A lightning-fast, fun read...but not Bryson's most creative work

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	• I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away Bill Bryson Broadway, 2000 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 220 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Some fun, some not ...

First I have to mention that I am not a U.S. Citizen, and I did read the German version of Bill Bryson's book.
After six years of living in the U.S. it's easy reading, and depending what subject you're on, it can be fun.
A lot of topics are covered by a view that I doubt can be shared by many, because the "facts" stated seem to be valid for "his little American corner of the country" only.
Though he often makes jokes about himself, he at the same time manages to sound superior over the "average American".
You do tend to wonder quite often why he didn't move back to England, if most things here are so horribly wrong and ridiculous.
A tendency to spread political views (left) gives the a last bitter taste to this book.
It's good writing, just don't put too much thought into what's being written, or you won't enjoy it.

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a different perspective on america...

I've read books about the USA written by people who have lived here their whole lives, and by people who immigrated, but Bill Bryson's perspective as an American who has been gone 20 years is truly fascinating. He points out things that I never would have thought about, like the difficulties of going to an American hardware store when you only know the British words for things. Who knew that two countries that share a common language and (for the most part) a common culture could be so different?

Bryson's writing is funny at times, and makes me angry at times, but is always thought provoking. I do think the fact that he's only lived in small-town Iowa and New Hampshire slanted his perspecive somewhat; when reading, one has to keep in mind that many of the generalizations Bryson makes about America do not apply to cities with populations over 100,000. If he had moved to Manhattan this would be a very different book indeed!

That said, as someone who was raised in the US herself, lived abroad for a time, and then returned, I really enjoyed reading Bryson's observations. Most importantly, this book made me laugh out loud, quite a bit in fact. For that reason alone, I will definitely be reading more of Bryson's books in the future!

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A lightning-fast, fun read...but not Bryson's most creative work

Bryson originally wrote this collection of essays on the quirks of the American lifestyle as a weekly column in a British publication. Each chapter is a a single week's very short musing, anecdote, or tirade, succinct, funny, and wildly divergent in subject from the previous one. It's easy to keep thinking, "just three more pages," and suddenly finish the whole thing in one sitting...which is just what I did. But it's probably better enjoyed in small morsels.

The book suffers some from the serial format -- Bryson himself attests to how hard it was for him to come up with good content under time pressure, and some of the resulting material is hackneyed. Bryson's bellyaching about lawsuits, taxes, the postal service, bureaucrats, consumerism, junk food, malls, police officers, and computer usability is nothing we haven't heard before. But the tales of his personal bumblings make even the most dull topic an entertaining read. Bryson's friendly, self-deprecating sense of humor always comes through, and consistently made me smile. While there's no narrative thread, the recurring themes, like Bryson's yearnings for old-fashioned, small-town Americana, do give the book a sense of unity. And some of his observations were fresh and novel.

At any rate, if one story fails to amuse, there is always the next one, just a few pages later. Anyone who likes Bryson will get a kick out of it; in fact, it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't.

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Me too.

Having lived outside the USA for the last 38 years, I return as a tourist, who feels strangely at home. B. Bryson's observations are often my own. His send-up of American "civilization" rings true and is wonderfully refreshing. It makes me glad to be back so I can see for myself! Benjamin Franklin was right when he recommended the American national emblem be the turkey.

Bryson vents some frustrations

I am a big fan of Bill Bryson and I have read or listened to most of his books. This one was not one of his best books. It is a collection of articles he wrote for a British publication on life in America. Some of the articles are hilarious and insightful. At other times I got a bit tired of his complaining. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I find his travel books better, as is "A Short History of Nearly Everything".

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