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Stephen Fry in America

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 1,773 ratings · 154 reviews

"I could have been American; after all I was nearly born there. So I wanted to find out what it is that makes the United States of America so unique, so diverse, so very American..." STEPHEN FRY

Hardcover, 316 pages

Published October 2008 by Harper Collins (first published 2008)

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Aug 09, 2009 Kirsty (Blatant Biblioholic) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, travel

This book was really interesting. I've always been fascinated by America and after reading this book I have even more of a desire to spend time there exploring.

Each state is covered, some in more detail than others. I liked the fact that he focused on things that readers may not have known about each state rather than going for the obvious things. I do feel that some of the states were a little short-changed. I know that he had a timescale to stick to in getting around all the states, but for t...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Caroline rated it 1 of 5 stars

I did not get on well with Master Fry in this instance.

Partly it's because I like things covered in reasonable depth...and this did not happen on Fry's trip to America in 2007/8. Here he covers 50 states in about 26 weeks - therefore giving about 2 weeks to each state, and the book is full of snips. In Massachusetts there is a snip about whaling, then we are whipped off to meet the historical role-playing inmates of The Mayflower, and from there off to Salem, where we are given a snip about the...more

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Oct 26, 2008 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: travel, non-fiction, books-i-own

Outline: Stephen Fry decides to travel through each state in America in a black London cab. Mainly for the purposes of creating a TV show, which I haven't seen much of so far. Maybe I'll buy the DVD.

This was an enjoyable read, which only fueled my desire to see more of the US. As usual with books like this, I didn't want it to end as it felt like I was along for the journey too. If only there were more states!

I have to say, though, that this wasn't really what you'd call a 'real' journey, as in...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Gwen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Gwen by: found the TV show on Netflix, discovered the book

Shelves: this-american-life, culture

If you're not a fan of Stephen Fry's dry humor, views on religion and politics, or general personality, skip this book. (And if you don't know what any of those are off the top of your head, I'd skip as well. Stephen Fry can be an acquired taste for non-Anglophiles, political conservatives, or the devout.)

Contrary to what my mother believes, Fry doesn't hate America—"the overwhelming majority of Americans I met on my journey were kind, courteous, honourable and hospitable beyond expectation. Suc...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Liza rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-non-fiction

I'll admit I was biased before I even read this book. I am a long-time admirer and fan of Mr. Fry, and I consider him to be somewhat of a national treasure in the United Kingdom. So, when I stumbled across this book at my library I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Fry decided to try and understand the nature of Americans and visit the beautiful landscapes of our country by going state by state through the Union. What could have been a slap-dash travelogue instead turned out to be a very insigh...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I thoroughly enjoyed this--not just as a product of Mr Fry's natural wit and humor, although it was that, too. But the foreigner's perspective on my homeland is usually negative, judgmental and dismissive. Americans are dismissed out of hand as frivolous, stupid, naturally bullheaded and aggressive, and (always, always, always) one of two things: too rich for their own good, or inbred hicks from the sticks. As anyone even remotely familiar with Mr Fry and his work would expect, he doesn't make a...more I thoroughly enjoyed this--not just as a product of Mr Fry's natural wit and humor, although it was that, too. But the foreigner's perspective on my homeland is usually negative, judgmental and dismissive. Americans are dismissed out of hand as frivolous, stupid, naturally bullheaded and aggressive, and (always, always, always) one of two things: too rich for their own good, or inbred hicks from the sticks. As anyone even remotely familiar with Mr Fry and his work would expect, he doesn't make any such assumptions. In fact, he scolds (gently but firmly) his fellow countrymen for doing so in the opening passages.

So I enjoyed his writing and his thoughts. But a few things did bother me. One was that Mr Fry explained in the introduction that his intention was to observe but not to pass judgment on Americans and their doings. For the most part, he remained objective, but there were points where I bit my tongue to avoid arguing with the book (a supremely silly thing to do, as it can hardly answer back, can it?). I suppose that such moments couldn't be avoided, as Mr Fry is only as human as the rest of us and couldn't possibly be completely objective, like a robot or something. So maybe that was a silly thing to be a little upset about.

The second thing that bothered me also had to do with something Mr Fry said in the introduction. He said he wasn't looking for the weirdest, most bizarre aspects of American life he could find...and sometimes I felt like he was. This was made for TV, originally (I haven't seen it, unfortunately), so I guess that can't be avoided, and he really wasn't in charge of the places he went and the things he did. Still, I think we all could've done without the trip to the Body Farm, yes? A trip to a Tennessee Civil War battleground or something would've done fine.

The third thing also has something to do with something Mr Fry said in the introduction, because I just haven't learned to let these things go. He said he wasn't going to try to identify America by its cities. Well...in Michigan, he only went to Detroit. Detroit has its own subculture that is unrelated to most of the rest of the state, and it's the biggest city we've got. But as I am from Michigan, this is a personal issue, no one's problem but my own. I just can't shut up about it, but I know it's no one's fault or problem, and eventually the annoyance will fade.

Which brings me to my fourth point. Now, I'm not from these states, but I imagine people looking forward to the segment on their state were bitterly disappointed when they discovered he merely drove through Delaware and Ohio. Idaho didn't get much, either. There may have been others slighted, but they escape my memory at the moment and I'm just too lazy to go get the book and look it up. But since this is a written account of a only-made-so-we-can-air-it-on-TV journey, and they only allowed themselves, what, six weeks? Something like that? (Mr Fry is the busiest guy on the planet, so this is kind of understandable) then that would be why those states got nothing more than a passing wave. But still, it bothered me. When you've said you're going to see all fifty states, driving through them counts as cheating. Yes, you saw them, technically, but only from the expressway, so...no, you didn't.

But it's still a worthy book. As with all things Mr Fry touches, it's funny and witty at the same time as it's thought-provoking. I liked it, and I think you will, too. I know I focused on the negatives here, but that's just me, Miss Debbie Downer, and a horrible nitpicker--really, the things I complained about were very minor and I actually liked it a lot.(less)

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Mar 09, 2011 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, humor, math-science, non-fiction, read-in-2011, travel

This beautiful book allows the reader to travel around all fifty states with Stephen Fry, friendly foreigner. Full of wit, history, points of scientific interest, points of regional interest, and just generally interesting facts, this is so much more than the accompaniment for a television series. A few pages for each state may seem like too little, especially for places like Missouri where most is given over to the homeless of St Louis, but Fry finds something to love almost everywhere. Of cour...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Artur Coelho rated it 3 of 5 stars

Escrito para acompanhar a série do mesmo título da BBC, este é um relato de uma viagem em que Fry, conhecido actor, escritor e essencialmente representante da elegância da língua inglesa, atravessou num táxi londrino os cinquenta estados da américa. Para relato de viagens, é superficial e deixa de lado o mais interessante na literatura de viagens - as reflexões sobre os estados de alma despertados pela deambulação em novos territórios. Também não se centra nos pontos mais esperados. Fry não pret...more

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Apr 05, 2010 vylit rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, nonfiction

I wanted to love this book, I really did, and I think in a lot of ways the miniseries is actually more charming and entertaining.

I was interested to see his impressions of the different states and the variety one encounters while traveling across this country. I knew that the impressions would likely be superficial simply because of the amount of time he had to travel and the sheer space that he had to traverse. However, even given that, I just don't think the book was very good.

Yes, he did skip...more I wanted to love this book, I really did, and I think in a lot of ways the miniseries is actually more charming and entertaining.

I was interested to see his impressions of the different states and the variety one encounters while traveling across this country. I knew that the impressions would likely be superficial simply because of the amount of time he had to travel and the sheer space that he had to traverse. However, even given that, I just don't think the book was very good.

Yes, he did skip over some of the most notable places in the U.S., but that's understandable given the time constraints. However, he doesn't visit all 50 states. He visits 48, I believe, since I don't count stepping over a state line or quickly driving through a state as actually visiting it. And while I understand that timing and the speed in which he needed to accomplish everything was quite small, I think he should have budgeted his time better. But that is fairly nit-picky and not my major issue with the book.

No, my major issues stemmed from two things. One, I feel as though Fry counted on the kindness of some people when it came to showing him around, and seemed very polite to them in person (which you can see if you've watched the show), but in the book I find his attitude of having someone help him and then sneering at them in his very cultured, upper-class way to be pompous and in bad taste. His take on the issues of the Lakota Native Americans in this country and their struggles was so cursory that it made him come off like an ass. I didn't expect him to break into some long, complicated thing about it, but I don't see why some English guy who probably has little in depth knowledge of the issues concerning Native Americans in this country, let alone acquaintance with many Native Americans, feels the need to inject his opinion into the matter.

And honestly, I'm agnostic, and I found his arrogance and derision on the subject of religion to be completely and totally off-putting. It wasn't a matter of not believing, it was a matter of him needing to go on at length in several parts of the book about how foolish and ignorant it was to have faith.

A completely disappointing read.(less)

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May 07, 2009 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

The companion to a TV Series / DVD of the same name, "Stepen Fry in America" is (surprisingly!) a record of Stephen Fry's journey through the 50 states of America. What the book provides is a unique, sometimes insightful and sometimes sadly shallow view of each of the states.

I say shallow because, obviously Mr. Fry and his TV crew were on a schedule to complete their trip within a certain time frame, and consequently certain states receive only a brief stop and a page of discussion. Yet, these...more

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Mar 15, 2010 Sri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, travel

Stephen Fry, sebagai seorang Briton, keliling Amerika dan menuliskan pengalamannya. Jadi inget buku I'm a Stranger Here Myself punyanya pak Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson sebagai orang Amerika menulis untuk orang Inggris. Udah agak lupa bukunya Bill Bryson. Tapi seingatku, Pak Bill lebih lucu walaupun terlalu banyak mengeluh. Pak Stephen juga bukannya selalu senang dengan apa yang dia temui tapi dia tidak mengeluh.Dia cukup bilang nggak suka. Mungkin karena Pak Stephen bukan orang Amerika yang menyoro...more

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Aug 15, 2010 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, nonfiction, reviewed

Actor-novelist-critic Stephen Fry traveled around the U.S. in a London taxi for over a year, filming quirky comic segments in every state for a BBC-TV documentary. Stephen Fry in America, the companion book to the series, was written specifically for U.K. readers and attempts to explain the sheer size of the former Colonies and the differences in climate, food, and attitude found from state to state. Wherever possible, Fry worked hands-on for a day in a locally associated profession (coal mining...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is just as much about Stephen Fry as it is about the places he visits, so by the end of this book, you feel as annoyed with him as you would with anyone you had been traveling with non-stop all the way across America. Fry is funny, witty, and smart, but his personality is also kind of twee and affected and diva-esque, which grates after a while. That being said, if you can look past his snobbery and his horrible, horrible wardrobe, this book is a fun romp through all 50 states. Well, r...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I'm being generous when I give this book three stars. I am so thoroughly disappointed in Stephen Fry's commentary on the United States that I rejoice that I didn't read it before seeing "Cold Comfort Farm", "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" and the Jeeves/Wooster series. I don't know that I would've wanted to watch him in any of them.

He begins the book by musing on his possible alternate incarnation as the American-born Steve, who, Stephen speculates, "was confident almost to the point of rudeness." Mr...more I'm being generous when I give this book three stars. I am so thoroughly disappointed in Stephen Fry's commentary on the United States that I rejoice that I didn't read it before seeing "Cold Comfort Farm", "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" and the Jeeves/Wooster series. I don't know that I would've wanted to watch him in any of them.

He begins the book by musing on his possible alternate incarnation as the American-born Steve, who, Stephen speculates, "was confident almost to the point of rudeness." Mr Fry then asks himself what it is to be really an American, to live an American life. To answer his own question, he sets off on the impossible task of getting to know America through each of its 52 states. I will use Mr Fry's own term for those states, America, throughout this review although I'm well aware that the United States is only one of thirteen countries that lay claim to North America.
Mr Fry begins in Maine, the eastern and northernmost state in the union, and ends in Hawaii, the furthest west. In Maine and other seaboard states he is clearly trying to engage "real Americans" in real conversations. He baits and clears lobster pots in Maine, listens politely to Massachusetts residents who have set up as real witches, creates a new Ben and Jerry ice cream flavor in Vermont and is moved to tears by a rendition of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on the battlefield itself. So far, so good. Yes, he is a bit dismissive of New York state's hunters and New York City's wise guys, but, all in all, it's a good start.
One tiny thing was bothering me at this point: why, with all the natural and man-made wonders of the states to convey to his British audience, was every picture centered around Stephen. Stephen, Stephen everywhere and little else. Before this book, I was a fan but one really can have enough of Stephen Fry's mug. Little did I know that this was an omen of the self-absorbtion to come.
Now, he comes to Virginia and finds his true voice, his veddy English snarky voice, ready to find fault with Veterans' Day pompousness at Arlington Cemetery, with re-enactors at Williamsburg, with, indeed, all the overly sentimental nonsense about the Stars and Stripes he witnesses. The fact that Stephen Fry admits that he doesn't understand why we behave as we do doesn't excuse his snarkiness. He came to a focal point of American history, one of the first and most influential of the original thirteen colonies, and feels superior to and judgemental of our too obvious patriotism.
He recalls the more sophisticated reaction of Britons to their flags (mild embarrassment) and concludes that British peoples may yet have something to teach their American cousins about "pageant, display, ceremony, pomp...and processional style." Perhaps he's right, but as long as he sits on the judgement seat, it is unlikely that he'll understand Americans.
His travels through the Midwest are marked by lip-curling sneeriness and "local" food, which he seems to relish. There is a lot of eating in this book. There are many pictures of eateries, from diners in Wisconsin to a gala for Houston's Performing Arts with, and here Mr Fry is disarmingly thoughtful, a meal in Salvation Army's Oklahoma City food hall.
In fact, to his credit, whenever Mr Fry meets with poor, homeless or sidelined Americans he displays the self I admired before. He is kind without being patronizing, interested in listening, graced with tact and warmth. Had he brought that self to more of his encounters with Americans, this would be a different sort of review. He quite rightly finds Atlantic City contemptible and Las Vegas confusing, he is appalled by the trickery of a Vedic charlatan's "university" in Utah - again rightly - and is properly excited and impressed by American cultures as diverse as the Central Oklahoma Junior Rodeo Association and Gullah gospel singers of South Carolina. Like his erstwhile comedy partner Hugh Laurie, Mr Fry is a blues enthusiast. One of his happiest moments in the book is the evening he spent in an abandoned schoolhouse in Townsend, Tennessee. Some of the best roots music available is performed there by men and women playing solely for the joy of it. Mr Fry is in a heaven he can understand, "reeling with delight" from one player to the next. Yet even here his devotion to his own cleverness allows him to make comments about the physical attributes of these hill people. "Bat-eared" Jack, who plays just about every string instrument other than the fiddle, comes in for some derision about his polite offer of chewing tobacco. Little did he know that the great man he was being neighborly to would display him as one of "an outrageously old fashioned casting agency's idea of hillbillies." So, reverence for the music but none at all for the human, eh, Mr Fry? By the way, my former comments about Stephen's kindness to poor Americans don't apply here.

As we traveled into the Midwest, the Great Plains, the Pacific Northwest and even Hawaai, Mr Fry's visits are more critical and less interesting. It is as though he came to the conclusion somewhere in the Midwest that he could never "really get under the skin" of the real America, and he decided to give the British audience what it REALLY wanted: a scathing look at our oddities and failings.
(less)

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Oct 10, 2010 Keryl Raist rated it 4 of 5 stars

Maybe I should start by saying that I am an American? Or maybe the fact that I'm also a long term Stephen Fry fan? Possibly the fact that I'm a major anglophile is relevant?

That all of these things are true definitely formed my opinion on this book. I enjoyed it immensely. It was a light, quick, little jaunt through the USA with a friendly and fond citizen of a country much like us, but still very much not us.

For the US reader, Stephen Fry is very, very British. His language, British English, wi...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Zorena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: travel, non-fiction, humor, memoir

If you want an in depth look at the USA I suggest you find another book. However, if you want a slightly humorous and a very Fry centric view, read on!

I never for once thought that he was going to do more then touch down, do a few highlighted things for each state then move on. I wasn't disappointed. It works very well with Mr. Fry's personality. He seems to flit about in his own life, trying this and testing that and doing most of it with great relish and gusto. While short, a lot of his commen...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Grant Trevarthen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To my mind, Stephen Fry is one of the most intelligent funny actors of recent times.
Since the 70's when he and Hugh 'House' Laurie, brought P.G. Wodehouse's 'Jeeves & Wooster' books to life, and then teamed up in the TV series 'A Bit Of Fry & Laurie'. He has written novels and has a masterful grasp of the English language.
In the series Stephen Fry In America, in whch Fry appears and does voiceovers, he brings his special brand of humour into this state by state journey through the U.S....more

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Feb 28, 2010 Amanda Davies rated it 3 of 5 stars

While this was fun to read, I can only imagine it's more enjoyable when taken as a package with the TV show. I haven't seen that and I don't have any way to, so my opinion is based entirely on the book alone.

The book was interesting but not amazing. While it definitely gave a new insight on the US, especially from the perspective of a foreigner, Stephen Fry experienced such a variety of things that it's hard to say what perspective it could really give him on the US, except that it's a big count...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Esther rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh Mr Fry - genius, can do no wrong in my eyes etc etc. This is a spin-off book from a British tv series he made touring round all the 50 states. Its so interesting and funny, as those of you familiar with SF know he is a born raconteur/wit. I really want to get the tv series now, I hope netflix can provide. He meets a lot of great characters, from shadowing Mitt Romney campaigning in Boston (the book dates from 2008) to lobster catchers in Maine who take him out on their boat - 'they look like...more

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Jan 17, 2010 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Stephen Fry, an English actor (who, IMO, is pretty awesome), visited each of the 50 states. This is the book that was co-released with the BBC television series. As he suggests that most Americans will do, I flipped immediately to my home state of Indiana, where (again as he suggests will happen) I was deeply disappointed to find that he went to Elkhart. Elkhart? Seriously? Of all the cities in Indiana? Oh well.

I flipped through this one and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's kind of neat to read an...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, travel

This is not a guide to America. It is what it says it is: Stephen Fry in America. Stephen travels through all 50 states, doing and eating many things on the way, and, all in all, making me feel a bit jealous. The book was made as an accompaniment to the TV series of the same name and, because the book was created secondary to the programme (which I haven't watched), it feels a little rushed and careless. Stephen often sounds tired and disillusioned - his task is a long one and his arm is broken...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, travel, humor, picture-book

It is okay. This book is actually the book version of a TV series he did. I did not realize this when I picked it up. If it is indeed written by Stephen Fry, I like the way he writes. I thought it would be funnier though. On one one hand, it is nice that he seems to honestly find Americans delightful. But honestly, I really wanted him to make fun of us more. Sure, he kind of makes fun of New Jersey, but that's low hanging fruit. It's really meant more for a European audience, I think. The book h...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Godzilla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, travelogues

A road trip around all the states of America with one of england's most erudite characters should be a 5 star no-brainer, and I wanted to give this a higher rating, really I did.

However some of the states get cursory attention, which I found disappointing, as most of the others are absorbing and fascinating. If you come away from this book without being enriched in some way, then I feel very sorry for the state of your outlook on life, or incredibly resentful that you already experienced so much...more

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Aug 02, 2011 John added it

This is a good book which accompanies a BBC TV show. It chronicles Stephen's journey around the US in a London Taxi. Unlike a lot of these books Stephen acknowledges that he is making a TV show and this influences the tone of what is a travel journal. This isn't as in depth as some people would like, Simon Schama also did a tour on the BBC last year and his book is much deeper. But it's a great travel book, up there with the best of Palin, I now have a long list of places that I want to visit in...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stephen Fry is definitely one of those people who qualify as a National Treasure. His style of writing is engaging and erudite and his love and enthusiasm for America comes across in every page. He presents the country and the people exactly as he finds them, without judgement or censure, but with a great deal of affection. Speaking as someone else who loves America, my only criticism of this book is that it's too short - some states hardly warrant a mention and even those he devotes more time t...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Djrmel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, z2009-read

The book is a companion piece to a TV series Mr. Fry did for BBC viewers. For American readers, it's a way to see our country explained to Britons by a very witty, very intelligent man. Some times that means focusing on places or events that Americans think we know enough about already (Mardi Gras?), but most of the time he's visiting places we don't really pay enough attention to, and talking to the people who really are the essense of this very, very large space. My only criticism is the same...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephen Fry has a deep and abiding affection for America. In one of his many assignments for the BBC he visits the 50 states, some more briefly than others. He did find a few areas of the country that he held with disdain. One of these areas was the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fry hilariously writes, "For taking the name of the priceless mausoleum of Agra, one of the beauties and wonders of the world, for that alone Donald Trump should be stripped naked and whipped with scorpio...more Stephen Fry has a deep and abiding affection for America. In one of his many assignments for the BBC he visits the 50 states, some more briefly than others. He did find a few areas of the country that he held with disdain. One of these areas was the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Fry hilariously writes, "For taking the name of the priceless mausoleum of Agra, one of the beauties and wonders of the world, for that alone Donald Trump should be stripped naked and whipped with scorpion along the boardwalk." ...and that is the nicest thing he had to say. His next statement is more horrible, so I will leave you to read that section of the book.
On his section on Virginia Fry talks about how Americans revere their flag, as opposed to the British who are faintly embarrassed by theirs.
I got the biggest laugh from his section on West Virginia where he visited the Kanawha Eagle Mine where most of the men have a mustache and nicknames. There are guys called "Trigger" and "Franchise" and Stephen is introduced to the man running the operation with a handheld controller. "This is Brian. I thought you said all miners had nicknames? That's right. His real name is Tim."
His visit in Iowa took him to Maharishi University of Management where Fry gets more than a bit annoyed, "I wouldn't mind all this nonsense if it didn't arrogate half-understood principles of Western science, attempting to marry its 'philosophy' with the ideas behind quantum mechanics, probability, chaos theory and other essentially mathematical and empirically derived concepts. You cannot simultaneously insult Western thinking and use its precepts to "prove" your moronic theories: not without losing my respect at least."
The other funny thing about this book is the love Stephen Fry has for cheese. It is almost a sacred thing to him. He visits a farm in Wisconsin that he says is the first place in America where they get cheese. "For that reason and that reason alone it will have a secure and permanent place in my heart."
When he goes to Nebraska he explains the interstate system, which he is impressed by as he drives his taxi.
His visit to Oregon has him camping with a Sasquatch hunter who is a firm believer in his quest. Fry mentions that there is no evidence for apelike creatures aside from Homo Sapiens along with other reasons, but Matt is unshaken. Fry goes on to worry that people with similar beliefs also vote.
His choice of stops along the way were very interesting and the diversity of America is deep and rich. (less)

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Sep 07, 2010 Kristen Lumsden rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Stephen Fry fans

Shelves: non-fiction-travel

Highly entertaining for people who are already Fry fans. I read this book on my phone w/o photos or graphics—all I saw were the photo captions. Because my version lacked the visual balance, I really felt unsatisfied by the amount of actual text. I'm assuming the photos were half of the storytelling, because Stephen didn't go into a great amount of extended detail (which is understandable considering he had to address 50 distinct, and distinctive, states). I definitely came out of the book feelin...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Adria rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the book version of the BBC series. Stephen Fry road trips to all 50 states in a London black cab (well, all except for Alaska and Hawai'i at which point, he sends the cab home). Good natured, intelligent (super intelligent), linquistically gifted, sharply witty, sometimes acerbic, Mr Fry is an Englishman with the highest regard for America and a complete disdain for anti-American snobbery in his own country. Fry calls out some of our over the top patriotism (and let's face it, we are a...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Leanne Kinkopf rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, travel, american, autobiographies-memoirs, history, humor

I probably would have enjoyed this book more were I not American. As it is, I already knew many of the facts presented in this book. Some were new, however, and Stephen Fry is utterly delightful, and his adventures interesting. Most of the charm of the book for me was actually found in Stephen Fry being funny, gently poking fun at things.

Each state has a few pages to itself. Some had about ten, and others only had two. A few states got almost no attention at all, probably due to the fast paced s

...more

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About Stephen Fry

Stephen John Fry is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, poet, columnist, filmmaker, television personality and technophile. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act with his comedy partner, Hugh Laurie, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. He is also famous for his roles in Blackadder and Wilde, and as the host of QI. In addition to writing fo...more

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Stephen Fry in America

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