Wow, so much hatred for this book in the reviews on this site. It doesn't seem like his best book but I don't think it is as bad as some think. However, the mocking tone he takes at times just doesn't come off very well. And as an early book, the writing isn't as sophisticated as some of his later books.

I do recognize a lot of his bewilderment about the US. As a long term expat, the US seems to be such a strange place everything I come back to visit. Seen in that light, the book takes on different aspects that might otherwise be overlooked.

The book was quite mixed though. Some sections were quite good and some places (maybe in the deep south), he didn't seem to know what to say about things.