I once took an etymology class in my sophomore year of high school just because it was being taught by my favorite teacher. As it turned out, I absolutely loved learning about word origins and have been fascinated by the subject ever since. So when I came across the 1996 book Made in America by Bill Bryson, I just had to bring it home with me.
Plot Summary: Since Made in America is a nonfiction book, there’s no actual plot to speak of. Instead, Bryson spends each of the 17 chapters tracing and explaining the roots of words and phrases that are generally regarded as “Americanisms”, meaning they were created and coined in the United States.
The chapters are arranged more or less chronologically, with Bryson opening the book by talking about terms that the Mayflower Pilgrims contributed to the language in the early 17th century. After that, Bryson includes terms created during the Revolutionary War, as well as phrases that were coined as America developed as a nation.
Subsequent chapters deal with words and phrases that entered the language due to major events such as the California Gold Rush; the Industrial Revolution; the expansion of railroads; the rise of major cities and suburban areas; the popularity of department stores and malls; the birth of moving pictures and Hollywood; the invention of the automobile, radio, and television; and the development of advertising as a major industry.
Bryson doesn’t merely list words and their origins here. Instead, he puts everything into context, thereby giving the reader a better, more complete understanding of how and why these phrases came into being.
My Reaction: I thought Made in America was a very entertaining work. I’m only somewhat familiar with Bryson, having read A Short History of Nearly Everything (which I loved) and A Walk in the Woods (which I didn’t), so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this particular book. As it turned out, I found it far more interesting than I ever could have hoped.
Bryson has a real knack for setting the stage and weaving together a seamless narrative throughout Made in America. That can’t have been an easy task given the subject matter, but at no time did I ever feel as though I were reading a textbook or a list of words and their origins. The book is far more than a compendium of unique phrases; it’s a fun glimpse at Americana through the decades.
I’ve read a few reviews from other readers who weren’t as impressed with Bryson’s book as I was. Apparently, there are some questions as to the authenticity of Bryson’s claims about several word origins, as well as a few gripes that other people had written more comprehensive works of this kind prior to the publication of Made in America. I really don’t have an answer for these criticisms, so they could very well be accurate. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed Bryson’s book tremendously and think that others can do so as well.
Overall, Made in America is an excellent book that would make a fun addition to your reference shelf. You can read it cover to cover as I did, or leaf through the chapters at random in order to take everything in. Either way, this is a must for all word lovers out there!