Rating: 
Summary: History as Dish
Review: No, it's not really about the American language, but if you're apprised of the fact going in you shouldn't feel swindled. It IS a gossipy history of highly selected and often little-known facts about politicians, inventors, robber barons and ad men, and it reads as if Bryson had spent 20 years doing the research and couldn't wait to get it all down. History class was never like this.
Rating: 
Summary: A Rare Journey and a Complete Surprise
Review: The book came to me from a "Wordsmith" who told me I "had to" read it and gave me her copy on loan. So, I took it along on a long airplane journey meaning to gloss over it and return it to its owner, just another book about words. They can be terribly trite.
WOW! I was totally taken by Bryson's wit. My infreqent challenges to his thesis were no barrier to my enjoyment of his charming presentation. None the less, everything he presented had not only the color of accuracy, but the soundness of educated speculation. I plan to return my benefactor's original and buy a copy for myself.
It was fun to read! I offer it to others with long plane rides ahead. It will shorten them drastically!
AJK
Rating: 
Summary: Mmmm. must try harder
Review: The trouble with Bill Bryson, is that you always expect him to be funny. And usually he is. But in this book, he wasn't trying to be. It's clear that he is an incredible intelligent man and he has done amazing research on this subject, but I think he's tried to pack too much information into one book. I just kept on expecting him to be funny all the time. However, if you have ever wanted to know why American's say sidewalk and zuchinni instead of pavement and courgette, then you might find this interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Made in America... Written for You
Review: This book gives a fascinating account of the history of America from an unusual linguistic point of view. If you have any interest whatsoever in who we (Americans) are and how we came think and speak the way we do, yet don't wish to undertake an exhaustive study of American history, you couldn't find a better or more interesting book. Filled with particularly pertinent and amusing anecdotes (yet lacking antidotes, despite the comments of another reviewer), "Made in America" provides a surprisingly personal and memorable look at the the American experience.
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Summary: Bryson Breaths New life and Wit into American History
Review: This book is a wonderful and very witty look at the English language and how it has evolved in America. Did you ever have an English teacher that lectured you about the use (or more likely misuse) of a certain word? Forget all of that! (Or at least loosen up about it!) This book is a testament to the fact that language is alive and a reflection of the culture that uses it. Bryson walks you through American history as he presents story after story usually leaving you laughing and often simply just amazing you with how some word came into common usage. As he tells his story of the English language in America, you will probably learn more about American history than you ever knew before--and all of it is very entertaining. Don't miss the amazing story of Squanto, the Indian who helped the Pilgrims survive at Plymouth, Massachusetts. There is more to Squanto's story than you think and it is just one of hundreds of gems that Bryson has uncovered. This is a fast reading, educational, and very fun book.
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Summary: Fascinating social history
Review: This book is far less a book on language than it is a social history of the United States as expressed in the langauge of the American people. As such it is a fascinating look at the history of some of the more mundane or overlooked aspects of American history - the good stuff, the juicy stories, the stuff you don't learn in history class. Written in Bryson's peculiarly witty style, and from his particular perspective (that of an American who had spent just about his entire adult life living and working in Britain), this book is a uniquely entertaining read. My favorite of Bryson's books.
Rating:
Summary: A happy blend of research and genuine storytelling
Review: This book is packed with information presented in a most relaxed narrative style. This is a paperback Encyclopedia Americana Lite. The sheer energy and enthusiasm of the book makes up for some minor irregularities (like, the original Mercedes was Daimler's daughter - she wasn't). Mr. Bryson carefully avoids professing his own political beliefs (whatever they are). Nor does he offer theories; with a genuine sense of humor, he will rather let the reader decide what to make of the facts.
Rating:
Summary: Packed with some of the most interesting trivia I've ever re
Review: This book is packed with some of the most interesting trivia I've ever read on Americana and our language. Presented in an easy flowing style with panache and humour
Rating:
Summary: Charming, entertaining, and full of errors
Review: This book leaves me a bit puzzled as to how characterize it best. It's full of some of the liveliest and most engaging writing about the development of the American tongue, and at the same time it's just riddled with errors of etymology and history. Bryston relies on some of the classic references - Mencken, Flexner et al- to the extent that he has never checked any of the newer references. Hence he still repeats the etymology of "OK" as the mid-19th century "Oll Korrect", despite the more recent scholarship that points to a great number of cognates in West African languages as the more likely source.
His historical treatments are similarly spotty. He notes at least one Native American document that appears to have influenced the language of the Constitution, but is blissfully unaware of the numerous state constitutions and articles of confederation and other historical documents from which ideas and language were lifted. His reading of the first and second amendments are laughingly ahistorical.
In discussing the songs associated with wars, he remarks that unlike the Civil War and WWI, WWII had no memorable songs! He also states that "bought the farm" is a phrase from the Vietnam War, something that would surprise anyone who's ever seen a film about the RAF in WWII. (I believe the phrase is actually a bit older than that). And he thinks "pilot" came from early aviation, when it's a very old nautical term.
The creative etymology he gives for "hacker" along with his 1975 citation is an amatuerish guess; the actual etymology is very well documented in the popular book "Hackers" by Stephen Levy- it first attained popularity as a reference to a technical accomplishment in the MIT Model Railroad Club long before 1975.
These criticisms just scratch the surface; as I read the book, I filled page after page with similar errors. And yet, for all these errors, it's still an engaging and enjoyable book. Read it and enjoy it- but be extremely cautious about citing it. If you want an interesting and accurate book, read instead "English: Its Life and Times" by Robert Claiborn, a lively and yet scholarly history of the language,, from origins to modern useage.
Rating:
Summary: Another good book from Bryson
Review: This book on the history of the English Language is thorough and written in a very accessible and engaging style, that gives non-academics a grounding in the origins of the English language, and how it has evolved over the centuries.
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