I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away | Bill Bryson

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away | Bill Bryson | Bryson v. U.S. government

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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 228 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

a hilarious account on coming back to the native land

With "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" Bill Bryson proved to me that I was wrong thinking that "A Walk in the Woods" was unsurpassable. This collection of essays about the United States of America and the lifestyle and often puzzling habits of its inhabitants is a true gem. Now, I might be biased, because I found a lot of my own experience as a foreigner living in America very similar and therefore enjoyed Bryson's reflections, but his usual sharpness and wit, his ability to ponder on small things and point out details are important factors contributing to the objective value of this book.

Bryson returned to America after twenty years abroad, moving to Hanover, New Hampshire with his British wife and British-born children. He was surprised to see how much the country of his childhood had changed and also, how different it was from what he was used to in Europe. The newspaper column was, however, his friend's idea, Bryson's reluctance stemming from the fact that the column was weekly... Luckily, he agreed and produced the articles collected in "I'm a Stranger Here Myself". The collection spans different topics, from driving everywhere, through food, exercise, holidays (a hilarious piece on the Presidents' Day) to immigration procedures. Bryson criticizes and wonders without prejudice, giving his personal opinions about many hot issues, at the same time writing lightly and in a greatly amusing manner. The loving, tender relationship of the author with his country is visible even in his most scornful and negative remarks, in the cruelest jokes. Because of his great, flowing, casual style, even the most mundane and trivial musings are a joy to read.

As I mentioned above, I found many of Bryson's notes reflect my own feelings about America and my own observations - of course he put them into writing much better than I ever could. It may be because of the specificity of New England (I am sure other regions of this country are different still, as Bryson concludes comparing New Hampshire to Iowa of his childhood), but I loved this book and it convinced me that all Bryson's writings are worth the time.

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Bryson v. U.S. government

Bill Bryson brilliantly weaves in American values and culture into social issues, current events, and daily lives. One of the themes Bryson focuses on is the interaction between the average citizen and the U.S. government. The government, at times, can have an approachable face; his local postal office provides free donuts on customer appreciation day, and a Social Security Administration employee calls him Bill and tells him how to get strawberry pop stains out of his shirt. In most cases, however, the government is depicted as an inefficient and faceless organization that never has a real person on the line when you call its services for help. When there is a problem, people hold the government responsible; therefore there is not a single branch in the enormous bureaucracy to blame because it is everyone's fault. American culture brands the government as a big, clumsy bureaucracy and thus heightens the sense of inefficiency and distrust of the government among the people. We should recognize the fact that the government did not intend to be labeled as an inefficient organization by questioning a five year old girl at the immigration office whether she intends to practice polygamy in the U.S and such; it genuinely attempts to improve the lives of its citizens. For example, it tried to enhance security in Milwaukee airport by training the local sheriff's deputies to detect hidden explosives, which, by the way, failed miserably because the deputies forgot where they hid the explosives.

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Absolutely hilarious.

I laughed out loud. Bill Bryson's description of his "re-experiencing" of America is funny, informative, cynical, eye-opening. intelligent, and so relatable. I found myself constantly saying, "Okay, just one more chapter..." I could never put it down!

Notes on Returning to Bryson's Witty Musings

'I'm a Stranger Here Myself' is the second book of Bryson's that I've read, and I have to say that I have not laughed out loud so much at a book in all of my life. Composed of short essays for a magazine in London, 'Stranger' chronicles (as I'm sure you already know) Bryson's return to America after twenty years away. But this time...he's got a family. A very British family.

Which, I have to say, imbues the book with a sort of charm that I don't think it would have had otherwise. As other reviewers have pointed out, Bill Bryson is a bit of curmudgeon, but he is less curmudgeon-y in this book than others, or so I've heard. His musings on American life slide from the funny and absurd to the poignant and probably horrifying, and it is all done to great effect. Some of the things still hold true, even nine years later, while others seem a bit outdated. Talking about a television with fifty channels no longer phases most Americans.

However, for the most part, the book is highly enjoyable. The one thing that I have to say that is detrimental to the book is the fact that it is composed of many - and I do mean many - small chapters, which don't have the chance to breath and stretch out as I would like to have seen. That is not to say that the shorter chapters didn't make the book a bit more easily consumed. But, then again, I am a big fan of Bryson's.

This book is highly recommended to fans of Bryson's and those looking for a funny mosaic of American life.

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Thoroughly enjoyable read.

Bill Bryson can look at anything and find the humor in it. His down to earth style makes even the most simple or common situations interesting and fun, and he has an interesting way of making almost everything relevant.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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