'Living in America guide with a twist. Review on Notes From a Big Country - Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson may not be a very well known author around India but I chanced upon a couple of his books (travelogues mostly). He his amazingly witty and somewhere in between the words there's a lot of truth, history, and incisive points of view. Bryson, American by birth, lived in England for a looong time (His wife is British) and moved back 'home' eventually. Now to someone not from the US, a lot of stuff they do around the states is funny, and the way they way they go about it is rather amusing (though at times its also sad, or exhilarating or awe-inspiring) This is what Bryson captures brilliantly in short 'essays' on different aspects of resettling in the US. For instance, the inefficiency and at the same time - heart warming friendliness at the USPS offices. The fact that the average American has very little real contact with nature (climate control!) and yet when they rough it out - its as rough as it could get. Nobody walks - unless they're running. And sometimes they drive so they can run. If you have visited the US for an extended duration - you'll see a lot of the things you wondered about and even found amusing while you read this book. It can be read over a long time in bursts so there's no thread to keep alive. You can even read it randomly.. I've started on my second Bryson already - A Walk in the Woods - an amusing narrative of his hike in the Appalachian Trail. More on that later.