• I'm a Stranger Here Myself

  • Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Bill Bryson
  • Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (735 ratings)

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I'm a Stranger Here Myself  By  cover art

I'm a Stranger Here Myself

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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Publisher's summary

A classic from the New York Times best-selling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body.

After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly three million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens - as he later put it, "it was clear my people needed me"). They were greeted by a new and improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, 24-hour dental-floss hotlines, and the staunch conviction that ice is not a luxury item.

Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth. The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended if at times bemused love letter to the homeland he has returned to after 20 years away.

©1999 Bill Bryson (P)1999 Random House, Inc.

What listeners say about I'm a Stranger Here Myself

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Much too short

I am an American expat, having lived over seas for 25 years. Loved it but wanted more.....at least another 5 chapters

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I'm a stranger here myself

I enjoyed a very hardy laugh, and only wish the book had been longer. Bryson's hallmark humour is one I look forward to enjoying time and time again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Bill B

No matter how many times I listen to any of Bill Bryson's audiobooks, I am sure to have hours of laughter,insights, learning, and vicarious travel!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

OK but not his best

I enjoyed this audio book, but it is not one of my favorites of Bill's. It was a pleasant listen, just not riveting.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Witty and thoroughly engaging top to bottom!

As always, Bill Bryson has me often laughing aloud as I’m walking down the street listening to him, sometimes feeling nostalgic or pained or deeply touched, and always engaged—fully captivated in his world. An incredible read!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb Book

Loved the book so much that I am now looking forward to read the other books from the author.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but not Bryson's best

Though his curmudgeon persona is half the fun, this book comes off perhaps a bit too acerbic. If this is your first Bryson pick, go with something else like A Walk In The Woods or Notes From A Small Island.

If not, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Truly funny perspective of America

I smiled (through the serious stories) and laughed through the rest of the book. Bill - Mr. Bryson has a great command of English, especially of metaphor and smilie. More key is his delivery which multiplies the humor of what he's written. Gear book.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointed

Have always been a Bryson fan but found myself skimming through some of his long technical descriptions of American technologies that we are already familiar with.

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Bill Bryson is a Winner

I simply love to hear Bill Bryson narrate his own work. He has the perfect voice to carry his stories along. As a native and an alien: he makes this description seem no contradiction in terms, his story is both interesting and insightful. He presents his return to America, after having lived in Britain for 20 years, with love, humor and what, at times, seems to be thanksgiving. He presents our Yankee traditions and current condition in an enjoyable form that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

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2 people found this helpful