I'm a Stranger Here Myself

I'm a Stranger Here Myself
by Bill Bryson


After living in Britain for twenty years, Bill and his family return to America only to discover that life in America has changed somewhat for the better and somewhat not. Writing for a British audience his musings are sometimes harsh on the US. However, much of it is actually warranted and I can't say that I completely disagree with most of it.

His sarcastic, dry humor definitely fits with my perception of British humor and I love his wit as he writes about even the most mundane things from a trip to the post office to pulling out Christmas decorations. Though some of his musings are somewhat dated, (published 1999), many are still somewhat relevant and no less amusing.

He does say a few good things about America. We are a very friendly people apparently. Also thinks Thanksgiving is a great holiday, which I tend to agree with. Some of the things that he harps on about America though deal with our overabundance and how that plays out in too many choices. It also plays out in our desire to try to make everything more convenient because we are as a whole fat and lazy.

One of my favorite chapters in the book though was the one I read aloud to my husband dealing with the subject of baseball. I am not a die hard baseball fan by any means but growing up in Chicago I have a special affinity for the Cubs and they made it in this book. So I will leave you with a few paragraphs in the book that are especially amusing and sadly true. Before this paragraph Bryson discusses the makeup of the baseball leagues in America and how the series works. Enjoy!

"It is all immensely complicated (meaning the way the series works), but essentially it means that practically every team in baseball except the Chicago Cubs gets a chance to go to the World Series.

The Chicago Cubs don't get to go because they never manage to qualify even under a system as magnificently accommodating as this. Often they almost qualify, and sometimes they are in such a commanding position that you cannot believe they won't qualify, but always in the end they doggedly manage to come up short. Whatever it takes - losing seventeen games in a row, letting easy balls go through their legs, crashing comically into each other in the outfield - you can be certain the Cubs will manage it.

They have been doing this, reliably and efficiently, for over half a century. They haven't been in a World Series since 1945. Stalin had good years more recently than that. This heartwarming annual failure by the Cubs is almost the only thing in baseball that hasn't changed in my lifetime, and I appreciate that very much."

Ode to the Cubs.....maybe this year?