Tony Wheeler's Bad Lands

by Tony Wheeler

Book Overview

Lonely Planet: The world''s leading travel guide publisher*A tourist on the Axis of Evil.''You guys really are the axis of evil'', our guide splutters over his stein of beer in the Pyongyang duck... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1741791863
• ISBN13: 9781741791860
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Length: 327 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

entertaining, and yes, very humorous travel writing

BAD LANDS is some humorous and thoroughly entertaining travel writing from a true globetrotter. Tony Wheeler's keen insights into the cultures of these "evil" places balances perfectly with his salty and sophisticated humor. The chapter on North Korea made me tear up with some heavy laughter; now that's some good writing. OK, I'll admit that the writing gets a little stiff on the Burma and Cuba chapters; that's probably ascribable to Wheeler not enjoying himself, and thus not liking the places very much. But it still is fascinating to read about passing through some place that in all likelihood I won't ever be seeing myself. Some reviewers object to the "leftist" politics - you really have to cut the guy some slack here. Wheeler is an Aussie offering valuable insights into these closed off places; he is an inside outsider as it were. To say that he's just "editorializing" (I believe that's what editors are supposed to be doing) and his pronouncements are simplistic is really to miss out on the main point of the book. Here is a guy pretty much going around in tourist mode, just passing through, and his observations are pretty much tongue-in-cheek. Some of the humor in these pages is Wheeler just being facetious and having fun in true Aussie fashion; there is very little in this book that should make anyone uptight. But then again, the world is full of literally minded idiots, so go figure. BAD LANDS is a light hearted attempt, perhaps an antidote of sorts, for correcting so much serious and media-induced versions of these "bad" places that we've been led to believe. For instance, Wheeler's account of traveling around Iran shows the Iranian people to be courteous, thoughtful, intelligent, and informed, regardless of the inept delusions of their rulers. Have we ever gotten that message from the big news conglomerates? While this travel writing is not of the caliber of Theroux or Chatwin, it's really a fun and rewarding read. And that's just how Wheeler intended it. The 16 pages of glossy photos are also excellent. Highly recommended for the non-linear individual. Parataxis The Cloud Reckoner Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Gallivanting through the Axis of Evil

"Libya is one of the most comprehensively trashed countries I've ever visited." - Author Tony Wheeler in BAD LANDS Co-founder (with his wife, Maureen) of Lonely Planet Publications, Tony Wheeler here describes his travels through nine countries generally considered "bad lands" by Western societies because of their poor treatment of their own citizens, their involvement in terrorism, and the threat they pose to other countries. The nine are Afghanistan, Albania, Myanmar (Burma), Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia. Except for areas in Iraq which Wheeler was careful to skirt, none of the nine are particularly dangerous for the individual visitor. In the genre of travel essays, BAD LANDS is commendably out of the ordinary in that it includes a 16-page center section of color photographs. I guess if your book is being published your own publishing company, you can afford this extravagance. While reading the first chapter on Afghanistan, I thought Wheeler's writing rather stiff and I was somewhat dreading the experience of the whole. But in following chapters, he loosens up considerably and becomes a congenial and wryly humorous guide. For instance, this paragraph about Cuba: "Every other woman walking by was wearing the standard Cuban fashion statements: short, tight, low, high, stretched. Preferably in Lycra ... In Cuba no women can be too big, too wide, too round for Lycra. 'Thrusting femininity' was the two-word definition of the Cuban approach to fashion, according to one visiting travel writer ..." Published in 2007, BAD LANDS provides a roomy front window for the reader to peer out into the contemporary society of each nation visited, as well as useful rear window overlooking their recent pasts. I'd award five stars except for the last two chapters, "The Evil Meter" and "Other Bad Lands: The Extended List." In the former, Tony rates, on a scale of 1 to 10, each of the nine subject nations: 1-3 points for domestic oppression, 1-3 for support or participation in terrorism, 1-3 for international belligerency, and a bonus point for Personality Cult centered around the national leader. I didn't mind so much that Wheeler calibrated his meter with such countries as the United States, Australia, the UK, and France and found them registering on the scale, albeit at a low level. But, when he carried the concept over into the latter chapter and mentions such garden spots as Somalia, Congo/Zaire, Angola, Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Syria and (in his mind) the evil conjoined twins, Israel and Palestine, without making even the most rudimentary mention of an obvious twosome, resurgent Russia and China, then I began to doubt his objectivity. Perhaps he should just stay with travel writing and skip the editorializing.

Any library strong in both travel and political affairs will find BAD LANDS a fine pick.

Author Tony Wheeler has actually visited all the countries currently in the news - and his BAD LANDS thus is not just another travelogue, but the perfect choice for cultural insights for any who would understand either the cultures of the 'Axis of Evil' or travel conditions throughout. Chapters blend humor with observation as they discuss journeys through North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya and other nations, and consider both foreign policy and tourist issues and what makes a country 'bad'. Any library strong in both travel and political affairs will find BAD LANDS a fine pick. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

For Casual Reading, Nothing Serious

Tony Wheeler writes about his trip to Afghanistan, Albania, Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia. Apart from Saudi Arabia, the rest of the countries in the list have all been demonised by the Western media. Are they really that bad? This book does not pretend to have all the answers or even the last say. Wheeler's writing style is rather typical of the humourous, cynical, sarcastic and sometimes overly opinionated style that you may encounter in Lonely Planet guides. There's quite a bit of on-the-road reports and even more "background info" which is obtained more from research than personal experience. Informative this book is, but it is certainly not a scholarly piece or anything close to investigative journalism. Wheeler was just a tourist (and he states that explicitly on the cover of the book). There were only a couple of times when the author encountered danger. You won't read about any prohibited entries into restricted areas, illegal investigations, shocking revelations and close brushes with the authorities. It's just the sort of travelogue that you and I might write if we ever dare to go to all these places. I have only been to Myanmar myself. Afghanistan and Iraq? No way. This is certainly not the sort of travelogue that anyone can write. For that and for readability, I give the author some credit even though there is nothing sensational about this book. At the end of the book, is an Evil Meter. True to the judgemental Lonely Planet spirit, he author judges the evilness of each country by his own subjective and limited knowledge - which is probably an unintentional joke. It doesn't spoil the fun of reading the book, but the author doesn't win any credibility points either.

Great perspective

I heard an interview with the author on Rick Steves and immediately bought the book. It is fascinating reading and will give you an important perspective on life in these countries. I would say a 'must read' for anyone who wants to be informed and able to sift through what they hear, read, see in the media.