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

by Bill Bryson

Book Overview

A classic from the New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body. After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076790382X
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Crown
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

Laugh Out Loud

I loved this book and told all of my friends about it. In addition to being funny, it was well-researched, interesting, and informative. The author is humble and gracious and is able to laugh at himself, a quality I find admirable and refreshing. He is honest in his opinions without being self-righteous; and even in his criticism of the country, he expresses a hopefulness that it is possible to correct social injustice if we work together as a nation. However, none of that is the main point of the book. It is simply a collection of his columns written for a British audience in which he makes observations about Americana that are hilarious most of the time. I found myself laughing out loud in a waiting room full of people and then explaining to others what I was reading. If you're looking for a book that will make you smile on an otherwise dreary day, this is the book for you. Divided into short chapters, it's a book that's easy to read in short bursts--a great book for someone who has difficulty commiting to a lengthy novel.

Hahahahaha!!!

Bill Bryson is hilarious! I read this book on the train to work and many a times i had to resist myself from laughing out loud !! In this book, Bill Bryson has complied a collection of short essays which he wrote when he returned to the States. The essays are both informative and hilarious!Don't read this book in one sitting. Safe it for days when you are feeling down and in need of a good laugh!

how nice it is to laugh!

Bill Bryson knows America, he was born here, He knows England , he lived there for many years, and Bill Bryson knows how to write satirical sendups on eveything our wonderful (?) culture has to offer. His "Drowning in red tape" offering is so funny it could probably make the Immigration authorities laugh, and that's pretty funny. If you want a good chuckle at the foibles of America, get this book, you'll love it.

An excallent piece of non-fiction!

Bill Bryson did a fantastic job on this book. It tells a accurate (and hilarious) view on American and English culture. He brings up intresting points, that you'd never think about. Like his other books, he sees things in a thoughtful yet funny way. He is not your typical travel writer. While some of his writing get's repetitive, most of it remains fresh and humors. Anyone who enjoys a funny look at culture, travel, and people's behavior will enjoy "I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away".

Affectionate- he criticises because he cares!

I am a Bill Bryson reader in England and I would like to say I have read the UK edition of this book and several other Bill Bryson titles, and I think Bill Bryson has done a lot to enhance the image of the USA in Britain, not harm it, and has increased understanding between British and American people. I think Bryson is so popular in America because British people like America so much and so are interested in his commentary of it. I am glad to see most reviews by Americans here are positive, but I think the ones which aren't are missing the real point of what Bryson is trying to do. To begin with I feel that the criticism offered of the USA can constructive, rather than just complaining for the sake of it. Bryson obviously loves America but is saddened by some aspects of it and wants to offer an alternative view of how, in his opinion, the USA could be improved even further. I find that people rarely bother to suggest improvements for countries they don't like because they don't care about them. It's only because Bryson obviously loves America that he cares enough to try and suggest ideas to improve the areas in which he feels the country has lost its way. Also a lot of the criticism is not actually comparing America unfavourably to other countries, but to America as it was before he left it- he's suggesting that some things have improved but others used to be better in the past-there's nothing anti-American about suggesting that some older American ideas and values should have been preserved. I think criticising Bryson for a "phoney accent" is a little unfair- he did live in England for almost two decades and it is well-known that people tend to pick up the speech patterns of those around them, which explains why Bryson may have a sort of American/English hybrid accent. Bryson certainly can be said to love England and be an Anglophile, but that doesn't mean he can't love America too- being patriotic does not mean you have to love your own country so much that you can't be allowed to see anything good or even better in another country, or enjoy living in another country- and remember that much as Bryson loved England, he still moved back to America to live- not something he would have done if he disliked America. This book contains much praise for America as well as criticism and I think it is balanced and fair. Bryson certainly exaggerates some of his experiences but it is obvious when he is doing it and it is just for comic effect, not to be misleading. This book has made me want to visit the USA more, not less. I would suggest US readers try and obtain copies of his excellent book "Notes from a Small Island" about Britain- they will find Bryson offers exactly the same blend of praise- AND CRITICISM!- of Britain as he does of the USA. I found his book on my country to be inspiring- certainly it was nice to read the praise but instead of feeling upset by the criticism I found myself agreeing with most of it