Book review: V!va List Latin America

The V!va List Latin America: 333 Places and Experiences That People Love is what you get when you combine the writings of 140 writers and photographers worldwide who have, until now, used the medium of the internet via the V!va Travel Guides web-based community to share their stories and adventures in Latin America.

The book is a collection of some of the best online submissions and is grouped by country. It covers Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, the Guianas, the Caribbean, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

Each chapter is a combination of personal experiences, tips, factoids and some stunning photography which makes for an easy read and is perfect for dipping in and out of. Whilst I was expecting a bit more of a guidebook feel to the book, the writing is focused more around inspiring and engaging stories from a varied community of worldwide travellers who give a real insight into the places they visited.

The book has some valuable information on some of the cultural aspects of each country. An example that I would personally have found very useful had I read it a few months ago whilst staying in Buenos Aires for a month, was the explanation on how to drink Yerba Mate – a sort of tea-like, caffeine-filled drink that is shared and drunk socially from brown, gourd-made bowls and a metal straw.

As a fan of the collaborative nature of web 2.0, I really liked this book. Each section was easy to read, just the right length to hold attention but not drag on and the tales give you a real insight into the culture and travel experiences of the writers; far more varied than those of just one writer. It is an inspiring and colourful read.

What I also like about the concept of creating a book in this way is that it gives aspiring travel writers another channel to publish their work. There is a glut of travel writing talent in the world and combining the best aspects of web 2.0 with traditional publishing, results in an inspiring book such as this.