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

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Book Summary Information

• First Edition
• Softback
• collectible
• essays
• Bill Bryson

Book Reviews of I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away

Book Review: A Little Dose of Culture Shock that's funny and insightful.
Summary: 4 Stars

This was my first introduction to Bill Bryson, and a great one at that, so I can testify that those of you who- gasp!- may be thinking, "Bill who?" will become very familiar with his unique writing style, not to mention hooked on his great sense of humor, just by reading this book. However, veteran Bryson fans have also told me they thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as, or if not more than, his other ones, so I think it's fair to say that even those who think nothing could be better than A Walk in the Woods would change their minds with a reading of I'm a Stranger Here Myself. Subtitled "Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away", this book is not only a thought-provoking look into an American native-turned-foreigner-turned-native-again, but a huge slice of Americana. This collection of articles Bryson wrote for a British newspaper after he and his English wife and English-born children moved to New Hampshire gives short glimpses into regular American experiences such as baseball games, trips to the barber, and evenings out with the family. However, an added twist is his puzzling outlook on the American lifestyle he had put aside when he moved to England twenty years ago, and his observations often tell a lot more about Americans than about Bryson's own life. I have heard many observations made by Bryson in I'm a Stranger Here Myself be commented upon by those who were either born in or brought up in countries outside the US and then came to live here. For instance, why do Americans think it is absolutely necessary to have a car, and why are American roads planned in such inconvenient ways for the few pedestrians who do set out for a walk or jog every now and then? Why do Americans go on sudden fitness binges during which they feel they must surround themselves with gym equipment and workout programs, when it would be much simpler to incorporate exercise into their daily routines? And why are American tax forms so confusing and American bureaucratic policies so hard to get through? Why does the American justice system punish first time drug offenders as hard as or sometimes even harder than they do some rapists and murderers? And whatever happened to those old American traditions such as drive-in movies and road side motels owned by private, family-run businesses?

Even those of us who are used to living in America but who have traveled to Europe will find ourselves nodding in agreement to many of Bryson's comparisons between the two continents. After returning from a year abroad in Spain, I was constantly reminded of the differences between the European and American lifestyles, and Bryson does a great job of pointing out all of these distinctions. He covers the conveniences of living in the US as well as the problems that go unnoticed by many American citizens, even those who are conscious voters or activists. I'm A Stranger Here Myself is a little book about everything: politics, culture shock, American life, European life, random rants and musings... you name it, it's here. However, it's mostly about humor, for Bryson as usual finds a way to make everything funny. I couldn't read it at work because I was laughing out loud. So instead I went outside on my lunch break and laughed out loud while random people walked by gawking at the weirdo who was laughing to herself. Those of you who have read Bill Bryson before- and again, I am betting that it's a lot of you- know what I'm talking about. So pick up a copy of I'm a Stranger Here Myself and be reminded of just how funny he is. And for those of you who have never read him, I promise it's worth your time and the energy you will exert by laughing. It will remind you that we are all a bit of a stranger even in our own familiar little world, and that looking at something common through a new perspective will certainly cause a smile and a nod of agreement from those who are new to- or returning to- what for the rest of us is an everyday thing.

Summary of I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away

Happily, I'm a Stranger Here Myself unleashes a new Bryson, more contemplative and less likely to toss daggers. After two decades in England, he's relocated to Hanover, New Hampshire. In this collection (drawn from dispatches for London's Night & Day magazine), he's writing from home, in close proximity to wife and family. We find a happy marriage between humor and reflection as he assesses life both in New England and in the contemporary United States. With the telescopic perspective of one who's stepped out of the American mainstream and come back after 20 years, Bryson aptly holds the mirror up to U.S. culture, capturing its absurdities--such as hotlines for dental floss, the cult of the lawsuit, and strange American injuries such as those sustained from pillows and beds. "In the time it takes you to read this," he writes, "four of my fellow citizens will somehow manage to be wounded by their bedding."

The book also reflects the sweet side of small-town USA, with columns about post-office parties, dining at diners, and Thanksgiving--when the only goal is to "get your stomach into the approximate shape of a beach ball" and be grateful. And grateful we are that the previously peripatetic Bryson has returned to the U.S., turning his eye to this land--while living at home and near his wife. Under her benevolent influence, he entertains through thoughtful insights, not sarcastic stabs. --Melissa Rossi

Authors Books

• Subjects > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors
• Travel
• History > Americas > United States > 20th Century
• Education & Reference > Writing