Discovering America: Travels in the Land of Guns, God, and Corporate Gurus [Hardcover]

James Laxer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2001

An outsider's irreverent and piercing look at the world's remaining superpower. In the wonderful travelogue tradition of Bill Bryson, James Laxer reflects on contemporary America as only a non-American can. As a leading Canadian political scientist, Laxer is just off-center enough to be puzzled by our daily routines and startled by our societal norms. Armed with an incisive wit and a keen eye for social conflict, as well as a vast knowledge of history, economics, and international affairs, Laxer paints a surprisingly odd and fascinating portrait of a seemingly familiar land. With a fresh perspective on everything from the American propensity to invoke God in everyday conversation to the "epic portions" of food served in Southern restaurants, from the number of emails to which an Amazon.com employee must respond per hour (twelve), to the fact that less than half of all Americans exercise their right to help choose the world's most powerful leader (an option that is the envy of the other 95 percent of the planet's population), Laxer helps us to see ourselves anew, in all our glory, quirkiness, and arrogance. His travels take him through thirty-four states, from the lair of the Michigan militia in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, to Huntsville, Texas, on the day Karla Faye Tucker is executed; from a Buffalo Bills game where he sits with a whiskey-swigging group of cops on their day off, to a convention of red-wine-sipping socialist scholars in Manhattan; from an abortion clinic in Seattle, Washington, the founder of which drives to work in a bulletproof vest, to Smith & Wesson's Firearms Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts, where it dawns on him that he is being taught to kill other people. In an irreverent, sharp, and thoroughly original tribute to the twin deities of Democracy and Hypocrisy in America (roll over, de Tocqueville), Laxer offers us a vision of ourselves both jarringly familiar and strange.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Billed as an irreverent and piercing debut book for leading Canadian political scientist Laxer, these travels are more reductionist than profane and more cloudy than probing: "I decided the best way to get a close look at this culture was to be a part of it, if only for a few days." The country Laxer uncovers is deterministic and frenzied rather than disturbing and seductive, and the complexities inherent in the critique remain sadly uncharted territory. What really irks is Laxer's lack of care and imagination, revealed in his comfortable, exhaustively ironic arguments, which are neither fresh nor very clever. He covers all the important topics: gun control, abortion, execution, democracy and God. This is important stuff, but attacking the fundamentalist right with mediocre tactics lends no credence to his or any other opposing stance. When he does conduct the rare interview, Laxer relies more upon his own insight than on what these remote folk (such as a leader of the Michigan Militia who abdicated) actually have to say. On the other hand, he freely quotes frightening commercials, fascistic Web sites, inflammatory op-eds from gun magazines; he also endlessly dissects food, food, food, American-style. In the end, Laxer's subject remains disappointingly under wraps.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A political scientist at York University in Toronto, Laxer takes a fresh look at American life as he sets out on a physical and intellectual journey across the country. Along the way, he investigates the militia movement, abortion protests, and capital punishment. He spends time with self-made millionaires, evangelists, Socialists, and presidential candidates and many ordinary Americans. There is, not surprisingly, a hard political edge to Laxer's travelog. While he is critical of our obsessions with ourselves, he is bemused by the puzzling contrasts he finds: "The United States is the most materialistic country in the West, but it is also by a long margin the most religious." Near the end of the book, Laxer gets off the road and assesses recent political events. This is an entertaining, disturbing, and sometimes whimsical snapshot of the United States at the dawn of a new century. Laxer's tone is similar to that of Michael Parfit in Chasing the Glory: Travels Across America (1988) and other off-beat "road" books. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565847105
• ISBN-13: 978-1565847101
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,587,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern DeTocqueville, October 8, 2001

By 

John F. Cramer III (Seattle, WA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering America: Travels in the Land of Guns, God, and Corporate Gurus (Hardcover)

This is a GREAT book. With an occasionally scathing and frequently witty style, Laxer uses a variety of personal experiences garnered while travelling in the US to paint a fascinating and disturbing portrait of American society. The first third of the book is particularly effective as the multiple elements of violence in the U.S. are exposed. This book is like a mirror held in front of one's face; it forces Americans to confront some uncomfortable truths about our national character. With nationalistic fervor high from the Sept. 11 attacks, this may not be a popular read at the moment, but I think Laxer offers an intriguing and sobering view of the U.S. that merits our attention.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, October 16, 2001

By 

Elisa Amado (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering America: Travels in the Land of Guns, God, and Corporate Gurus (Hardcover)

If you've ever wondered how American life looks to an outsider, turn to this book. If you have any kind of a sense of humour it will make you laugh out loud. These days there is a real need for some self-analysis and where better to start than with this insightful, witty and critical look by someone who has really explored (and understood)the United States.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Skims the Surface, December 31, 2002

By 

Kevin (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering America: Travels in the Land of Guns, God, and Corporate Gurus (Hardcover)

Yes, Laxer is a socialist. But no, that's not a bad word where he's from. I have read articles by Laxer in the past, and disagree with his leftist take on most issues.

But in this book, he is on the money. Canadians have a hard time defining their culture: "hockey" and "not Americans" don't quite do. But being Canadian helps to understand America, and point out the absurdities it stands for. Laxer's book serves to list those characteristics that Canadians know are distinctly American, such as its self-absorption, its in-your-face Christianity, its gun culture, and its do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do approach to foreign policy.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, given Laxer's political leanings) the book does not touch on solutions, but it does stimulate thought. This is a useful book for introspective Americans, and wary non-Americans.