I read this book years ago and was so impressed with it that I gave copies to several friends. This is a travel book with a very personal twist. The author and his girl friend take off around the world with different goals and with a shakey relationship. The author is not at all confident that they will make it, and several times it seems he may be right. But, they do make it back, together, although that is short-lived.

I'm not at all sure why I liked this book so much. It reflects my own view of travel in a lot of ways. Much of what you get in a long trip to foreign lands is relative to what you expect. The title, for example, is an ironic reflection on this often seen advertisment for rooms. In this case it is a portable radio left on full volume all night in the court yard of a very cheap hotel.

I am now planning my own trip around the world with a shakey relationship and I want to re-read this book. It is funny and sad, philosophical and helpful. Highly recommended!

An attempt to find symbiosis between baseball, latino politics, and his personal journey. He conveyed a weak attempt on all fronts. Don't waste your valuable time. Just go for the Clemente autobiography.

I found the first review entirely too severe. There were lots of amusing anecdotes, only a few familiar, as well as colorful characters and good local flavor. I agree that the political elements were less successful, but overall, El Beisbol is a worthy part of my baseball library.

This book truly brings the world of Latin baseball to life. Mixing history, travel writing, sports enthusiasm & politics, Krich documents the (declining) importance of baseball in the Latin American countries closest to the US & its influence. He struggles on occasion because he alternately refutes & repeats stereotypes about Latinos, players & nonplayers alike. Some reference material (e.g. a reading list, maps, etc.) would make the book more useful, but overall it is both amusing & insightful, notably on the politics of baseball in US-Nicaraguan relations. Students in my Latin American history class have shown a keen interest in it. It should be brought back into print!

With all the famous Brazilian musicians he had access to, it is a wonder Krich came up with a superficial, irritating, error-ridden book like this one. Anyone who knows anything about Brazil and its music will be offended on almost every page. If you want to learn about samba and Brazilian music, there are far better books, such as "The Brazilian Sound" or --in Portuguese--"Chega de Saudade."

Well, I have to disagree somewhat with the comments of my amateur book-reviewing collegues. This is not a book about Brazilian music, it's a book about Brazil seen through it's music. I'll agree that as a book about Brazilian music, it fails miserably. As a book about Brazil... well it doesn't succeed, but only because no country or populace in the world can truly be understood through just one viewpoint. Brazil=music is a handy way of ttrying to look at the subject, but ultimately as false as any other single assumption. Laudibly, Krich is observent enough to write about the harsh realities that lie behind Brazil's image of sun, samba, and mulattas (Therefore 2 stars instead of just 1). Nevertheless, the end result is the same as if a foreigner wrote about the U.S. as interpreted through jazz after visiting L.A., Chicago, and New York and then taking a bus tour through the Deep South. A good itinerary to write about jazz, but not if you are writing about the country as a whole. The base premise defeats the purpose of the book.

Krich's literate yet frequently caustic style may irritate many yet few writers are as capable of communicating the cacophony of third world musical forms now competing for our attention. I very much enjoyed this witty book and found its strong rhythm as irresistible as Brazilian music. If you love CARNAVAL few have ever captured the gringo experience in words as well Krich.

I really wanted to like this book. It is a great concept, and who doesn't want to know where to get the best Chinese food? Unfortunately, his writing , although full of style, is lacking in substance. Much like a poorly prepared meal, the reader is left with a bad taste in her/his mouth. His writing tries too hard to be hip to the GenXers, and cool to the Boomers. In this case it really isn't enough. Personally, I regret buying this book, as I have only managed to read 2/3 of it. And there are very few books I ever regret buying. I just can't force myself to finish it.

I love Chinese food, and I was eagerly awaiting this book so I could compare my Chinese food quest to the author's.

John Krich is at his best when describing the food, his surroundings, and most importantly, telling the stories of the people he meets. Unfortunately, in between are some of the worst puns I've ever encountered, many typos and a lot of historical text that seems to be filler.

The strong hand of an editor could have helped this book, which to me, is like visiting a *bad* Chinese restaurant for which you had high hopes.