THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD AND TRAVEL WRITING 2024

Food and travel writing mingle in this fine collection. Padma Lakshmi's introduction, narrated by Soneela Nankani, is much more than a standard intro. Nankani shines in her sensitive and captivating performance of Lakshmi's very personal story of meeting with her estranged father in India. The excellent Eunice Wong reads Marion Bull's "Orange Is the New Yolk" with wit and a seductive tone. And Cary Hite is simply splendid in his rendition of Kiese Laymon's "My Favorite Restaurant Served Gas." One of the travel pieces that stays with the listener is Ali Nasser's tour-de-force narration of the sad, horrific, but outstanding "Unsafe Passage," in which Palestinian poet Mosad Abu Toha chronicles his fraught journey to Egypt. A compelling audiobook. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]