I'm a Stranger Here Myself
Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away

I'm a stranger here myself - really: was neither born nor raised in the US of A. Therefore, I could certainly relate to some of Bryson's experiences and anecdotes. While most chapters are (at least) somewhat funny and Bryson's prose flows and makes an easy read, I found myself skipping whole pages after a while. Once you get through half the book, you can pretty much guess the rest of the chapters from the first paragraph of each.

Some parts of this book were funny, but mostly it was just boring. I never finished the book, and what i did read, i skimmed through or skipped a lot of it. i just didnt like his writing style. it was dull. and weird too, because i grew up in NH and i felt like he was trying to make NH sound different than it was, like some hokey kitschy place. granted, i grew up in southern NH not up in his town, but ok it is modern times, OF COURSE we locked things. How could we NOT lock things esp our house? ...more Some parts of this book were funny, but mostly it was just boring. I never finished the book, and what i did read, i skimmed through or skipped a lot of it. i just didnt like his writing style. it was dull. and weird too, because i grew up in NH and i felt like he was trying to make NH sound different than it was, like some hokey kitschy place. granted, i grew up in southern NH not up in his town, but ok it is modern times, OF COURSE we locked things. How could we NOT lock things esp our house? and my parents, who still live there, hardly know their neighbors and some not at all. i think he was making everything sound more quaint for his audience. But overall, very boring and i couldnt make myself finish it.

Mr Bryson has the gift! Hilarious descriptions and observations. Reading this gives a new perspective when looking at ourselves. A wonderful read.