Rating: 
Summary: Trite as can be and for non-travelers only
Review: The prose here is trite and superficial, and so are the experiences related by the author. Anyone who's ever traveled will cringe when reading this because Lansky is the kind of tourist that seasoned travelers stay away from--a loud, obnoxious, ignorant frat boy on tour.
Rating:
Summary: Awful and embarrassing.
Review: There's a limit of 1000 words on these reviews, and I'm going to use all of them. If you're in a rush, here's the summary:"Up the Amazon Without a Paddle" is a horrible book. Don't buy it. If you're not in a rush, sit back and let me explain why. Doug Lansky is an unfunny, one-note writer. In almost every paragraph, he employs a single, childish device to trick you into thinking his adventures are amusing: EXAGGERATION. Lansky's exaggeration comes so thick and fast that you a) immediately stop trusting anything he says, and b) realize how desperate he is to mine laughs out of experiences that were clearly not particularly interesting or funny at the time. He usually exaggerates with the help of a forced and trite comparison, preferably unflattering: "As I boarded the Trans-Manchurian in Beijing for my six-day train ride to Moscow, I was greeted by a motherly Russian train attendant who had enough facial hair to knit a pair of leg warmers." And it only goes downhill from there. Hardly a paragraph passes without some kind of exaggeration, negative caricature, and/or mean-spirited sarcasm. If you're looking for a book where a young American traveler insults the appearance, clothing, language, eating habits, and personal hygiene of most everyone he encounters, this one's for you. Another of Lansky's key exaggeration tactics, utilized in almost all 60 essays, is the old "cheap shot at a celebrity" trick: "I jumped on [the alligator's] back and placed both my hands firmly in the 'safety position' on his neck, which was about twice the width of Roseanne Barr's neck." Only a gifted comic could take a story about alligator wrestling and masterfully turn it into a cheap shot at an overweight celebrity. Bravo. "[The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland] has more lumps than Robert Redford's face, bunkers the size of the Gobi Desert, and other "small" bunkers deep enough to conceal the bodies of numerous golfers who refused to stop swinging away at their ball. The rough is thicker than Don King's hair, and there's usually enough wind to blow the makeup off Tammy Faye Bakker's face." Some might call this funny. I call it desperate and grasping. And embarrassing. Good travel humor isn't something you impose on your subject with exaggeration and phony comparisons. Good travel humor comes from observing genuinely interesting and amusing things that are inherent in your subject, and rendering them in a way that not only communicates this humor, but also gives your reader a rich and authentic portrait of what you actually experienced. That's not what you find in this book. You find the above. Half the time Lansky goes for the cheap laugh, and the other half he goes for the nonexistent laugh. Now let's see how Doug generates additional "humor" by flaunting his ignorance and laughing condescendingly at other people's poverty. This is where Lansky's writing goes from bad to downright ugly. Writing about a bus trip in Guatemala, Lansky has this to say: "All of the windows [of the bus] were jammed shut, probably with thirty-year-old chewing gum left by junior-high baby-boomers in Nebraska before the bus was sold to the Guatemalans." These sorts of 'wacky' observations display Lansky's essential malevolence. Isn't it funny that Guatemala is so poor they're using ramshackle, decades-old school buses America threw away, and they're such filthy people that they (apparently) haven't cleaned the bus once since they bought it? No, actually, it's not funny at all. And it's even less funny when you're not completely ignorant, and you know that in 1954, when those Nebraskan baby boomers were just being born, the CIA sponsored the overthrow of Guatemala's democratically-elected president and replaced him with dictator Castillo Armas, kicking off 40 years of brutal repression that put a lot more emphasis on liquidating hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans than maintaining a state-of-the-art bus fleet for Doug Lansky to ride around in. A good travel writer might have thrown in a paragraph or two about recent Guatemalan history (you know, context and all), but Lansky isn't here to educate us. No, his schtick is just having a cheap laugh at dirt-poor Guatemala. The closest he gets to historical background and commentary on Guatemala: "I liked the idea of being isolated in a third-world country, nothing to do but speak Spanish... and avoid death squads." Yes, mass murder is hilarious when it isn't your people being killed. I can't wait to read about Doug's zany visit to Auschwitz. Whoops, his last name is Lansky. Bet it'll be a while before we see that one. Let's just stick to giggling at the slaughter of those dirty Latin Americans, shall we? I'm sorry folks, but the oft-repeated charge that Doug Lansky is an "ugly American" sticks. I'll bet that most of those who say "lighten up, it's all in good fun" are American, and therefore unaware of how it feels to be on the receiving end of the smug American superiority complex. It's not funny to be laughed at. And that's what Lansky does. Just so you know, I'm not a humorless or overly political person. I am in fact a professional comedian who loves travel literature. I wrote this review, my first, because Lansky's book was awful enough to shake my out of my complacency. Where writers like Tim Cahill entertain and enlighten, Lansky just insults. His flippant and callous ignorance does nothing but perpetuate the harmful mentality that the rest of the world is a playground for rich American kids to frolic in, make fun of, and feel superior to. And I hope this review, and more importantly, the bits of his book that I've quoted here, will convince you to give this one a miss.
Rating:
Summary: Awful and embarrassing.
Review: There's a limit of 1000 words on these reviews, and I'm going to use all of them. If you're in a rush, here's the summary: "Up the Amazon Without a Paddle" is a horrible book. Don't buy it. If you're not in a rush, sit back and let me explain why. Doug Lansky is an unfunny, one-note writer. In almost every paragraph, he employs a single, childish device to trick you into thinking his adventures are amusing: EXAGGERATION. Lansky's exaggeration comes so thick and fast that you a) immediately stop trusting anything he says, and b) realize how desperate he is to mine laughs out of experiences that were clearly not particularly interesting or funny at the time. He usually exaggerates with the help of a forced and trite comparison, preferably unflattering: "As I boarded the Trans-Manchurian in Beijing for my six-day train ride to Moscow, I was greeted by a motherly Russian train attendant who had enough facial hair to knit a pair of leg warmers." And it only goes downhill from there. Hardly a paragraph passes without some kind of exaggeration, negative caricature, and/or mean-spirited sarcasm. If you're looking for a book where a young American traveler insults the appearance, clothing, language, eating habits, and personal hygiene of most everyone he encounters, this one's for you. Another of Lansky's key exaggeration tactics, utilized in almost all 60 essays, is the old "cheap shot at a celebrity" trick: "I jumped on [the alligator's] back and placed both my hands firmly in the 'safety position' on his neck, which was about twice the width of Roseanne Barr's neck." Only a gifted comic could take a story about alligator wrestling and masterfully turn it into a cheap shot at an overweight celebrity. Bravo. "[The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland] has more lumps than Robert Redford's face, bunkers the size of the Gobi Desert, and other "small" bunkers deep enough to conceal the bodies of numerous golfers who refused to stop swinging away at their ball. The rough is thicker than Don King's hair, and there's usually enough wind to blow the makeup off Tammy Faye Bakker's face." Some might call this funny. I call it desperate and grasping. And embarrassing. Good travel humor isn't something you impose on your subject with exaggeration and phony comparisons. Good travel humor comes from observing genuinely interesting and amusing things that are inherent in your subject, and rendering them in a way that not only communicates this humor, but also gives your reader a rich and authentic portrait of what you actually experienced. That's not what you find in this book. You find the above. Half the time Lansky goes for the cheap laugh, and the other half he goes for the nonexistent laugh. Now let's see how Doug generates additional "humor" by flaunting his ignorance and laughing condescendingly at other people's poverty. This is where Lansky's writing goes from bad to downright ugly. Writing about a bus trip in Guatemala, Lansky has this to say: "All of the windows [of the bus] were jammed shut, probably with thirty-year-old chewing gum left by junior-high baby-boomers in Nebraska before the bus was sold to the Guatemalans." These sorts of 'wacky' observations display Lansky's essential malevolence. Isn't it funny that Guatemala is so poor they're using ramshackle, decades-old school buses America threw away, and they're such filthy people that they (apparently) haven't cleaned the bus once since they bought it? No, actually, it's not funny at all. And it's even less funny when you're not completely ignorant, and you know that in 1954, when those Nebraskan baby boomers were just being born, the CIA sponsored the overthrow of Guatemala's democratically-elected president and replaced him with dictator Castillo Armas, kicking off 40 years of brutal repression that put a lot more emphasis on liquidating hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans than maintaining a state-of-the-art bus fleet for Doug Lansky to ride around in. A good travel writer might have thrown in a paragraph or two about recent Guatemalan history (you know, context and all), but Lansky isn't here to educate us. No, his schtick is just having a cheap laugh at dirt-poor Guatemala. The closest he gets to historical background and commentary on Guatemala: "I liked the idea of being isolated in a third-world country, nothing to do but speak Spanish... and avoid death squads." Yes, mass murder is hilarious when it isn't your people being killed. I can't wait to read about Doug's zany visit to Auschwitz. Whoops, his last name is Lansky. Bet it'll be a while before we see that one. Let's just stick to giggling at the slaughter of those dirty Latin Americans, shall we? I'm sorry folks, but the oft-repeated charge that Doug Lansky is an "ugly American" sticks. I'll bet that most of those who say "lighten up, it's all in good fun" are American, and therefore unaware of how it feels to be on the receiving end of the smug American superiority complex. It's not funny to be laughed at. And that's what Lansky does. Just so you know, I'm not a humorless or overly political person. I am in fact a professional comedian who loves travel literature. I wrote this review, my first, because Lansky's book was awful enough to shake my out of my complacency. Where writers like Tim Cahill entertain and enlighten, Lansky just insults. His flippant and callous ignorance does nothing but perpetuate the harmful mentality that the rest of the world is a playground for rich American kids to frolic in, make fun of, and feel superior to. And I hope this review, and more importantly, the bits of his book that I've quoted here, will convince you to give this one a miss.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the read
Review: This book claims to contain 60 offbeat adventures from around the world. I found none. So what if Doug Lansky watches a bullfight, takes dancing lessons, picks grapes, eats a steak, and goes moose hunting. My grandmother, who is 80, had done all of those 'adventures' too. Let's forget about the fact that the book is a tour guide for senior citizens, and talk about Lansky's attitude. He sounds like a fat, spoiled American who has a wonderful life but still isn't satisfied. Lansky manages to complain about every 'culture' he claims to have experienced. In reality, Lansky never allows himself to experience true cultures. He only takes part in typical tourist activites that actually contribute to the decay of the societies he is visiting. My recommendation is to skip this book. Avoid Lansky's egomania and pessimistic outlook on the world at any cost.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book if you love Dave Barry's style
Review: This book does not try to be some scholarly anthropological white paper on world cultures. It is meant to look at the lighter side of travel. If this is what you are looking for, then this is what you'll find in this book. The writing style is strong--as you can see from the other comments, you either love it or hate it. The style is intensely satirical. If you don't like this type of satire, then don't buy the book. On the other hand, there's a good chance you will enjoy this book if you enjoy material authored by Dave Barry--the styles are similar. Because of the book's strong style, it is difficult--and exhausting--to read cover to cover. This book is meant to be read in pieces over time. Some might call it bathroom reading or a series of good short stories to be read before going to bed.
Rating:
Summary: Really bad
Review: This book gives hope to anyone who wants to be a writer but doubts whether they have the talent to succeed. In this collection of his travel columns, Doug Lansky travels the world doing the things that only rich, spoiled Americans can do--visiting brothels, impoverised indians in the amazon, and "smelly" people in India (His quote, not mine.) Despite traveling around the world, Lansky's interactions with the native cultures is only minimal. However, the worst thing about this book is his writing; he has no sense of style or rythym and can barely string two words together. This is the worst type of travel book: that written by a spoiled rich kid who can barely write. Avoid it.
Rating:
Summary: great -- if you love travel and irony
Review: This book's a fun collection of columns that string together experiences most of us travel lovers can only dream about. Lansky's got a terrific eye for the hilarious detail, and doesn't take himself or the world too seriously -- unlike most of the travel writers I've read. Very funny, very fun, definitely recommended. Judging from a couple of the bitter reviews, I'm guessing Lansky's ability to make a living having a fun life has managed to get a couple of office-bound twenty-somethings riled up. Too bad for them. Maybe they need a vacation.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and easy read
Review: Very enjoyable and funny descriptions of the traveling life. Doug Lansky has a real knack in describing how it feels to be an outsider in many different worlds.
Rating:
Summary: Great beach read!
Review: Wonderfully fun adventure stories around the globe. I really loved it! The book is divided into global continent-type parts, africa, europe, asia etc.,... so you can lay on your beach towel and think of what part of the world you might like to visit... look it up and see what particular disaster struck Doug Lansky there. He's a very funny writer, has great fun with language and imagery, and takes you along on lots of outdoor sporty adventures. His stories may not always be a tourism board's dream... hmmm bullfights in spain... scratch that off my list, but his great sense of humor reminds you of what is truly fun about travelling - all the quirky and delightful people you meet along the way. I think it's about time I dust off my passport!
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