug Lansky continues to work on his writing, his work will eventually measure up to that of his parent's.
Rating:
Summary: Not Worth the Time
Review: Doug Lansky is the typical Ugly American traveller. This collection of short pieces does nothing but demonstrate his lack of respect for the countries he visits and their rich cultures. He mentions his foreign-born girlfrind, Signe, who must be completely blind to Doug's ethnocentric views on non-Americans and locales around the globe. Seems no destination is good enough (read American enough)for Lansky, as he passes judgment on everyone from Laplanders to Catholic pilgrims, Spanish Bullfight fans to Australian sheepherders. As one lucky enough to travel the world for a living, I would think Lansky would have gained an appreciation for foreign cultures, not the seeming disdain that is apparent in this book. Instead of embracing foreign cultures he always seems to seek out (and find) other Americans with whom he can belittle age old traditions and ways of life in the countries he visits. If you are interested in good travel writing with a humorous touch, read anything by Bill Bryson or Tim Cahill, but please stay away from Doug "Ugly American Frat Boy" Lansky.
Rating:
Summary: Not Worth the Time
Review: Doug Lansky is the typical Ugly American traveller. This collection of short pieces does nothing but demonstrate his lack of respect for the countries he visits and their rich cultures. He mentions his foreign-born girlfrind, Signe, who must be completely blind to Doug's ethnocentric views on non-Americans and locales around the globe. Seems no destination is good enough (read American enough)for Lansky, as he passes judgment on everyone from Laplanders to Catholic pilgrims, Spanish Bullfight fans to Australian sheepherders. As one lucky enough to travel the world for a living, I would think Lansky would have gained an appreciation for foreign cultures, not the seeming disdain that is apparent in this book. Instead of embracing foreign cultures he always seems to seek out (and find) other Americans with whom he can belittle age old traditions and ways of life in the countries he visits. If you are interested in good travel writing with a humorous touch, read anything by Bill Bryson or Tim Cahill, but please stay away from Doug "Ugly American Frat Boy" Lansky.
Rating: 
Summary: Lansky weaves a tapestry of not-to-be missed adventures.
Review: Doug Lansky must have been Sheherazade in another life! He weaves a tapestry of not-to be-be missed adventure stories, totally capturing the reader through his unique style. His tales are fascinating and amusing-we want more!
Rating: 
Summary: Behold the roving wisecracker!
Review: Doug Lansky's book is a must read for any seasoned adventure traveller or, for that matter, anyone who has always wanted to be one. It's a hilarious ride that goes well past simple descriptions of exotic destinations to the real experiences of being in those places; where a sense of humor is often the most frequently used resource in the survival kit! The book is a compilation of pieces written for Lansky's syndicated "Vagabaond" travel column, and each piece takes you on a new adventure. These are not travel pieces that are designed to tell you where to go and what to do but, rather, how damn funny things often get once you get there, regardless of where the "there" might happen to be. For Lansky, humor is clearly an abundant international commodity, and he collects his stories like a hawker collects watches to pin to the inside of his trenchcoat. The result is an eclectic collection that's well stocked. For the most part, the book, with its Dave Barry meets Tim Cahill slant on things, really is funny as hell. However, sensitive souls should be warned. Lansky makes many of his jokes at the expense of whatever local population he's dealing with, and even though it's obviously all in good fun his sarcastic irreverence has a definite edge to it and is not for everyone. The redeeming factor, for this reviewer, is that he's not afraid to poke fun at himself as well, and readers will spend almost as much time laughing at his own bad judgement. In the end, the real reward of the book is that it reminds us that we often have our most rewarding experiences when we're willing to take a risk and try something different, and that we can do that wherever we are.
Rating:
Summary: Yuck
Review: Doug Lansky's first book is a big waste of time. He can barely write, his adventures are hardly original, and his humor is full of stereotypes and body-function humor. The amazing thing is that this book was published at all. Perhaps the fact that Doug's father owns the publishing company that is publishing this book has something to do with this.
Rating: 
Summary: Up the Amazon Without a Paddle
Review: Doug Lansky, a nationally syndicated travel columnist and frequent contributor to NPR's "Savvy Traveler," searches the planet for adventures and reports them with a wry wit. CNN has described him as "having the world's most interesting job." Read about Lansky's experiences fending off hippos with a canoe paddle on the Zambezi River; riding an ostrich in South Africa; and playing ice golf in Finland. Lansky was born on the third-world island of Manhattan, grew up in Minnesota, graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in a subject he can no longer recall, and has since been living out of his backpack for seven years. His humourous adventures are featured in his syndicated column, "Vagabond," which reaches over 10 million readers in newspapers throughout North America
Rating:
Summary: Really bad
Review: I always find it interesting when a book gets so many reader reviews so quickly. Does this mean that people really love the book, or is the author and his friends simply stocking the site with fluff? Anyway, I was curious so I ckecked out Doug Lansky's new book. Unfortunately, I'm inclined to believe that his friends are the only ones who love this book. Doug's writing is extremely poor. His writing is awkward and he can barely string together a sentence. However, I could ignore this fault if his subject matter were better. The trouble is that Doug's outlook on world travel is little better than that of a little child who travels to exotic places and merely wants to eat hamburgers and watch MTV in the hotel room. If you're looking for good travel stories, look elsewhere
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