A German view of reading in America

When you are in a foreign country, you are always observing and learning - everything is fresh, striking and frequently surprising. When in your home country it is of course natural that you become accustomed to the way things work and you end up not paying all that much attention to why it is the way it is. For a fresh look at your own circumstances, it is nice to have someone from afar look and talk about your ways to you.

The USA - "a nation of avid readers"? is an essay by the German researcher and writer Annette Zerpner.

Despite the prejudice felt by "old Europe" against a nation of permanent TV watchers who regard a trip to Disneyland as a cultural activity, the book is a medium of value to many US Americans, and they are far less conscious when approaching it in forums and talks with authors. The deeply ingrained, fundamentally democratic view that everyone's opinion is at least worth hearing contributes to this attitude.