{"product_id":"the-wet-and-the-dry-the-wet-and-the-dry-a-drinkers-journey-9780770436902","title":"The Wet and the Dry: The Wet and the Dry: A Drinker's Journey","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected as a Top Ten Book of the Year by Dwight Garner, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA \"fearlessly honest account\" (\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e) of man's love of drink, and an insightful meditation on the meaning of alcohol consumption across cultures worldwide \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrinking alcohol: a beloved tradition, a dangerous addiction, even \"a sickness of the soul\" (as once described by a group of young Muslim men in Bali). In his wide-ranging travels, Lawrence Osborne--a veritable connoisseur himself--has witnessed opposing views of alcohol across cultures worldwide, compelling him to wonder: is drinking alcohol a sign of civilization and sanity, or the very reverse? Where do societies fall on the spectrum between indulgence and restraint? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn immersing, controversial, and often irreverent travel narrative, \u003ci\u003e The Wet and the Dry\u003c\/i\u003e offers provocative, sometimes unsettling insights into the deeply embedded conflicts between East and West, and the surprising influence of drinking on the contemporary world today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA celebrated novelist and journalist, \u003cb\u003eLAWRENCE OSBORNE\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of six travel narratives, and a novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Forgiven. \u003c\/i\u003eHis latest novel, \u003ci\u003e The Ballad of a Small Player\u003c\/i\u003e is out in April 2014.\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eHe has written for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal Magazine, \u003c\/i\u003ethe \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eForbes\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, and several other publications. He lives in New York City and Bangkok.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Crown Publishing Group (NY)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50523733524754,"sku":"9780770436902","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_198899a0-2981-4426-8ac7-aff740ef5ab7.jpg?v=1731166035","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-wet-and-the-dry-the-wet-and-the-dry-a-drinkers-journey-9780770436902","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}