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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Hilarious as usual. I love his perspective on America after living in England for twenty years.
Bill Bryson grew up in Iowa, then spent twenty years in England. He has returned to the U.S. with his British wife and children. I'm a Stranger Here is selections from his newspaper column which chronicles his experiences. Some of them are funny, like "Dying Accents" and "The Best American Holiday". Others, particularly anything is which he tries to mock the writing style on instructional booklets, electronics, the government (I'm all for mocking the government, but he just doesn't do it well), are overreaching and dull.
He also has the annoying habit of showing off a keen sense of understanding, both of general topics and the English language, and then goes on long rambling paragraphs about how he doesn't understand anything.
He also has the annoying habit of showing off a keen sense of understanding, both of general topics and the English language, and then goes on long rambling paragraphs about how he doesn't understand anything.
I love anything by Bill Bryson. My favorite part of this book was how he realized he only knew the British words for hardware items, not the American ones--which makes it very hard to find what you're looking for in Home Depot.
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
As a fan of Bryson's previous work, I was very excited for this book. Similar to his other's, it's deeply informative, well researched, and hilarious. I did not enjoy the weekly newsletter style. As something that was supposed to be read weekly, blazing through it in a few days felt repetitive, but I still had a great time along the way (and learned a lot). His observations about American life are very funny and quite true. Reading it in 2025 also adds a fun layer to how the country has continued to change - in some ways as an exaggeration to his points and in other ways how we've regressed/progressed. It's a quick read and if you like Bryson you'll like the book
I think I can only take Bryson in small doses. He can be amusing, but he can also be so in love with his own joke it can be irritating. He feels like a younger brother who you sometimes just want to give a punch-in-the-arm to.
It’s not really helped by the fact that this book is about 20 years out of date. It is fun to see people having to deal with problems that today's technology has taken care of. Like, payphones and how hard it is to get to connect to the right number. Ha! Get a cellphone, Bryson!
It is sad how little has changed, though; Americans still have the reputation of being ignorant, violent, fat and lazy (but friendly!). The stereotype is a stereotype and therefore not accurate for many, but twenty years later, the world still sees us this way.
It is also hard to tell how many of these jokes were actually fresh at their time but now have become clichéd. Fancy coffee! Why is it so hard to get a standard cup of Joe these days? Now it’s all mocha cappuccino venti whip! Not even the sizes are in good ol’ English! This brings up another problem with Bryson: his exaggeration. I can’t trust him, because he often takes things to the extreme and out of reality. In his rant about being unable to get regular coffee (WHICH IS NOT TRUE EVERYONE HAS REAL COFFEE IT IS SUPER EASY TO ORDER, GOOD GOD MAN!) he has the barista ask him if he wants an americano and he is like FINE JUST GIVE ME COFFEE and the barista asks, “with whip?” NO ONE PUTS WHIP ON AMERICANO. That is only on mochas. Not even lattes (sadly). Americano is just espresso and water – whip is NOT standard and NO ONE asks about that. It is clear that Bryson is just taking the idea of Can’t Get Regular Coffee No More to its (il)logical extreme. I know comedians do this, and it’s a way to be funny, but I find it annoying. I want a humorous but realistic look at a situation. That is not what Bryson wants to give me.
He also sometimes takes an okay joke WAY TOO FAR. Like his tax schtick. Taxes! So confusing! The forms so incomprehensible! Okay, yes, make that joke Bryson! On the other hand you don’t need pages and pages and pages about it. It just gets extremely irritating, having someone unable to end a one-note joke. I just ended up skipping the ones like this (also: computer instructions. Computers! So crazy! Instructions! So incomprehensible! Might as well be written in Chinese, amirite?).
When Bryson calms down a little, he can be funny. And it is interesting to see America through British eyes (Bryson may be American, but he’s writing for a British audience). But it's not quite the biting wit I was looking for.
It’s not really helped by the fact that this book is about 20 years out of date. It is fun to see people having to deal with problems that today's technology has taken care of. Like, payphones and how hard it is to get to connect to the right number. Ha! Get a cellphone, Bryson!
It is sad how little has changed, though; Americans still have the reputation of being ignorant, violent, fat and lazy (but friendly!). The stereotype is a stereotype and therefore not accurate for many, but twenty years later, the world still sees us this way.
It is also hard to tell how many of these jokes were actually fresh at their time but now have become clichéd. Fancy coffee! Why is it so hard to get a standard cup of Joe these days? Now it’s all mocha cappuccino venti whip! Not even the sizes are in good ol’ English! This brings up another problem with Bryson: his exaggeration. I can’t trust him, because he often takes things to the extreme and out of reality. In his rant about being unable to get regular coffee (WHICH IS NOT TRUE EVERYONE HAS REAL COFFEE IT IS SUPER EASY TO ORDER, GOOD GOD MAN!) he has the barista ask him if he wants an americano and he is like FINE JUST GIVE ME COFFEE and the barista asks, “with whip?” NO ONE PUTS WHIP ON AMERICANO. That is only on mochas. Not even lattes (sadly). Americano is just espresso and water – whip is NOT standard and NO ONE asks about that. It is clear that Bryson is just taking the idea of Can’t Get Regular Coffee No More to its (il)logical extreme. I know comedians do this, and it’s a way to be funny, but I find it annoying. I want a humorous but realistic look at a situation. That is not what Bryson wants to give me.
He also sometimes takes an okay joke WAY TOO FAR. Like his tax schtick. Taxes! So confusing! The forms so incomprehensible! Okay, yes, make that joke Bryson! On the other hand you don’t need pages and pages and pages about it. It just gets extremely irritating, having someone unable to end a one-note joke. I just ended up skipping the ones like this (also: computer instructions. Computers! So crazy! Instructions! So incomprehensible! Might as well be written in Chinese, amirite?).
When Bryson calms down a little, he can be funny. And it is interesting to see America through British eyes (Bryson may be American, but he’s writing for a British audience). But it's not quite the biting wit I was looking for.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
This book was a vacation read--the whole family made fun of my laughing all the time as we drove along. Bryson has always got his own, unique perspective and it is a joy to be able to share it. The dog and the sandwiches sticks in my mind along with the cup holder story. I always recommend it as the starting point for Bryson since each chapter/article is such an easy read.
Another American odyssey, kind of like "A Hell of a Place to Lose a Cow" - this time by an expatriate returning to the US after being away for 20 years, describing the changes he sees in the country and in himself and the things he notices that he might not have before. Entertaining, thought-provoking, a good read for anyone who finds people, local cultures, or Americana appealing.
Se lit très bien le soir quand on ne veut pas s'embarquer dans de longues choses car c'est sous forme de chroniques. Malheureusement, les chroniques ont plus d'une dizaine d'années et ça parait. Plusieurs étaient passées date...
Ok I admit it...I LOVE all the books I've read by Bill Bryson but this one didn't do it for me. Maybe it's my mood and I don't feel like reading 85 news articles he published in the paper. I was hoping for something a little more connected. Written in 1998, it also felt very dated to me. Things have really changed in America in the last 19 years.