Ciao, America!

March 25, 2002
From his temporary home in the leafy suburbs of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., Italian newspaper columnist Severgnini turns a curious eye toward Americans, their bureaucracy and labor-saving gadgets. With the same critical lens through which he viewed England (in Inglese, which was a bestseller in the U.K.), the reporter sees through all America's gimmicks—the fat-free, guilt-free, buy-now, pay-later mechanics of advanced capitalism—but he is not adverse to her charms. Both repelled and attracted by the wonders of convenience living, he finds a joyous horror in channel-hopping, mall shopping and the pursuit of comfort, in our abuse of English ("La-Z-Boy is a veiled invitation to commit a cardinal sin") and our blatant lack of sartorial know-how ("The President of the United States jogs through the city in shorts that display his milk-white thighs"). In other hands, such a memoir could have been a jingoistic cliché-fest. Severgnini, though, is a master in the vein of Bill Bryson, and his every criticism is matched with admiration. Nor does he spare his own people from his caustic wit—in fact, visiting Italians often come off as badly, if not worse, than his American subjects. 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. (May)Forecast:Severgnini's take on America will find its hands in the leagues of expats living here, who are desperate to understand and find comfort in their adopted country.

April 15, 2002
It would be difficult not to like this delightful book. Best-selling Italian author Severgnini, who is also a correspondent for the Economist and a columnist for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, here documents one year in America. The book is actually an English version of Un italiano in America now with a postscript five years later. Severgnini's encounter with America begins in April 1994 when he and his family arrive in Washington, DC, and settle in Georgetown, a neighborhood where he meets both college students and politicians. In a light yet poignant writing style, he chronicles renting and furnishing his new home and approaches routine tasks that Americans take for granted obtaining parking permits, choosing cable and long distance services with wonder and humor. He also tackles American customs and habits: Why are Americans obsessed with air-conditioning and ice? Why do they like their coffee scalding? Americans, he observes, are individualistic, and yet they also come together for a nationwide picnic on the Fourth of July. While the key strength of the book is the author's fresh perspective, the weakness is its focus on Washington, DC, and many consider America to start actually beyond the capital Beltway. Still, a good purchase for most public libraries. Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2002
Severgnini shares his insights and experiences in this charming, quirky memoir of an Italian's year in the U.S. He lived in a suburb of Washington, took up residence in a creaky home, and immersed himself in American life. He tried (and failed) to get a credit card. He bought groceries in bulk, suffered through unbearably cold air-conditioned movie theaters, and even purchased a highly illegal showerhead, which flouted water conservation laws with its outrageous water pressure. As a result of these experiences, Severgnini made broad conclusions about the American mindset. Some of Severgnini's conclusions about Americans seem unfair. Sure, we are ravaged by fevers of consumerism and nostalgia, but is neon lighting really the only American art? What about jazz? Despite this tendency to exaggerate the American character, Severgnini's observations about America usually ring true. It's not easy to walk the thin line between Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" and "Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need," but this memoir manages to do so admirably. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)