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A review by cdlindwall
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson
3.0
Bill Bryson will always be really, really, really fucking hilarious. When he's writing about boring suburbs and boring monuments, he's still super funny. When he's writing about walking through the woods for a good 1000-something miles, he's still super funny. That's pretty much why this book got 3 stars; I was laughing out loud almost continuously.
But why it was 3 stars and not 4? Because I think Bryson did a shitty job representing small-town America. He notices how ugly the suburbs are, how stupid the people are, how boring and over-priced the monuments are. But he doesn't actually talk to anyone from these places. Not in any meaningful way, at least. If your entire perception of why southern America is annoying and dumb is that a waitress talked to you with a drawl, then I think that's C-grade travel writing. He's hilarious, yes. Accurate? No. There's SO much culture in these areas. Louisiana? You don't think there's more to the people than a funny way of talking? The West? Colorado? Nevada? There aren't any gun-slinging cowboys out there with a good story to tell?
It's not enough to just tell me that the towns didn't have many restaurants to choose from -- because that's not really what these places are about. It's about the people. I think Bryson seriously missed out on what could've been an awesome and insightful book about the incredibly varied, inspiring, fascinating cultures that this country has to offer. Yes, making fun of how ignorant, untraveled, and ugly America is will always be easier/possibly way funnier. But it's a cop out.
But why it was 3 stars and not 4? Because I think Bryson did a shitty job representing small-town America. He notices how ugly the suburbs are, how stupid the people are, how boring and over-priced the monuments are. But he doesn't actually talk to anyone from these places. Not in any meaningful way, at least. If your entire perception of why southern America is annoying and dumb is that a waitress talked to you with a drawl, then I think that's C-grade travel writing. He's hilarious, yes. Accurate? No. There's SO much culture in these areas. Louisiana? You don't think there's more to the people than a funny way of talking? The West? Colorado? Nevada? There aren't any gun-slinging cowboys out there with a good story to tell?
It's not enough to just tell me that the towns didn't have many restaurants to choose from -- because that's not really what these places are about. It's about the people. I think Bryson seriously missed out on what could've been an awesome and insightful book about the incredibly varied, inspiring, fascinating cultures that this country has to offer. Yes, making fun of how ignorant, untraveled, and ugly America is will always be easier/possibly way funnier. But it's a cop out.