Product Description

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.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #420118 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-13
• Released on: 2003-05-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 242 pages

From Publishers Weekly
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 cliche-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.

From Library Journal
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 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
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. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Clearly Politically Motivated
As usual some italians never miss a chance to complain and bash about things they either don't have or don't understand. Clearly the author has been living in the stone age far too long. What does he mean with "How many people have actually ever bought an airline ticket over the internet?". Probably every single person I know! Or "How many people have actually ever sent data over the internet?". Practically the entire US population! His observations are not only shallow and over analyzed, most of them are just not accurate. Further, he fails to capture the true underlying issues embedded in the American way of life. The social and cultural issues that are ripping this country apart. A very poor analysis of non-issues that are, for the most part, just a result of his ignorance. His arrogance. Money NOT well spent I must say. P.S. I am an Italian living in the US.

Lost In Translation
I picked up "Ciao America!" as one of my flatmates is from Italy, and I was thinking it was going to be a great satirical, sarcastic view of a foreigner living in America. Instead, for the most part, it was over-simplistic and too general in its writing and over-exaggerated in its complaints (even though I'm far from being an apologist of American social behavior). Mostly it was fairly shallow observations from someone who I heard was an extremely introspective and intelligent author. My flatmate assured me that he writes much better in Italian as he's less confident in translating his witticisms into English, so I guess his works in English will always leave something lacking. There were some chuckles in this book, but as far as satirical social observations go, I wouldn't put this near the front of the pack.

You just might learn something...
I ran across this book while looking in the travel section of a local bookstore, and after flipping through it, decided I had to have it - I was curious what a foreigner might have to say about us. I read the first few pages, and couldn't put it down until I was through. Beppe writes about our way of life, experienced firsthand when he and his wife moved to America for a year. He writes about things we take for granted and might never make any observations about, such as obtaining credit cards, our use of air conditioning, mobile homes, malls and even his new neighbors. He writes about "us". It's written with a healthy dose of humor, and I found myself frequently laughing out loud. But he does more than relate stories and anecdotes - he has theories (for lack of a better word) about why we are the way we are. I initially thought I would read this for its entertainment value, but I realized I actually learned something in the process. Read this with an open mind, a sense of humor, and you'll be surprised what you learn from this relatively short, but very entertaining book. Can't recommend it enough if you're interested at all in learning more about our way of life from a different perspective.