In a Sunburned Country
Bryson, Bill. 2001. In a Sunburned Country. Broadway.
Rating:
10
Summary:
Slightly critical, but highly entertaining and very inviting
The author, Bill Bryson, details his adventures touring much of Australia over a six-week period. In addition to detailing his adventures, the author also discusses much of the history of Australia, including highlighting many of Australia’s famous, infamous, and forgotten individuals.
Review:
Though I have not read many travelogues (I have read some of Jack Kerouac’s books), this has to be one of the most engaging and fascinating ones I have ever read. I’d hate to say it left me with the feeling that I don’t need to visit Australia in order to understand the country and the people, but I think it comes very, very close to doing just that (which would make it a good ethnography). Of course, understanding the people of Australia is just one aspect of the book… The book is also a brilliant marketing tool – I am now very interested in visiting Australia (I was only slightly interested before). Though, while very interested, I have to admit I am a bit hesitant given Bryson’s detailing of the dangers of visiting Australia – the most poisonous creature in the world (a jellyfish) inhabits the waters surrounding Australia, along with some of the world’s most poisonous snakes and spiders, and that’s not to mention the other dangers of the country – typhoons and a treacherously dry and bewilderingly large outback that has apparently been the undoing of many great explorers. Despite these worries, Australia sounds like a very interesting place to visit.
As far as the book goes, it is brilliantly written. I did find it interesting that the author never clearly explains what he is doing in Australia other than just traveling to write the book (I seem to recall mention of an assignment for a magazine, but I’m not certain…), but the specifics of why he is there aren’t all that important. What is important is that he meticulously documented what he did. Additionally, it was refreshing to read an interesting book that was also highly informative. I had no idea Captain Cook (the discoverer of Hawaii) also discovered, officially, Australia and claimed it for Great Britain.
While this is an all-around superb book, there were two stories that made me laugh until I was crying. The first was Bryson’s account of boogie-boarding. Having recently (2003) experienced something very similar in Hawaii, I felt a camaraderie against that particularly nasty form of torture that probably made this story funnier for me than for most. The second story that left me in tears was Bryson’s detailing of his introduction to Cricket. He happens to be driving on a very lonely stretch of road (which, from the book, seems to describe about 95% of Australia’s roads) when the radio stations begin to disappear. Finally he is left with just one station – a sports station detailing a game of cricket. Bryson proceeds to describe the game in such brilliant detail and with such subtle mockery and exaggeration that you can’t help but end up in stitches.
Interlaced among the humorous anecdotes and fascinating history is a not-so-subtle criticism of the country. Bryson details the ‘problem,’ as most Australians put it, of the aborigines. Apparently this group of people is even worse off than are blacks in America. It seemed as though most white Australians did their best to ignore the problem, but a problem it remains. The aborigines are disproportionately poor and much more likely to suffer ailments than are white Australians. Bryson’s exploration of the problem includes a visit with an advocate for aborigines who outlines many of the difficulties facing the group, but also seems to feel as though the struggle to help the aborigines is somewhat hopeless. He concludes by saying that about the only thing he can do to help them is to give them a voice. In what appears to be an otherwise prosperous and happy country, tucked under the rug is a serious problem that does not appear to have a good solution.
Overall, for anyone interested in visiting Australia or interested in that continent/country, this is definitely a must-read. Not only is it highly entertaining but it is informative and splendidly written. I highly recommend it.
(Note: I listened to this book on CD.)