Made in America
by Bill Bryson · first published 1994
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
An informal, entertaining history of American English that uses word origins to explore the country's past. Its anecdotes and digressions on disputed claims make it suited to general readers curious about language.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Bill Bryson turns away from the highways and byways of middle America, so hilariously depicted in his bestselling The Lost Continent, for a fast, exhilarating ride along the Route 66 of American language and popular culture. In Made in America, Bryson de-mythologizes his native land - explaining how a dusty desert hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say 'lootenant' and 'Toosday', how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up - as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,0
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My recommendations (stick almost exclusively to autobiography): - My Father Marconi (degna marconi) - Made in Japan (sony founder) - Made in America (walmart founder) - How to win friends and influence people (though I hear all 4 of N Hill's books are worth their weight in gold). Alternatively I read "Never Eat Alone" which is similar and also great.…
on “Books recommended by profitable founders” ↗Bill Bryson's book Made in America, although mainly about language (US v British English), also deals with many false and/or disputed claims about who invented what. On the language side, it also points out that many "Americanisms", oft-derided…
on “Who invented the lightbulb?” ↗I enjoyed Bill Bryson's "Made In America" which approaches American history through its effect on the English language. A very entertaining and informative read. https://www.amazon.com/Made-America-Informal-History-Languag...
on “The Best History Books 2018” ↗All of these are by Bill Bryson but none are about travel: Shakespeare: the World as Stage One Summer: America, 1927 The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way Made in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US At Home: A Short History of Private Life
on “Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?” ↗…think there are any "must-reads", but I'll recommend the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary as fantastic read-alouds for kids age five or older. My older child (12 now) and I really enjoyed Bill Bryson's "Made in America" and "A short history of nearly everything".
on “Reading Aloud to Young Children Has Benefits for Behavior and Attention” ↗