The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

by Bill Bryson | Travel |
ISBN: 0060920084 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingjudygreeneyeswing of San Diego, California USA on 10/3/2009
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6 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingjudygreeneyeswing from San Diego, California USA on Saturday, October 3, 2009
"Nothing links person to person like the frequent passage from hand to hand of a good book."

This very funny memoir tells the story of Bill Bryson's driving tour through 38 of the American states. His perspective on everything he see and experiences is often funny or poignant, often very thought-provoking. Of his travels in Tennessee, he says:

"This was the heart of Appalachia, the most notoriously impoverished region of America, and it was just inexpressibly beautiful. It was strange that the urban professionals from the cities of the eastern seaboard, only a couple of hours' drive to the east, hadn't colonized an area ofsuch arresting beauty, filling the dales with rusticky weekend cottages, country clubs, and fancy restaurants.

It was strange, too, to see white people living in poverty. In America, to be white and impoverished really takes some doing. Of course, this was American poverty, this was white people's poverty, which isn't like poverty elsewhere. It isn't even like the poverty in Tuskegee. It has been suggested with more than a touch of cynicism that when Lyndon Johnson launched his great War on Poverty in 1964, the focus was placed on Appalachia not because it was so destitute but because it was so white. A little-publicized survey at the time showed that 40 percent of the poorest people in the region owned a car and a third of those had been bought new....."

I've done a lot of travelling across America, up and down backroads and in and out of small towns, and find this book to be a great documentary of life in small town America.

Journal Entry 2 by wingjudygreeneyeswing at San Diego, California USA on Saturday, October 3, 2009

Released 14 yrs ago (10/3/2009 UTC) at San Diego, California USA

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CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is going by mail to Savotar in Finland since it's on her wishlist. Enjoy!!

If you aren't familiar with Bookcrossing, take a few minutes to check out this very cool site. Bookcrossers LOVE books, and more than anything, they love to read books and then set them free for other people to find and enjoy. I would love it if you would leave a journal entry -- you can say where you found the book or how you liked it when you read it. Then, when you are ready, pass it along for someone else to enjoy! Thanks and happy reading!

Journal Entry 3 by Savotar from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thank you Judygreeneyes! I have made a road trip in the USA once (from New York to Houston and back), saw both poverty and affluence, amazing nature, met friendly people, got Lyme's disease which almost killed me but I'm still here. :) So this book seems fascinating to me. I'm definitely returning one day, hopefully soon. There's so much to see and explore in America.

Thank you also for the pin and bookplatelabels!

Journal Entry 4 by Savotar from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Wednesday, March 31, 2010
This book has travelled in my handbag for a while. I have read a chapter or two while waiting for a bus or relaxing in a café after a tiring day at work or a refreshing moment at the pool.

Bryson is a great storyteller and I enjoyed reading about his trip through 38 US states. I also learned a lot of geograhy and something about cultural difference inside the USA.

The book is still for a while tbr because my husband (who is also a Bryson fan) wants to read it before releasing.

Journal Entry 5 by Savotar at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Sunday, September 19, 2010
This book is travelling to Joensuu ( Eastern Finland) next. Happy reading, Niora! I hope you like this book as much as I did.

Journal Entry 6 by wingNiorawing at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The book arrived in the mail today, together with a yummy-looking lollipop from Germany :-D Thanks, I'm very much looking forward to enjoying both of them! Been a while since I either read any Bryson (I do love the author) or had a lollipop :-)

Journal Entry 7 by wingNiorawing at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I can't believe I haven't journaled reading this book... Stupid me. I read it at some point in the fall and quite enjoyed it, I just don't remember many details any more. Bryson is always funny, and as I visited the USA with my family around this time (summer of '88) myself,
there were some details which struck me as familiar. It's always fun to realize, too, that in many ways the USA isn't just one country but a bunch of quite individual states and regions.

I will be passing this book on in some manner soonish.

Journal Entry 8 by wingSoozreaderwing at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Tuesday, April 26, 2011
I took this book with me from the local Bookcrossing meeting.

Journal Entry 9 by wingSoozreaderwing at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Thank you for sharing this book!:) I thought it was very interesting though at times it was a bit difficult to keep up as I've never been to the USA and in addition the journey took place in the 80's so many of the references were unfamiliar to me...Nevertheless a good read that is now on its way to the next reader!:)

Journal Entry 10 by wingSoozreaderwing at on Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Released 11 yrs ago (7/4/2012 UTC) at

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The book is on its way to the next reader as a part of the wishlist tag-game. Enjoy!:)

Journal Entry 11 by grovalskii at Zehlendorf, Berlin Germany on Friday, July 6, 2012
I totally forgot that this book was coming my way. Nice surprise today when I found the package in our mailbox today. :-) Thank you so much soozreader, I love Bill Bryson.

Journal Entry 12 by grovalskii at Zehlendorf, Berlin Germany on Monday, November 18, 2013
While this is maybe not Bill Bryson's best book, I did enjoy reading it. Laught out loud a couple of times. And I totally could identify with some of his statements as I lived in the US for a few years. I thought I had a pretty negative view on some American peculiarities (all of those fat people. Fast food everywhere. Whole states with nothing to see, those tourist traps,...), but Bryson sure beat me with some of his comments and stories. :-)

Journal Entry 13 by wingjudygreeneyeswing at San Diego, California USA on Tuesday, November 19, 2013
If any of you ever have the opportunity, Bill Bryson reads his own audio books and his delivery makes the stories even funnier :)

Journal Entry 14 by grovalskii at Zehlendorf, Berlin Germany on Tuesday, October 11, 2016
I found a new home for the book. Happy reading!

Journal Entry 15 by Clairby11xxx at Farnborough, Hampshire United Kingdom on Monday, October 17, 2016
Thank you so much for sending me this wish list book!

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