Review of I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away (Paperback)

So what's this then? A collection of columns written by Bill Bryson for the British Night & Day magazine, assembled into a book? I was sceptical when I first picked it due to the unfamiliarity here; I thoughthe was a travel writer. But then I started reading through the first fewpages and am delighted to report that they were so entertaining andaccessible that I ended up finishing the book very satified.

This book isabout America, about consumerism, hypocracy, politics, culture andeverything else in between, such as motels and boring interstate highwaysand the condition of AT&T service these days. Why should all this be sointeresting? Because Bill Bryson's voice shines throughout, dissectingnormally more complex subjects into bite-sized articles which are eminentlyreadable to the extent that it is at times impossible to stop. Of course,his trademark humour is present too. If you read this in public, there isthe risk of embarrassment by your involuntary snorts oflaughter.

However, 'I'm a Stranger here Myself' isn't perfect. Much ofthe book is predictable, and 85% of the time, Bill appears to becomplaining. Someone as talented as Bill Bryson should know not to engagein such indulgence because the end result is that the reader occassionallyfeels frustrated over the ostensible monotony. You also can't help but feelthat an assemblage of brief columns is not enough to make a book.

Although this book is not standard Bill Bryson fare, it still manages toexcel. It really is exceptionally enlightening, to read what he has to saysubsequent to spending 20 years in England. He compares the contrastsbetween the two nations and questioning so many aspects of life thatAmericans take for granted, such as driving from shop to shop when they aremerely footsteps apart, or the blatant excesses of junk food. Each article(in my edition, Black Swan) covers only five pages so they are very easy toget into.

If you are an American, perhaps you will enjoy this book morethan anyone else as you will undoubtedly find it compelling to look intothe views of an outsider in the process of 'assimilation'.

'I'm a Strangehere Myself' doesn't feel like a book, more like a colelction of columnsbinded together. If you are willing to accept this, it is an extremelyrewarding, insightful and refreshingly diverting read. This is enough togain a hearty recommendation.



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