Fifty States And The Man Who Set Out To See Them All
By Stephen Fry
2010, 314 pages, eBook
Re: British comedian Stephen Fry could have been born in America and who that person could have been has always intrigued him. So he sets out to the US to visit all fifty states and see what it would have been like to live there. Or travel through, anyway.
Outstanding: Fry is hilarious and touching, with wry views and unique perspectives. As illuminating for Americans as Brits.
Unacceptable: He severely shortchanges Idaho, just taking a tiny stop at the "Welcome To Idaho" sign. Not that there's much else there anyway. Too much space was dedicated to listing famous celebs and people of note from each state - though the disclaimer of "President" after a few names was kind of funny.
Summary: I loved this book. Fry manages to go to many of the same places others have been and have completely new views of them. His feelings about the national parks system makes me want to go camping, and the whole thing made me yearn for a road trip. Recommended.
5/5
Notes: They filmed an equally great and identically named television series at the same time as he wrote the book and it's also worth checking out.
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