Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All Hardcover – March 23, 2010

Amazon.com knows me. With Magic Cookies it keeps track ofwhat I look at and buy, so it can suggest OTHER books for me tobuy. What a thoughtful company! That's how I discovered the book, "Stephen Fry inAmerica." "That's a familiar name," I thought, but who he was stayedperched on the far edges of my mind, where the deer and theantelope play. And while I busied myself with other things, my brain wasflipping through its files, searching for "Stephen Fry." Rightin the middle of eating a coldcut sub, Eureka, it cameto me. Of course! Stephen Fry was half of "Fry and Laurie,"that wonderful British comedy team of the 1980s and 1990s! Stephen Fryewent on to write this highly entertainingbook. His partner, Hugh Laurie, came to America to star in aTV show called "House," and was never heard from again. "Stephen Fry in America" isn't exactly a travel book. It'smore than that. Mr. Fry visits each state, avoiding the usualtourist attractions. He holds up a mirror to ourselves inthis book full of wit and humor. Best of all, Fry tells what he thinks of the people andplaces. He talks with Morgan Freeman in Mississippi, joinsZulus in a Mardi Gras march, drums with the Sioux Nation,celebrates Halloween in Salem, goes to a club for failedgangsters in Brooklyn. He even tries his hand at some of their jobs. Lobsteringin Maine, for instance. He's amazed at the amount of hard workit takes to get these aggressive crustaceans into the boat. Andhis opinion of lobsters? "...simply giant marine insects. Hugebugs in creepy armour. Look at a woodlouse and then at alobster. Cousins, surely?" In West Virginia he joins workers at the Kanawha EagleMine. When they're deep into the mine, he panics. "I am hatingthis. I want to escape, NOW, right this minute please, but I amtoo much of a coward to let anyone see what a coward I am...Iadd miners to the list of people I tremendously admire butwould rather die than emulate." In Wisconsin---"You should know by now that I love,respect, venerate and adore most things American...so much hereis of abiding value, charm, beauty and quality. But not thecheese...the most hideous orange melted gunk...with a processedliquid substance which is closer to a polymer than afoodstuff." Montana is smaller than only Alaska, Texas and California.Didn't know that. Fry visits the Montana-Canadian border. Well, not all ofit; the border is 550 miles long. It's heavily policed, now. In this fourth-largest state, he visits the biggestlandowner in America, aside from the federal government. He's"an extraordinarily generous and, some would say, eccentricphilanthropist." Fry's visit with Ted Turner is friendly and fascinating.At the end of it, Fry writes, "A likeable, stylish individualwho seems to have got more pleasure from his money and donemore with it than most." Tennessee---ah-ha! My home! Fry goes to Townsend to hearbluegrass, which he's always loved. At the Rocky Branch Club,he wanders "from room to room dizzy with delight." He then goes to Memphis to see the famous (in Memphis,anyway) ducks. At the end of this part, he writes, "Duck poo,unpleasant as it is, has great appeal when compared with whatawaits me further north in the city of Knoxville." W-E-L-L!! I turn the page, feeling personally insulted.And there it is, in large letters---"CADAVERS!" He's writingabout the Body Farm! It was not a pleasant visit for him. His descriptions arevery graphic. "For all my age and experience, there had stillbeen some sweet, small, shy flower of innocence inside me whenI arrived at the Body Farm. By the time I leave, it has goneforever." If memory serves me correctly, and half the time it does,Fry deeply dislikes only one state, New Jersey. Sorry, Boss. The words printed under "New Jersey" are "And so I findmyself driving into hell." That "Garden State" motto does notfool him one bit. He dislikes only one city, Waikiki. "What a horrible, whata grotesque, what a SHATTERING disappointment. Of all theunspeakably vile tourist hells I have ever visited, this has tobe one of the worst." (Tell us how you REALLY feel, Mr. Fry!) At the beginning of each state's section, there is asidebar called "KEY FACTS." State nickname, flower, bird, well-known residents/natives. Under the last heading, for NewYork State, he writes, "That would be unfair on the otherstates. There are thousands." The "be unfair ON," rather than"TO" the other states, is because Fry writes this book inEnglish-English. At the back of the book he lists 68 "American-English" words for his British readers. Fry, this funny fellow, ends the book by writing, "I lovedAmerica before this trip and I love it now more than ever...Imet very few fools on my travels, save perhaps the British Iencountered who thought themselves naturally superior: I stillshiver with embarrassment at the memory of their imbecilearrogance. America is not perfect, and I do not love Britainany less for loving America more." He loves us! And you'll love him and his book! It's good-sized, with photographs on almost every page.

Insights into America from British author/comedian.

Stephen Fry, a consummate Englishman, and one you might think would be tempted into condescention regarding the behaviors of his trans-atlantic cousins, rather presents a balanced and warm critique of many American ways of life. In so doing, he captures small slices of life in entertaining vignettes and, more importantly for the appeal of the book in total, presents a convincing mosaic of lives that sum up to a convincing whole. Each State, admittedly, is given only a limited number of pages, so anyone looking up their own or favorite State is likely to feel short-changed. But that is to be expected in the context of a relatively whistle-stop tour approach to this large subject. As a Brit living in the US, I think he has done a great job of communicating his enthusiasm for a land so fundamentally different from his own, while not shying away from insights that cast a less favorable light on affairs. Definitely recommended.

Very good

I'm a Brit living in California for a couple of years and we're hoping to travel across America in a RV as we leave. So I bought Stephen Fry's book looking for inspiration about the things to do in every state. However, there are only a couple of pages for each state (and one of those is usually a list of facts you can find on Wikipedia), and many of the stories are about the interesting people he met. So it's an interesting read, funny in places, and charming. But it's not at all a travel guide or inspirational.

Fry visits every one of the States, so each chapter is necessarily brief and he misses things that locals would wish he had seen. Nevertheless, this is a very funny and very sympathetic view of America and Americans. An excellent book to dip into for a couple of chapters before bed.

Stephen Fry holds up mirror in which we can both laugh at ourselves and take some pride in how we reflect to others. This is a charming & sympathetic outsider's notebook of experiences and adventures seeing all 50 states. A laugh-out-loud and ultimately enlightening portrait to read cover-to-cover, and the perfect guest-room book.

Stephen Frey has a charm in his writing that brings his wit in conversational format to the reader. I have laughed so in reading this book that others wondered what could possibly be so funny about travel in the United States. My only regret is that I did not meet Mr. Frey when he travelled to Florida as I would have welcomed the chance to show him around our state's capital city!