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Made in America | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $4.97
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Avg. Customer Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 30849
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0380713810
Dewey Decimal Number: 420.973
EAN: 9780380713813
ASIN: 0380713810
Publication Date: March 1, 1996
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Amazon.com Review
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.
Product Description
Bill Bryson, who gave glorious voice to The Mother Tongue, now celebrates her magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how a dusty western hamlet with neither woods nor holly came to be known as Hollywood...and exactly why Mr.Yankee Doodle call his befeathered cap "Macaroni."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
Interesting Read on History of American English January 2, 2009
well-researched (no surprise from Bill Bryson), intelligent, interesting and sometimes funny, this is a nice light read for anyone interested in linguistics, Americanisms, food history and several other topics (also chapters on sex, movies, travel, politics etc)...a funny little book on the lighter side of American history
 Read it! December 12, 2008
I teach English at the college level and have just had this book approved to teach next semester. I happened to pick it up at Borders because I liked A Walk in the Woods so much, and wow! The chonological arrangement of the chapters makes it easy to follow, and I appreciate all the research he must've done. He really chose words that the everyday citizen can relate to, but also peppered the text with words even I had to look up--so I think it will appeal to many levels. I decided to use it in my English class because my students have a hard time understanding that WE create the language and its rules, not some nerdy grammarians in a think tank somewhere. Also, it is an interesting trip through our history showing how we define ourselves through language. Looking forward to reading it over and over again to prepare for next semester.
A Correction December 8, 2008
The book is an excellent read. However, it's Idiotville, Oregon, not Idiotsville. It's a ghost town in the hills near Tillamook.(pronounced-till-uh-muck) by Oregonians. Just thought I throw that in.
A knowledgeable conversation about the language May 10, 2008
Pardon me while I whine a bit, but the reviewers who complain that the book lacks scholarship and similar pedantic complaints have missed the point. Bill Bryson is a writer, a storyteller, and man of wide interests who can churn out charming, remarkably well researched books at a satisfying rate. Like his History of Everything (the "history" of science), The Informal History of American English is not a textbook, not complete and not intended for a serious study of the language. It makes the point that language is evolutionary, a flexible, variable tool that, in America, probably has had a broader range of lasting influences than most languages, and those influences reflect American society. If you are a reader and like words and their derivations, this is dessert--fully satisfying but not the complete meal. He prefers the words and sayings that have good stories about them, and his 20 years of living in England are reflected in is often wry, dryly witty take on the facts. It is occasionally laugh out loud, has any number of chuckles and is interesting throughout. He writes easily and occasionally reflects some real depth in his efforts. He relies perhaps a bit too much on Mencken's research, but then they share a world view and sense of humor. Originally a travel writer, he takes a trip through American history and points out the bits that interest him most, and makes it enjoyable, entertaining and even educational. Like a conversation, the book sometimes wanders off topic to charming or ironic side note, but he always returns to the main road. If your expectations are reasonable, this book is a pleasure and I suspect you will pick it up later, from time to time, to remind yourself of the story or circumstances behind the way we speak or just to get a moment of intelligent wit. I gave it 4, instead of 5, stars because he could have written more, because it needs a little editing and because despite an impressive bibliography, a bit of the philosophy of language development would not have gone amiss. But for a pleasurable read on an interesting topic for the dilettante (history of the word dilettante is in the book), this is a good buy.
I'm a stranger here myself, too. May 7, 2008
I moved to the States when I was twenty. I was vastly ignorant about the country. I loved this book! Bryson is a spotty writer (not referring to his complexion, but his complete history of everything) but he was spot on with this one.
I'm off to buy another copy.
I live in Florida now. Since I do, I have what I call my hurricane books. These are the books I read and re-read via flashlight or candles if necessary when the power has been off for three weeks.
This is a hurricane book.
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