Guillermo Fesser

There is something about America that causes Europeans to want to write about it in great, fascinated, loving detail. From the varied landscape, to the varied flora and fauna, to the varied populace, the volumes keep coming. It started with Lafayette before the ink had dried on the founding documents, and the latest comes from Guillermo Fesser, a worthy descendant.

Fesser is a major league radio talk show host in Madrid, and his wife is from Rhinebeck, NY. So we get a Spaniard's appreciation show more of life in a small town in upstate New York, where everyone knows everyone, including their life histories. His take on modern American customs and habits, always tinged with his very conscious appreciation of pop culture and brands, makes this a fairly piercing portrayal of life here. What we take for granted are discoveries for him.

The book is 12 chapters - the months of one year in Rhinebeck - with a couple of side trips to Texas and Alaska to broaden the perspective. Rhinebeck - its people and its history - is plenty interesting, but its residents' connections to the world are leveraged well too. There are no earth shattering revelations, no memorable quotes..It's just a fresh perspective on life in smalltown USA.

Fesser is a fortunate choice for the task. He is a gentle soul who is endlessly patient and a sponge for everything in his purview. He takes absolutely everything in his stride. No setback, no faux pas is a barrier The roller coaster of life in America never gets him down. He pries stories out of people easily, and adds his own research to give body and more fullness to some of the events and concepts he discusses. He is shamelessly faulty and human. He and his whole family (his brother too, down the street) set up life in Rhinebeck, for a the long term. This no hop on-hop off tour bus.

The epilogue says he is back in Rhinebeck for more. One Hundred Miles from Manhattan is clearly a labor of love.

David Wineberg show less

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