I'm a Stranger Here Myself

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to American After 20 Years Away is a collection of vignettes written by Bill Bryson. Bryson, an American who lived in the UK for two decades, wrote this humorous collection of stories after his long-awaited return to the U.S. The stories light heartedly comment on a number of aspects of American culture, including dental floss and the justice system.

While Bryon's work surely cannot be accounted as history, his commentary on modern America cannot be ignored. I believe this would be a good choice in a high school social studies room because it would get students thinking about the country we live in.

In the English classroom, we don't typically read a lot of humor writing. This would be a good place to start! Furthermore, this book provides a great model and inspiration to get students writing.