Journal Entry 1 by PenelopePitstop from Melzo, Lombardia Italy on Friday, June 20, 2003

It's the story of one year spent living in the US by a quite famous italian newspaper columnist.
...such a memoir could have been a jingoistic cliche-fest. Severgnini, though, is a master in the vein of Bill Bryson, and his every criticism is matched with admiration. ...The result is a sardonic tale of cultural bewilderment, an incisive peek into the mundane obsessions of our American existence that makes the commonplace be it a fixation with weather statistics or an air-conditioning complex seem not only insane but extremely funny. From Publisher's weekly

I thought it would be a nice idea to have some opinions from people living in the US about what Severgnini writes.

So join the bookring and add your comments, I will be happy to read them!

People oustide the US joining the ring will be added at the END of the list...

-US part of the ring- CLOSED - The ring will follow a route from WEST to EAST...
1. juliebarreto (kamuela, hawaii)
2. Cobaltcat (fresno, california)
3. JDT (pleasanton, california)
4. nyisutter (st. charles, missouri)
5. Scramble (springfield, illinois)
6. mojosmom (chicago, illinois)
7. daidy (utica, michigan)
8. kikimasu (tallahassee, florida)
9. ResQgeek (franconia, virginia
10. BooksnBeer (annandale, virginia)
11. noraneptune (fort meade, maryland)
12. annulla (Brooklin, New York)

NO-US part of the ring
1. lady-sybil (Canada)
2. Pikapolonica (Sweden)
3. Annelis (Finland)
4.Yowlyy (Great Britain)
5. Cora-Huebsch
(Germany)
6.Fflloorr (Portugal)
7.BlossomU (Portugal)
8. Santex (Pisa, Italy)
9. Venere (Treviso, Italy)
10. Leggiona
(Milan, Italy)
11. Keoma (Milan, Italy)

1. Please make a journal entry showing that you have
received the book as soon as you get it.

2. When you receive the book, please also PM the
next person in line to get his or her mailing address.

3. Make a journal entry letting us know what you
think of the book. Journal when you are sending the book
to the next BookCrosser.

4. Mail the book to the next person on the list.

Buona lettura a tutti!!!


 

Journal Entry 2 by PenelopePitstop from Melzo, Lombardia Italy on Friday, June 27, 2003

The book has left today Melzo to begin his journey in the USA in Hawaii (lucky book...) and visit Juliebarreto there .
Hey Julie, next time I bring it personally and stay there when you read it, and don't hurry!! :D
Buona Lettura!
 

Journal Entry 3 by juliebarreto from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Sunday, July 06, 2003

It's arrived here on our rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And it was only mailed on June 28th; that is pretty darn good, by my standards.  

Journal Entry 4 by juliebarreto from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Monday, July 14, 2003

I wrote a few comments in the little journal that accompanied the book itself, but, here are some more. I liked it. I love comparing cultural differences. The US is such a big country that some of his observations pertain more to the East Coast than to the US in general, such as the air conditioning, the trash pick-up, the sense of history. (I admit Hawai'i is probably a special case; it's very different from mainland US. In many ways we are almost a 3d world country in our own right.) Many of his observations seem right-on, if not especially novel. His comments about the US people being very optimistic and trusting also seemed accurate. I found it funny that he said "Italians take nothing on trust." I hope our recent war-mongering in Iraq does not turn people off to learning more about us as a people.

This is now off to cobaltcat in Fresno, CA. (I think they do use heavy AC there in the summer!) 

Journal Entry 5 by cobaltcat from Fresno, California USA on Saturday, August 02, 2003

Received today. I am currently reveling in the fact that the temperatures are cooler (only forecasts of 100 degrees F, or 39 degrees celsius). We broke our heat record of consecutive 100 + degree days in July (17 days) as well as our highest nighttime temperature (80 degrees F/27C). So yes, in Fresno, we are Air Conditioning obsessed!

Having been to Italy, it will be interesting to see what this author's observations are about America and Americans. 

Journal Entry 6 by cobaltcat from Fresno, California USA on Friday, August 08, 2003

If you visit my bookshelf profile, it is obvious I love Italy. In fact, I'm returning for two weeks this fall for a visit. So I am going to do a little comparison when I come back.
I agree that Americans are trusting. I think that comes with being more isolated geographically. We haven't had to learn to get along with a large number of neighboring countries. I believe this tends to make us more naive, and therefore more trusting of other people, as a rule. And a side result is we are culturally unaware and woefully inadequate in tolerating other customs.

I agree that Americans are fat, and getting worse. I read somewhere that Americans eat on their way to a destination, and that for Europeans dining is the destination. I observed this first hand in Europe, where I noticed that Americans came in, ate (well, inhaled/gulped their food), and left, all in a short time. And wherever we are going, we are eating again once we get there. We do this here in the States too. I simply didn't see this in Europe (or maybe I wasn't looking for it).
I had to laugh with his section on the generic hotel room. I never realized how true this was. My favorite part of Italy was entering each room I stayed in and marveling at the uniqueness of each. One of my fondest memories was the hotel with the energy saving hall light. Press the button and I had approximately 15 seconds to go up a short flight of stairs, make it down a long hall and unlock my door before the light went out. (Out of 8 tries, I was successful once; it probably didn't help that I was laughing too hard).

I have come to realize that America's overly litiginous society and zeal for political correctness has come at a cost. We don't dare comment on black American's linguistic differences, but Beppe managed to do so, and probably no one looked at it askance in this book.

Things I marveled at in Italy:
No window screens (what about bugs? what if you lean too far and fall out?). The Autogrills served alcohol (I heard that this has since been banned?)...Autogrills are great rest areas right on the autostrada, restaurant, bathrooms (clean and safe), gift shop, convenience store all in one. The amazing living history. People are living in buildings older than America's existence.The passiegeta (spelling?)in the evening is awesome. The good public transportation. Everything is within walking distance, almost. Fewer choices (sometimes this is a good thing). It's OK to live simply, and not to have the biggest, latest, fastest gadget or car. If it works fine, why try to change/improve/modify it?

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I think the material is a little outdated for today's world, but underneath you get a sense that Severgnini was quite fond of his stay in America, and of Americans in general. I can't say that he was impressed with our eating habits, nor with many citizens' overwhelming desire to be the "best" or most popular, etc.,.

On to JDT......mailed to JDT on Thursday August 14, 2005. I have two bookring books lost in the mail, so I've sent this one with a delivery confirmation so that I can in theory, track it and see what is happening to it. 

Journal Entry 7 by JDT from Pleasanton, California USA on Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Happy to receive PenelopePitstop's book (and journal and postcards) from cobaltcat!
Looking forward to reading this Italian journalist's perspective on America from his year-long stay in Wash.DC.

(actually had to pick this up at the PO - postage-due. It had been opened &re-sealed by the PO in Fresno - and changed by them from media mail to 1st class! (their notation on the pkg: "has communication inside")
This is a first for me! Has anyone had this experience? Wondering if the journal was considered communication? Any why did they open it? Delivery confirmation label a red flag?
Anyway, it arrived safely!)
 

Journal Entry 8 by JDT from Pleasanton, California USA on Sunday, August 31, 2003

I appreciated the chance to read this perspective on America by an Italian journalist - plus I love the idea of this US and international bookring!
Writing some reflections in the accompanying journal - but will echo some previous observations:
- much as I love hearing the correctness, precision, and accent of the Brits, the blatant British English was disconcerting in a book about the US. I wondered why the author didn't choose an American translator (maybe it was translated for England - I don't mean to sound American-centered)
- it is hard to generalize such a diverse, large country
- but I did enjoy the author's humor, openness, honest critiques, and affection.

In a tiny turnabout, we are visiting one of our favorite places - Italy - for a week in late September.

Thanks again PenelopePitstop for sharing this book!
Sending on to nyisutter as soon as I get the address. 

Journal Entry 9 by nyisutter from St. Charles, Missouri USA on Tuesday, September 09, 2003

I just received this book. I look foward to reading it. Coincidently, I just started reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" which is about an American in Italy :). It will be interesting to read these books at the same time! Will check in again after I finish the book. Thanks for including me in this ring.  

Journal Entry 10 by nyisutter from St. Charles, Missouri USA on Tuesday, September 23, 2003

I really enjoyed hearing an Italian's perspective of our nation, despite the fact that it is hard to observe our vast nation while living in our capital. D.C. is hardly representative of the rest of us :). But a lot of the observations were right on. I agree with him on political correctness, it does border on ridiculous! I thought the account on spelling was interesting. I am not suprised that Italians can spell better than we can, but I am suprised they can spell English better than us. The romance languages are so much easier to spell because as the author notes, Engish is very much an invented language that doesn't follow many rules!

I was not bothered by the use of the British English. I didn't feel the book was written for Americans. It was written for Italians. Since it was translated in Italy, it would only make sense that it would be translated in the English that Italians speak or at least the English that the author speaks. It just made the book that much more interesting to read, if not in his native language, at least in his English.

It was kind of interesting to read the accounts on resturaunts and fast food, having just finished the Fast Food Nation bookring!

It was interesting to note that he felt we had lost some of our politeness upon coming back 5 years later. I didn't think we had as much as he thought we did in 1994!

I do wonder about the observation on how close American's stand. My feeling is that Americans tend to need more space. We get uncomfortable if people stand to close. So I am not sure where he got the opposite impression? Maybe its just different segments of our society? Or maybe it is just relative to the space that Europeans need.

Thanks again for the oppurtunity to read this book. I loved looking at America through Italy's eyes.

---Oct 1, 2003---
Mailed today. DC # 0303 0130 0000 0240 3728
 

Journal Entry 11 by Scramble from Springfield, Illinois USA on Sunday, October 05, 2003

Just received and added to the front of the pile...will begin shortly. 

Journal Entry 12 by Scramble from Springfield, Illinois USA on Saturday, October 25, 2003

Just finished this book. Entertaining and fun to read....will get the next address and send it on. 

Journal Entry 13 by mojosmom from Chicago, Illinois USA on Saturday, November 01, 2003

I have just received this book, and am looking forward to reading it, as well as everyone's comments in the accompanying journal.

(It might be a bit yet, though; for some reason, all my bookring books are arriving at once!) 

Journal Entry 14 by mojosmom from Chicago, Illinois USA on Monday, November 17, 2003

Journal Entry 15 by mojosmom at on Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Release planned for Thursday, November 20, 2003 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Sending on to daidy as part of the BookRing. 

Journal Entry 16 by daidy from Kansas City, Missouri USA on Sunday, November 30, 2003

Just got back from my Thanksgiving visit to my family and this was waiting for me when I got back. I'll start it tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 17 by daidy from Kansas City, Missouri USA on Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Entertaining, but Severgnini didn't visit the America I'm familiar with. He seemed to take care to be very polite about the less attractive things about the country, but I kept wanting him to get angry, just once, about some of the stupid things we do here.

kikimasu told me she needs to drop out of the ring, so this will go to resqgeek next. 

Journal Entry 18 by ResQgeek from Alexandria, Virginia USA on Thursday, December 11, 2003

This book arrived in the mail yesterday, together with its journal and the assorted postcards. The timing is perfect, as I was just wondering what I was going to read next. I also look forward to reading everyone else's comments in the journal. I'll get started within the next day or so, and I'll let you know what I think when I'm done. 

Journal Entry 19 by ResQgeek from Alexandria, Virginia USA on Thursday, December 18, 2003

I just finished reading this book and the comments in the accompanying journal. I've lived in the Washington, DC area since 1990, and it was interesting to get an outsider's view on some of my own experiences. I did note, however, that while Severgnini indicates that the cable company provided him with an installation time, he never says when (or even if) they actually showed up! I also completely agree with him about the parking situation in DC. I won't drive in DC unless I absolutely have no other choice, mostly because it is impossible to find parking!

I've added my own postcard to the growing collection, and I'll be sending this book on to its next stop soon. 

Journal Entry 20 by ResQgeek from Alexandria, Virginia USA on Monday, December 22, 2003

Headed to the post office to send this on its short trip across Northern Virginia to BooksnBeer. 

Journal Entry 21 by BooksnBeer from Annandale, Virginia USA on Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Received this in the mail today. This book was one of the first bookring book I signed up for.

I really look forward to reading this. I'm an Italian American and I live in the D.C Metro area. Actually, I work in D.C. The author's observations will be very interesting. 

Journal Entry 22 by BooksnBeer from Annandale, Virginia USA on Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Finally started reading this last night. Laughing out loud. I will write more later. But, already it definitely sounds like an Italian in DC. 

Journal Entry 23 by BooksnBeer from Annandale, Virginia USA on Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Finished reading this 2/11/04. Interesting reading. It is always surprising how something/someplace, which seems so normal to me, is viewed by others as odd. Things that I did not think were odd, from the outside looking in do seem odd. I have lived and worked in the DC Metro area for 20 years and this really did make me laugh. My first comment is that some of the points are dated. The book was written in 1995 and by 2004 some things have changed, i.e the computer comments. Also, I hope Italians reading this know, as others have pointed out, that this is a look at the US from the East Coast, or even from the Washington DC perceptive. I have heard ;-) that the mid-west is pretty odd. I did laugh about the garbage comments. New York also has some pretty complex garbage rules too. By the way – so does Switzerland. We have friends we stayed with in Switzerland and the rules and the size limits for the bags and boxes were way too complex. Overall an interesting read. I’m definitely going to look for the book “Under the Tuscan Sun”. I want to see how an American in Italy fairs.

I put this into the mail on Thursday 2/12/04.
 

Journal Entry 24 by noraneptune from Washington, District of Columbia USA on Wednesday, February 18, 2004

The book just arrived. I love all the postcards from previous readers. And the book looks pretty good, too :)