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Reviews
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson
tatsebmaki's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
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
bonnybonnybooks's review against another edition
3.0
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It’s not really helped by the fact that this book is about 20 years out of date.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.
balintcsenyi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
wileyacez's review
5.0
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.
desertjarhead505's review
5.0
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.
edith_la_lectrice's review
3.0
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...
pixcat's review against another edition
3.0
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.
jonimnewman's review
4.0
Bill Bryson is always fun and this was a perfect winter slump read. I enjoyed it very much.
gmmersereau's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
After living in England for 20 years, Bill Bryson and his family return to the US and, I'm a Stranger Here Myself contains a compilation of essays Bryson wrote for a newspaper shortly after the move, covering topics from rental cars and generational wastefulness, to living in a cold climate and the United States Postal Service. Most of these anectdotes are funny some are reflective, most are out of date. This is through no fault of the Author's, seeing that this title was published in 1999. Sometimes the time lapse made it funnier, sometimes more depressing (the environmental climate crisis has gotten worse, not better) and sometimes made me a little wistful for "simpler" times.
This was great on audio and is easy to dip in and out of since most essays are short and can be listened to in under ten minutes. This is my first Bill Bryson book and I will be trying others, but this wouldn't be my recommendation for someone else that hasn't read anything by him.
This was great on audio and is easy to dip in and out of since most essays are short and can be listened to in under ten minutes. This is my first Bill Bryson book and I will be trying others, but this wouldn't be my recommendation for someone else that hasn't read anything by him.
alleyvet's review
3.0
I really enjoy Bill Bryson's writing style- conversational at times, to the point and wry humor. He's writing to a British audience, but I didn't feel like that I was not part of his original audience. I especially enjoyed/agreed with his thoughts on small town America and how we are too busy with our automatic lives to enjoy everything around us- that's why I love my walking neighborhood and will continue to make an effort to get out and partake of it whenever I can.