It seems wrong to read a book by Scott Carrier, but that's only because he is such a distinctive radio voice. Many of the pieces included here were first done for the radio. The book is still good, but the stories don't feel the same when not read aloud by Carrier. For this reason, I think I enjoyed the second half more. This part includes more of his pieces for Esquire when he went to Cambodia, Kashmir, and Mexico. Esquire hired him because they were looking for a writer to "go to really fucked-up places." If that's what you're looking for, then Carrier is definitely your man. Like many, I discovered Scott Carrier through the radio show "This American Life." Along with Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris, Carrier was one of the fixtures of the early years of the show. Carrier is like a weirder version of David Sedaris, which is, um, weird considering how weird Sedaris himself can be. Still, with Sedaris, a lot of the weirdness seems like an act. With Carrier, it never seems like an act.
Bonus link: "This American Life's" recent collection of Scott Carrier stories is here.
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