Travel as a Political Act
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Narrated by:
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Rick Steves
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By:
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Rick Steves
About this listen
Change the world one trip at a time. In this illuminating collection of stories and lessons from the road, acclaimed travel writer Rick Steves shares a powerful message that resonates now more than ever.
With the world facing divisive events and movements like the rise of nationalism, Trump, Brexit, Erdogan, and more, there's never been a more important time to travel.
Rick believes the risks of travel are widely exaggerated, and that fear is for people who don't get out much. After years of living out of a suitcase, he still marvels at how different cultures may find different truths to be self-evident. By sharing his experiences from Europe, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East, Rick shows how we can learn more about own country by viewing it from afar.
With gripping stories from Rick's decades of exploration, this fully revised edition of Travel as a Political Act is an antidote to the current climate of xenophobia. When we travel thoughtfully, we bring back the most beautiful souvenir of all: a broader perspective on the world that we all call home.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2014 Rick Steves (P)2018 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Steves's pleasant, down-to-earth delivery will be familiar to listeners who have watched his travel shows on PBS...the message remains valuable and timely in today's contentious political climate." (AudioFile)
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After America
- Get Ready for Armageddon
- By: Mark Steyn
- Narrated by: Mark Steyn
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In his giant New York Times best seller, America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It, Mark Steyn predicted collapse for the rest of the Western World. Now, he adds, America has caught up with Europe on the great rush to self-destruction. What will a world without American leadership look like? It won’t be pretty—not for you and not for your children. America’s decline won’t be gradual, like an aging Europe sipping espresso at a café until extinction. No, America’s decline will be a wrenching affair marked by violence and possibly secession.
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Facts
- By Peter on 11-11-11
By: Mark Steyn
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The Not-Quite States of America
- Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA
- By: Doug Mack
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone knows that the United States of America is made up of 50 states and, uh...some other stuff. The territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands are often neglected, but they are filled with American flags and national parks and US post offices and some four million people, many of whom are as proudly red-white-and-blue as any Daughter of the American Revolution.
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Worthwhile Learning
- By Bessie Mae on 05-02-23
By: Doug Mack
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Africa Is Not a Country
- Notes on a Bright Continent
- By: Dipo Faloyin
- Narrated by: Dipo Faloyin
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. In this bold and insightful book, Dipo Faloyin offers a much-needed corrective, weaving a vibrant tapestry of stories that bring to life Africa's rich diversity, communities, and histories. Starting with an immersive description of the lively and complex urban life of Lagos, Faloyin unearths surprising truths about many African countries' colonial heritage and tells the story of the continent's struggles with democracy through seven dictatorships.
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Brilliant!
- By Jane on 01-26-23
By: Dipo Faloyin
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Where the West Ends
- Stories from the Middle East, the Balkans, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus
- By: Michael J. Totten
- Narrated by: Steven Roy Grimsley
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Prize-winning author Michael J. Totten returns with a masterpiece of travel writing and history in this journey through 13 nations - all but two formerly communist - just beyond the edge of the West where few casual travelers venture. His work as an independent foreign correspondent takes him deep into the field beyond the sensational headlines, from his hilariously miserable road trip with his best friend to Iraq to the Wild West of Albania, the most bizarre country in Europe; from the killing fields in Bosnia and Kosovo to a Romania haunted by the ghosts of its communist past.
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Not a right wing fanatic
- By Love on 12-11-13
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Age of Ambition
- Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
- By: Evan Osnos
- Narrated by: Evan Osnos, George Backman
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.
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Come back when you have a warrant!
- By Neuron on 11-06-15
By: Evan Osnos
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Bending Adversity
- Japan and the Art of Survival
- By: David Pilling
- Narrated by: Tim Andes Pabon
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In Bending Adversity, Financial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as well as observations from a cross section of Japanese citizenry, including novelist Haruki Murakami, former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, industrialists and bankers, activists and artists, teenagers and octogenarians. Through their voices, Pilling captures the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Japan.
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Good book, but terribly read
- By Kallan Resnick on 10-24-14
By: David Pilling
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Ask a North Korean
- Defectors Talk About Their Lives Inside the World's Most Secretive Nation
- By: Daniel Tudor, Andrei Lankov - foreword
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan, Greta Jung
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The weekly column Ask a North Korean, published by NK News, invites readers from around the world to pose questions to North Korean defectors. By way of these fascinating interviews, the North Koreans themselves provide authentic firsthand testimonies about what is happening inside the "Hermit Kingdom." This book sheds critical light on all aspects of North Korean politics and society and shows that even in the world's most authoritarian regime, life goes on in ways that are very different from what you may think.
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Brilliant Narration on the unknown perspective
- By New Jaa Yeong on 09-01-18
By: Daniel Tudor, and others
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Arab and Jew
- Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
- By: David K. Shipler
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 27 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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David Shipler delves into the origins of the prejudices of Jews and Arabs that have been intensified by war, terrorism, and nationalism. Focusing on the diverse cultures that exist side by side in Israel and Israeli-controlled territories, Shipler examines the process of indoctrination that begins in schools; he discusses the far ranging effects of socioeconomic differences, historical conflicts between Islam and Judaism, attitudes about the Holocaust, and much more.
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'Arab and Jew' Needs a Good Editor
- By Robert W. Gillespie on 10-23-03
By: David K. Shipler
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China's Second Continent
- How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa
- By: Howard W. French
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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An exciting, hugely revealing account of China’s burgeoning presence in Africa - a developing empire already shaping, and reshaping, the future of millions of people. A prizewinning foreign correspondent and former New York Times bureau chief in Shanghai and in West and Central Africa, Howard French is uniquely positioned to tell the story of China in Africa. Through meticulous on-the-ground reporting, French crafts a layered investigation of astonishing depth and breadth.
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He knows Both Africa and China
- By Malick Tchakpedeou on 12-01-16
By: Howard W. French
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Fast Times in Palestine
- A Love Affair with a Homeless Homeland
- By: Pamela J. Olson
- Narrated by: Julia Farhat
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Pamela Olson, a small town girl from eastern Oklahoma, had what she always wanted: a physics degree from Stanford University. But instead of feeling excited for what came next, she felt consumed by dread and confusion. This irresistible memoir chronicles her journey from aimless ex-bartender to Ramallah-based journalist and foreign press coordinator for a Palestinian presidential candidate.
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Palestine from the Inside—and Out
- By Susie on 11-04-13
By: Pamela J. Olson
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The Trouble with Islam Today
- A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith
- By: Irshad Manji
- Narrated by: Irshad Manji
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Winner of Oprah's first "Chutzpah Award" for boldness, Irshad Manji is among the world's most visible - and vocal - Muslim reformers. In this audio book, narrated by her, Irshad explains the disturbing attitudes with which too many of her fellow Muslims practice Islam today: Arab cultural tribalism posing as pure faith. An uncritical approach to the Quran as the final and therefore superior word of God. And a rejection of universal human rights as if they are incompatible with the Divine.
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Non-stop rant from an angry l*sb**n
- By J S on 10-14-12
By: Irshad Manji
What listeners say about Travel as a Political Act
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Martha Nieset
- 06-02-20
Loved this book and the great stories shared in it
I first saw his fantastic talk with the same title and it lead me to the book which goes into greater detail and stories. Such interesting incorporation of history between the US and Europe and beautiful examples around how countries vary their policies and how travel helps one become acquainted with those differences.
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- Eileen
- 08-06-18
Traveling is important
Rick Steves does an excellent and entertaining job of reminding us why travel is important; as a mean to connect with other people and appreciate what we have. Part travel book, part pep rally, I found this book very uplifting which is a rare find these days. I strongly recommend this book.
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3 people found this helpful
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- C G Arias
- 06-13-20
Feel like you travel the world ...in between your ears
Rick does a fantastic job making you feel you visit every country he talks about. He adds his political opinion but he is fair and balanced. What I enjoyed the most about it was how educational it was. I learned of countries and cultures in a way that I felt I met the people there. Through his unique rick Steves way of telling stories, you’ll learn so much about not only the countries Rick visits, but it’s history and it’s people. I am a master level audio book listener and this may have been my favorite book I have ever listened to. Bravo Rick.
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- Tricia, Audible Editor
- 07-24-18
Travel Transforms
Way back when, I worked for an educational tour company—sending groups of American students and teachers on European adventures with the goal of creating a "living" classroom. To keep us up-to-date, the documentary series, "Rick Steves' Europe," was required watching for staff (we had a library of VHS tapes to choose from). Many years later, Rick Steves is still making documentaries and writing books, but now there’s also a nifty audiobook app that allows me to listen to the 3rd edition (updated for 2018) of this industry classic in Rick's distinct voice. It’s a welcome reminder of how simply leaving the U. S. and experiencing the world beyond my bubble—meeting actual people, in real life—is a kind of political act. At the very least, it’s a great first step.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Caralyn
- 08-06-18
Powerful
Rick Steves at his best. But isn't he always? Spreading kindness where ever he goes, educating us on tolerance and cultural diversity. Never lecturing, just suggesting, in his non-judgmental way. I want to be just like him when I grow up.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-08-18
Not your usual travel book
There's something about Rick Steves--he can appear to be the most traditional and middle class traveler imagineable--likable and utterly non-threatening--until you get to know him a little better. A completely enjoyable, fascinating read if you love cultures and social justice.
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5 people found this helpful
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- ROSY SHER
- 05-07-19
Thanks Rick
I have been fan of Rick Steve. His books accompanied me traveling many countries in Europe. This book gives me new vision while traveling. Good travelers shall be good citizens of world with love and compassion. Highly recommended!!
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- Laura Duke
- 06-27-21
informational
encourages me to get out there and explore and experience new places. I'm thoroughly enjoyed this book
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- Anonymous User
- 04-25-18
Should Be Required Reading
I learned more from listening to this book than I ever learned in school. I especially enjoyed this being my spouse and are permanent travelers. We really resonated with this book. You won’t waste your time falling into this read, you’ll climb out hopefully a bit wiser and very much inspired. Well done Rick. You’ve got my vote.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Shrug
- 11-03-18
Must read
There are so many good perspectives in this book. Great book to get you thinking.
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