Promising starting point but what a slog. There’s this unfortunate tendency among modern editors to turn meek when writers get too famous, and it looks like Bryson has arrived in those ranks. This is a great book made mediocre by uncut verborrhea: winding digressions, long laundry-list enumerations of names and cities and baseball stats, and a confusing timeline. Largely enjoyable, because the source content is interesting, but overall tedious, and Bryson’s voice here is muffled — not his usual sparkle.