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I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
by Authors:
Bill Bryson
Paperback
In the world of modern travel writing, Bill Bryson, the bestselling author of many books including A Walk in the Woods, often emerges as a major contender for 'King of Crankiness'. Granted, he complains well and in an entertaining manner, but almost written between every line of his travel books you can almost see the echo: "I wanna go home, I miss my wife."
Happily, I'm a Stranger Here Myself unleashes a new Bill Bryson, more contemplative and less likely to throw daggers and knifes. After twenty years in England, he's now moved to Hanover, New Hampshire. In this collection (drawn from dispatches for London's Night & Day magazine), he's writing from his new home, in close contact with his 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 perspective of one who's jumped out of the American mainstream and eventually returned after 2 decades, Bill Bryson aptly holds the mirror up to popular American 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," Bryson writes, "four of my fellow citizens will somehow manage to be wounded by their bedding."
This book also reflects the 'sweet' side of small-town America, 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.
Average Customer Rating:
A look at America in the 1990s
This book is different from the other Bryson books I've read. Rather than addressing a single (mostly) coherent topic, this book is a collection of newspaper columns covering a rather broad and eclectic range of topics. He makes a number of interesting observations about the state of American society in the 1990's, especially the rise of the specialty coffee industry, and our tendancy to drive everywhere, including the gym to get exercise. While there are some laugh-out-loud bits buried in here, I somehow was expecting it to be more amusing as whole. In the introducton, Bryson notes these articles were originally written for a British audience and he has tried to remove "chunks of explication that an American would find unnecessary." I find this a bit disappointing--these bits might have been interesting, and would have provided some insights into the differences between the two countries. Overall, this was a light and diverting book, but certainly not the best Bryson has to offer.
Go back to Britian!
I was severely disappointed in this book, as I am a huge fan of Mr. Bryson's work. I've read Made in America, so I know that he can write about America in a critical, but loving way, not in the absolutely nasty tone of this work. Bitch, bitch, bitch, his wife says, and I'm inclined to agree with her. Not to mention the number of thing he simply gets WRONG. I felt like throwing the book down after reading the bit about lawyers and lawsuits. Everyone can agree that lawsuits are a big problem, but the example of a chemical accident in Richmond was really not the way to go. News flash Mr. Bryson, we in Richmond live in between two major oil refineries. About two years after the incident you described, we had another accident. Pollution and asthma are rampant. And we can't all move to Hanover, as it's very poor and crime-ridden here. Love how he didn't talk about any of the serious problems in America either. So, in summation, if you like Bill Bryson and you know anything about America, don't read this book. It will only ower your opinion of the man.
Bill, go back to England!
Others have noted that this is not his best work. I have the audio cassette version and his tone gets in the way of his writing. He sounds both peeved and incredulous at most things American.... like a pissed-off John Malkovich. It's hard to emphasize with his observations since he sounds so superior to the rest of the country in most of his notings.
Other reviewers have noted that his "facts" are just plain wrong, and I'll add another "fact" to the pile. He mentions a friend who tries to get temp employment at the Post Office, yet gets turned down because of a drug felony. Why should this person work at a FEDERAL agency? He/she must have lied on the application, right in the section that says "Have you ever been convicted?" Otherwise, the P.O. would not have bothered running a background check.
Bryson goes on to say that if you are a convicted murderer you'd be able to get a job at the P.O., it's just drug charges they are concerned about. Somehow, I can't see how Bryson could have validated this claim. Does he have another friend who is a convicted murderer who has been able to secure employment at the P.O.? Again, I wouldn't apply at any government job if I had a history of malfeasance. His friend sounds like maybe the drugs did their job too well.
I find myself mentally disagreeing with him as I listen to the book on tape. He could be funny if he weren't so disapproving.
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Go back to Britian! 
