I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson (ISBN:076790382X)

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		I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
	
				(129 reviews)			
(4145 Readers)

			Bill Bryson		
	
After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read...more
 After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly 3 million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens--as he later put it, "it was clear my people needed me").  They were greeted by a new and improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, twenty-four-hour dental-floss hotlines, and the staunch conviction that ice is not a luxury item. Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth.  The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended if at times bemused love letter to the homeland he has returned to after twenty years away.   less

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							Amy
						
							few weeks ago						
This is one of my absolutely favorite books of all times.  It's full of short articles, it's a great book, you can pick it up anytime, and will find yourself rereading your favorite parts again and again.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I couldn't get into this book as much as other Bill Bryson books. I think the reason for this is that it is not a story, but rather columns that he wrote. At times, it seemed to carry a bit of a whining tone and I just wasn't into that. But don't get me wrong, he is a great author.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The fact that this is a collection of newspaper columns that Bryson wrote for a London newspaper after returning to America means that the writing is not always consistent.  There are some pieces, especially up front that seem a little lame.  But by mid-book, Bryson is at the top of his form and the laughs simply do not stop.
Great bathroom reader--a collection of articles Bryson published in...more
 The fact that this is a collection of newspaper columns that Bryson wrote for a London newspaper after returning to America means that the writing is not always consistent.  There are some pieces, especially up front that seem a little lame.  But by mid-book, Bryson is at the top of his form and the laughs simply do not stop.
Great bathroom reader--a collection of articles Bryson published in a British newspaper.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I think this is my favourite Bill Bryson book, although everything I have read by him has also been very entertaining. After living in the UK for over 20 years, he decides to move his family back to the country where he was born, and finds that the USA is not quite the same as he remembers. As always, his observations are hilarious, sarcastic and insightful, and it's impossible to read a Bill...more
 I think this is my favourite Bill Bryson book, although everything I have read by him has also been very entertaining. After living in the UK for over 20 years, he decides to move his family back to the country where he was born, and finds that the USA is not quite the same as he remembers. As always, his observations are hilarious, sarcastic and insightful, and it's impossible to read a Bill Bryson book in the presence of another person without laughing and having them ask you "what's so funny?" - and a lot of his stories make for great conversations. The stories here were originally written as a weekly column for a British newspaper, and as a result all of the chapters are short. This makes it a great book for people who claim that they don't have the attention span to read a book, and might turn them on to some of Bill Bryson's other fantastic books.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
So funny!  Really makes you think about things we take for granted in the U.S.

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							Maarten
						
							few weeks ago						
I guess I just don't think Bryson's all that funny.

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							Christine
						
							few weeks ago						
I forgot to review this right away, so my assessment is a bit dusty.

Upon returning to the USA after a multi-decade hiatus in the UK, Bill Bryson wrote a column for a British periodical about his re-entry experiences.  "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" is a collection of these short quips.  In the usual Bryson tradition, each piece can inspire a chuckle of agreement and a moment of reflection about...more
 I forgot to review this right away, so my assessment is a bit dusty.

Upon returning to the USA after a multi-decade hiatus in the UK, Bill Bryson wrote a column for a British periodical about his re-entry experiences.  "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" is a collection of these short quips.  In the usual Bryson tradition, each piece can inspire a chuckle of agreement and a moment of reflection about this great nation of ours.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This book consists of columns the author wrote for a British newspapaer.  He had lived in England for many years, and recently moved back to the States.  So these are his experiences learning how things work here, as opposed to England.  Quite entertaining, and maybe his most pithy work.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
The best medicine against depression!

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Parts of it were laugh-out-loud funny, but other parts (the majority?) was tedious and complaining. The premise is that he's coming back to the States after living in Britain, but most of his stories aren't particular to moving back home -- they're just general whining about America. That said, he has an amazing ability to wield vocabulary in new and interesting ways, and I'd say that the funny...more
 Parts of it were laugh-out-loud funny, but other parts (the majority?) was tedious and complaining. The premise is that he's coming back to the States after living in Britain, but most of his stories aren't particular to moving back home -- they're just general whining about America. That said, he has an amazing ability to wield vocabulary in new and interesting ways, and I'd say that the funny essays definitely made reading the slower parts worth it. However, I enjoyed A Walk in the Woods quite a bit more.   hide

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