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Made in America by Bill Bryson (Author)
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- Paperback: 432 pages ; Dimensions (in inches):
1.07 x 8.06 x 5.34
- Publisher: Avon; (November 2001)
- ISBN: 0380713810
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Amazon.com
Readers from
Toad Suck, Arkansas, to Idiotsville, Oregon--and everywhere in between--will
love Made in America, Bill Bryson's Informal History of the English
Language in the United States. It is, in a word, fascinating. After reading
this tour de force, it's clear that a nation's language speaks volumes about
its true character: you are what you speak. Bryson traces America's history
through the language of the time, then goes on to discuss words culled from
everyday activities: immigration, eating, shopping, advertising, going to
the movies, and others.
Made in America will supply
you with interesting facts and cocktail chatter for a year or more. Did you
know, for example, that Teddy Roosevelt's "speak softly and carry a big stick"
credo has its roots in a West African proverb? Or that actor Walter Matthau's
given name is Walter Mattaschanskayasky? Or that the supposedly frigid Puritans--who
called themselves "Saints," by the way--had something called a pre-contract,
which was a license for premarital sex? Made in America is an excellent
discussion of American English, but what makes the book such a treasure is
that it offers much, much more.
Makes American history & language
interesting
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Reviewer: A reader from
Grove City, Ohio |
Having read Bryson's The Mother
Tongue several years ago, I was delighted to find Made in America was going
to explore the American variety of English with much the same humor and
insight. As a teacher of both British and American literature, I've always
tried to include a brief foray into the development of our language on both
sides of the Atlantic.
I have been able to spice up an
otherwise pretty solid lecture presentation with Bryson's witty tidbits
and elevate it to the level of the captivating (in my opinion, of course).
Next year, I plan on assigning Made in America to my single honors American
literature class; I have this suspicion that they will learn more lasting
American history from this book than their regular text.
When I had read a couple of chapters
of the book, I bought an additional copy and sent it to my son, a history
major at Notre Dame, who is currently studying in London. He called a few
weeks later and was brimming with enthusiasm for the book and told me that
he had not only finished it (before I had) but also that he was making all
of his friends read it. His roommate read it in two days! I heartily recommend
Made in America to anyone who is interested in food, travel, health, movies,
history, or just about anything else.
If all history and language texts
were written with Bryson's flair for the interesting, our task as teachers
would be significantly eased.
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