Coming Out Swiss

April 1, 2014

Herrmann (English & women's studies, emerita, Univ. of Michigan; Queering the Moderns) was born to Swiss parents in New York and has lived in both the States and Switzerland. She felt compelled to write a book that exposes the private discomfort and lack of belonging she experiences regarding her confused national identity as a Swiss outsider, neither native nor resident. Awkwardly using multiple genres, she reveals various biographical insights and offers some facts about Swissness to a world that she believes is generally clueless regarding the uniqueness of the country's history and ethos. She deposits snippets regarding cliches, forgotten facts, and popular misconceptions of Switzerland to explain such topics as the Alps, chocolate, Swiss neutrality, Swiss gold and banking, Dadaism, and The Swiss Family Robinson. Herrmann uses forced imaginary conversations to present the thoughts and histories of political and social activists, writers, and artists who sojourned in Switzerland and writes her musings about Heidi as brief letters to its author, Johanna Spyri. VERDICT Herrmann's attempt to come to terms with being Swiss results in an unusual book that will appeal to select readers--those curious about Swiss culture and history and those who likewise feel uncomfortable in their adopted countries.--Margaret Kappanadze, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
Switzerland conjures images of the Alps, chocolate, the fictional character Heidi, and the ultimate in bank secrecy. Herrmann, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Switzerland, explores the complexities of Swiss identity in its diaspora throughout the world. A tiny nation the size of Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island combined, Switzerland is a loose confederacy of languages, nationalities, and religions that defies simple definition. Swiss immigrants and their children struggle to maintain identity among the clich's that Herrmann explores in separate chapters before diving more deeply into the quintessence of Swissnessthe Swiss German peculiar to the nation; the role of the Swiss during WWII; transplanted Swiss colonies in the U.S., including New Glarus in Wisconsin; and the Americanization of The Swiss Family Robinson and Heidi. Herrmann writes beautifully in this merging of history, travelogue, and memoir that explores the meaning of identity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)