I just recently started reading this book. It's Iavas's and was given to him by Berhael as a birthday gift to help him deal with his move to America.
I'm not sure whether I like this book or not, but I can definately understand why it was so popular in the UK. I had expected a book merely commenting on America, but not criticizing it. I must say that reading this book has made me feel bad...made me feel like I'm part of some ignorant, slobbish, fat nation...it starts to get one down when you keep seeing comments of this same nature from many outside of the US (or walk into several British bookstores and see at least 8 or so books that are criticizing America which is obvious by their title...there must be some need/want in Britian to read disparaging things about the US..I don't know).
This book is supposed to be about America written from the view point of an American returned to his country. Bryson may be an American by birth, but I don't really consider this book to be written by an American. With all the time he's spent in the UK, he's really writting from a European standpoint...his writing style is even British. So it does bother me a bit to think that Europeans who read this book will readily believe what he has to say and love the fact that an American is criticizing America (kind of like Michael Moore, but not near as bad).
I do find parts of his book funny though. I think he has a good way of looking at life. The chapter "Rule Number: Follow All Rules" though I would wager you'd find the same situation happening in other countries as well.
Some specific things: The chapter "Wide Open Spaces" bothered me a bit...particularily this part:
"The fact is America is already one of the least crowded countries on earth with an average of just sixty-eight people per square mile, compared with 256 in France and over 600 in Britain. Altogether, only 2 percent of the United States is classified as 'built up'.
Of course, Americans have always tended to see these things in a different way. Daniel Boon famously is supposed to have looked out of his cabin window one day, seen a wisp of smoke rising from a homesteader's dwelling on a distant mountain and annouced his intention to move on, complaining bitterly that the neighbourhood was getting too crowded.
Which is why I say Daniel Boone was an idiot. I just hate to see the rest of my country going the same way"
Alright, we've thrown around the term "pinko tree hugger" around here when referring to liberal Europeans which would lead me to believe that Europeans care very much for the environment. So why is Bryson criticizing Americans for doing the same? I'm one of those that thinks some areas are becoming too built up. I've seen grassy or forested patches of land that have been around since I was a kid, bulldozed in order to build up cheap houses, apartments (flats), or new stores and this really saddens me. I think of all the wildlife that was either displaced or killed. I think there goes another piece of natural land that is now spoiled. I consider urban sprawl to be a problem. Of course America doesn't have the problem Europe has, especially the UK, but why shouldn't we want to conserve our land and keep it beautiful? I always love going on long drives, being out in the middle of nowhere and trying to imagine what the Native Americans or early settlers must have seen when they travelled the unspoiled land. To me that's a beautiful thing.
The other chapter that bothered me was "Junk Food Heaven". Sorry, but I've been to British grocery stores and places like Tesco look just like American grocery stores. Plenty of junk food in there. I've also seen a good amount of obese British folk as well. I don't see that big of a difference between America and the UK so I don't take British criticism on this subject that well. I have to say that I eat more junk food now that I've been living with Iavas because he has such an affinity for biscuits and any kind of cakey desert!!
Anyway, I'm only on page 94 and will more than likely be posting more of my thoughts later.
(Bryson has written a book about the UK right? I'd be very interested to read that one if he has)