Ciao, America: An Italian Discovers the U.S. | BEPPE SEVERGNINI

Ciao, America: An Italian Discovers the U.S. | BEPPE SEVERGNINI | Can you laugh at yourself?

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Ciao, America: An ...

	Ciao, America: An Italian Discovers the U.S. BEPPE SEVERGNINI Broadway Books, 2002 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 43 reviews view larger image
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In the wry but affectionate tradition of Bill Bryson, Ciao, America! is a delightful look at America through the eyes of a fiercely funny guest ? one of Italy?s favorite authors who spent a year in Washington, D.C.

When Beppe Severgnini and his wife rented a creaky house in Georgetown they were determined to see if they could adapt to a full four seasons in a country obsessed with ice cubes, air-conditioning, recliner chairs, and, of all things, after-dinner cappuccinos. From their first encounters with cryptic rental listings to their back-to-Europe yard sale twelve months later, Beppe explores this foreign land with the self-described patience of a mildly inappropriate beachcomber, holding up a mirror to America?s signature manners and mores. Succumbing to his surroundings day by day, he and his wife find themselves developing a taste for Klondike bars and Samuel Adams beer, and even that most peculiar of American institutions -- the pancake house.

The realtor who waves a perfect bye-bye, the overzealous mattress salesman who bounces from bed to bed, and the plumber named Marx who deals in illegally powerful showerheads are just a few of the better-than-fiction characters the Severgninis encounter while foraging for clues to the real America. A trip to the computer store proves just as revealing as D.C.?s Fourth of July celebration, as do boisterous waiters angling for tips and no-parking signs crammed with a dozen lines of fine print.

By the end of his visit, Severgnini has come to grips with life in these United States -- and written a charming, laugh-out-loud tribute.

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Ciao America

Adorable view of an Italian discovering America and boy, is it different from the homeland!

Can you laugh at yourself?

You have to be able to laugh at your American self to love this book. I'm sure that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

We don't see ourselves the way others see us, so Beppe's perspective is VERY refreshing and thought-provoking. Americans have some kooky idiosyncracies and proclivities, but then again... so do Italians, and every other ethnic group out there. His book gets me to thinking about all the years I lived in NYC. I wonder now how all the foreigners in that melting pot perceived us, and marvel at the adjustments they had to make to "get with the program" in America.

Thank you, Beppe... for a very enjoyable read. I'm now reading his "La Bella Figura," and I'll get back to you with more when I've finished that one.

I say, "Go for it, and have a good chuckle or two, or three, or four, or more."

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See America through Italian eyes

This book was a simple, humorous De Tocqueville'esque view of America. Severgnini writes about his family's year long stay in Washington and his observations of American society, particulary in Washington. Seeing your own country from a foreigner's is impossible to do on your own, but literature like this almost lets us. It's hard at times to tell how much of Beppe's views are typically Italian or just his own idiosyncratic ways. Surprisingly there's no anti-American ranting or critiques of foreign policy in this light-hearted book.

His views on most things are right on. However, I guess that his views on the American "obsession" with Spam were based on random contacts or something, b/c I don't think too many Americans regularly eat Spam. As an international correspondent it was kind of weird listening to him get "suckered" e.g. paying sticker price for a used Ford Taurus or his difficulties with getting a mattress.

As it was written more than 10 years ago, there are some dates observations. At the end he returns 5 years after his year in the US. While it's hard to believe America really changed all that much in 5 years, he does make all too many notes about America in the 3rd Millenium that seem all too true.

This book is a very quick read and I highly recommend it for anyone curious about America viewed through non-American eyes.

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Insightful but flawed

We are not often shown what our culture looks like through the eyes of a foreigner. American culture is so prevalent these days that most people around the world try to imitate it. Almost anywhere you go, you will find a McDonald's or Pizza Hut, sometimes both. That's why I found this book to be a rare treat.

Severgnini lives in DC for a year, and writes about a lot of things that Americans take for granted being completely foreign to him. For example, buying a car from a dealership or getting his utility service turned on. It's through analysis of these seemingly mundane details of our everyday lives that he shows us how different life is for someone who is not from here. I was an immigrant as well, and a lot of what Severgnini says is very true.

This book would have gotten a higher rating from me, but I found that the tone and "Hey, this American custom is so strange!" refrain got repetitive after a while. Still, it is a worthwhile read to show us how good (or not) we Americans have it.

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