What does it mean to be an American, and what can America be today? To answer these questions, celebrated philosopher and journalist Bernard...
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Mar 12, 2008
Brooks
rated it: 
I saw this guy on The daily show and then saw the book in the library. Very different but interesting. This Frenchman spends a year traveling around the USA to re-create the travels and observations of Tocqueville. Tocqueville is still a vague concept and I have never read his writings. The book is a series of columns – two to three pages each. So are very good and bring a new perspective on the USA that only an outsider can bring. However, the author has their own biases. He doe
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Feb 05, 2009
Critics describe Bernard-Henry L_àvy as erudite, entertaining, charming, and more than a little smug when it comes to examining a country not his own. The author of Who Killed Daniel Pearl? (*** Nov/Dec 2003), L_àvy describes himself as an anti-anti-American, which leads to interesting support for Warren Beatty as a politician, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Norman Mailer, among others. Though its advocates call American Vertigo a "sequel" to Democracy in America, most critics view t
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Jun 03, 2011
Rebecca
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I love the way this author pronounces his name. Bernard Henri Levy. Say it with a french accent now. LOVE IT! He was on a travel podcast I listen to a few months ago and his accent made me swoon. And so smart! I am not a fan of the french, but agh, I love it when it's good. Plus jewish, always a plus.
Anyhoodle. What was this book about? Dude driving around America, seeing what it's all about in the 21stC, following an old French philosopher's trail. Kind of interesting. More political More...
Anyhoodle. What was this book about? Dude driving around America, seeing what it's all about in the 21stC, following an old French philosopher's trail. Kind of interesting. More political More...
Dec 07, 2009
Charles
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French intellectual. Now there's a label bound to raise hackles or elicit sneers in America these days, especially when a French intellectual is writing about his tour of the United States. But Bernard-Henri Lévy didn't come to bury us – or to praise us, for that matter. He came because the Atlantic Monthly invited him to travel around the country during the election year of 2004 and to reflect on what he saw, in the manner of Alexis de Tocqueville's 1835 classic "Democracy in America."
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Sep 27, 2009
Erik
rated it: 
Fresh off my interest in Even Wright’s Hella Nation and Louis Theroux’s The Call of the Weird, I’m back at it again, following alongside two other intrepid narrative journalist, hitting the pavement and dirt roads of America in search of the weird and idiosyncratic in this great land of ours. From sea to shining sea, quite literally.
But while Wright and Theroux spent the pages of their respective books delivering detailed insights into the inner minds of the folks from the various e More...
But while Wright and Theroux spent the pages of their respective books delivering detailed insights into the inner minds of the folks from the various e More...
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Jan 06, 2010
Diane
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The author travels the United States on a grant from an American magazine. The idea is to recreate Tocqueville's classic, "Democracy in America." Unfortunately, I don't believe that the author ever comes to understand America as Tocqueville did, and he seems more interested in writing biting criticism than in engaging in serious analysis. Another problem is that he jumps to a new topic on almost every other page, so he never develops anything in depth. I also felt that he interview
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Nov 18, 2009
Monsieur
rated it:
Lot's of poignant run-on sentences about Americanness, but I ultimately lost patience.
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Dec 26, 2010
Psychonaut
rated it:
I lost steam for this book when I got to the "reflections" section, and it took me forever to finish it. That's the only reason for the 3 stars vs. 4. Up until then, it was interesting- a Frenchman travels through the U.S. and reports on what he sees- focusing mostly on politics and the prison system. His travels took place during Bush's reelection, so a large part of the book is heavily focused in that direction. (And he is clearly left-leaning). The last fourth of the book was spent
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Mar 28, 2009
Erica
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Frenchman Levy takes a road trip around the US soon after 9/11 and reflects on the country's relationship with its own identity and memories. He focuses especially on the prison system, as Tocqueville did, museums (I agree with a former comment that this didn't seem worthy of so much attention), and the strange juxtoposition of puritanism and openness, and a troubled self-image that were present in many of the folks he met. The chapters are tight and punchy with an easily digestible theme, but
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Feb 06, 2012
It is an ambitious project indeed, to follow in Tocqueville's footsteps and "update" the definitive portrait of the American self from the 19th century.
At times, Levy is insightful. His outsider's point of view can be penetrating and hold a mirror to us Americans that can be difficult to look away from.
At time, as you might expect, he misses the mark. His commentary in these instances is based more in his already formed conceptions, his wish-it-were-different/how-i More...
At times, Levy is insightful. His outsider's point of view can be penetrating and hold a mirror to us Americans that can be difficult to look away from.
At time, as you might expect, he misses the mark. His commentary in these instances is based more in his already formed conceptions, his wish-it-were-different/how-i More...
Nov 09, 2011
Matt
rated it:
I found this book to be a paradox in a way - I didn't like it, wouldn't recommend that any of my friends go out and read it, yet still very much want to talk with someone who's also read it to see what they thought.
Why? Well, the book has an incredibly interesting topic - the narrative of a French journalist's multiple treks across the US in 2004, inspired by Alexis de Toqueville's Democracy in America. He uses his journalistic credentials to interview an array of American leaders and More...
Why? Well, the book has an incredibly interesting topic - the narrative of a French journalist's multiple treks across the US in 2004, inspired by Alexis de Toqueville's Democracy in America. He uses his journalistic credentials to interview an array of American leaders and More...
Nov 04, 2009
Jon
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Bernard Henri-Levy is a reputed French intelluctual, but I found him in this book being a better prognosticator than intellecutal of things to come. For example, he called Barack Obama being a President someday and this book was written in 2005. He essentially traveled the same path as Alexis De Tocqueville did in the 1800's while writing I am told his seminal masterpiece, "Democracy in America." He makes very interesting observations about the United States pertaining to our obsess
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Jun 01, 2008
I am currently reading this and am about to put it away permanently. Good idea, but I don't find his ideas flow together. It reminds me of American Empire, by Robert Kaplan, which was a similar excursion through the American landscape by an author who focuses on geopolitical dynamics on a global scale. I dont' know, I have no idea ---really -- what I'm talking about, except that I got the nagging sense that Levy was missing the details that make up America. For some reason, I find that what mak
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Jan 12, 2012
Mike
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I enjoyed some of his escapades across the US, but not all. The majority of the book reads as a travel journal, with some outsider insight into regional cultures. I find some parts of the country, thus his book, boring. He ends his book with an extremely long winded dissection of american culture and politics. He stumbles on some great paragraphs, particularly the section on tribalism, but overall it is not engaging. A good book to jump around and skim.
Jul 27, 2008
Marya
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Always enjoy a good travelogue, this paralells Toquevilles' famous journey to which Henri-Levy makes several references along the way. In the end, I am delighted to know that Bernie does not find Americans any fatter than the rest of the Western world and equally delighted to learn of his man love for Charlie Rose.
Suggested pre-reading: Toqueville -Democracy in America -um, obviously. You may also wish to brush up on your modern French philosophers(all of them in general)to keep up More...
Suggested pre-reading: Toqueville -Democracy in America -um, obviously. You may also wish to brush up on your modern French philosophers(all of them in general)to keep up More...
Dec 09, 2008
David
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A theoretician in need of a theory. BHL fails to fill Tocqueville's (incredibly large) shoes. Though I enjoyed his thoughts on torture, terror, and especially his nuanced analysis of neocons, all that occurred in the final chapter. The majority of the book is concerned with the obvious and the trivial. (Honestly... is America's "obsession" with museums a topic worth of this book???)
Jun 26, 2009
Steven
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Yep, just like Tocqueville--if Tocqueville were a slimy, smarmy media whore proudly displaying tufts of coiffed chest hair and perpetually in danger of OGing (that would be over-gold, for those who unfortunately haven't seen I'm Gonna Git You Sucka). And, of course, if Tocqueville were a complete nitwit.
If these similarities don't hold, then I'd guess that Levy is overreaching.
If these similarities don't hold, then I'd guess that Levy is overreaching.
Feb 18, 2010
Rick
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I found Levy's book to be an insightful commentary on America, the good, the bad, and the money. He discusses our obsessions with size, affluence, and superficial culture. He accurately analyzes our greed and materialism. He is best when he discusses American "religion" and imperialism. The last chapter is the best chapter.
Aug 20, 2010
SuperCat
rated it:
Don't read this book.
The prose is elitist, off-putting, and inaccessible. Levy may think it is a quintessentially U.S.-ian trait to believe that a book of popular social theory such as this one should be easily read and understood, but then I'm a U.S.ian. There's nothing thought provoking or enlightening in this book, just name dropping and cultural posturing.
Dec 17, 2009
Lisa
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This book is like a sandwich. The type of sandwich where you don't like the bread but can't get enough of the main ingredients. Levy's voyage through America in the steps of de Tocqueville is brilliantly recounted with insight, humor, and a fair amount of open-mindedness. Problem is he brackets his travelogue with an introduction and a long conclusion that were so tedious my eyes would water over. Levy is a name-dropper and, as philosophers do, lacks conciseness. Sentences looked like paragraphs
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Oct 27, 2010
Rob
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Some of the best perspectives on America (e.g., Bryce and Tocqueville) have been offered by Europeans, and this book is no exception. An interesting read.
Sep 27, 2009
Sarahasinger
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I love BHL -- this was first released as a series of essays in the Atlantic -- brilliant commentary on America today.
Dec 07, 2008
Kristina
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This book was way over my head. I don't know enough about social theory to make sense of all the philosophers he quoted. I also think he did not get a clear idea of what America is like for the majority of people. He picked lap dancers, politicans and celebrities to interview, not the best way to get a complete view of this country.
Jul 27, 2011
philosophical heavy intro and reflection. travel meat of the book is entertaining
May 01, 2008
Kyle
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I wanted to like this book. I did. It started well enough: Levy talking mad shit on GW Bush, the institution and bullshit history of baseball in America, and general malaise of the east coast. But, it just devolved into a boring narrative of his travel along Tocqueville's route through America, and the biting criticism seemed to die off.
I'll admit, I never finished this book, so perhaps it gets better in the last ~1/3 of it. However, I couldn't renew it again, because someone had More...
I'll admit, I never finished this book, so perhaps it gets better in the last ~1/3 of it. However, I couldn't renew it again, because someone had More...
Jun 07, 2007
Dane
rated it:
Entertaining. Easily digestible chapters make this an easy book to pick up and put down. A Frenchman reflecting on his travels of the US in 2003, current events and US politics. His reflections are interesting in being from an outsider and while he occassionally misses the point, he is equally likely to shock you with an incisive view impossible from the inside. He is a bit of an intellectual (which at some times is a strength and others a weakness) and the end gets dry when he tries to wrap
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Jul 12, 2010
Dave
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Apparently Levy is France's Christopher Hitchens - bright, amiable, curious, atheist, etc. He came to America during the Iraq war just after the whole 'freedom fries' embarrassment. He is not Tocqueville, but he is insightful. He praises, critiques, reflects in turn.
Especially surprising for me was his look at our prison system, with a focus on Guantanamo - a fascinating look at the relationship between community, democracy, and isolation. Not cheery stuff, but I'm glad I read
Especially surprising for me was his look at our prison system, with a focus on Guantanamo - a fascinating look at the relationship between community, democracy, and isolation. Not cheery stuff, but I'm glad I read
