{"product_id":"9780767912365","title":"Ciao, America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the wry but affectionate tradition of Bill Bryson, \u003ci\u003eCiao, America! \u003c\/i\u003eis a delightful look at America through the eyes of a fiercely funny guest — one of Italy’s favorite authors who spent a year in Washington, D.C.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Beppe Severgnini and his wife rented a creaky house in Georgetown they were determined to see if they could adapt to a full four seasons in a country obsessed with ice cubes, air-conditioning, recliner chairs, and, of all things, after-dinner cappuccinos. From their first encounters with cryptic rental listings to their back-to-Europe yard sale twelve months later, Beppe explores this foreign land with the self-described patience of a mildly inappropriate beachcomber, holding up a mirror to America’s signature manners and mores. Succumbing to his surroundings day by day, he and his wife find themselves developing a taste for Klondike bars and Samuel Adams beer, and even that most peculiar of American institutions — the pancake house.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe realtor who waves a perfect bye-bye, the overzealous mattress salesman who bounces from bed to bed, and the plumber named Marx who deals in illegally powerful showerheads are just a few of the better-than-fiction characters the Severgninis encounter while foraging for clues to the \u003ci\u003ereal\u003c\/i\u003e America. A trip to the computer store proves just as revealing as D.C.’s Fourth of July celebration, as do boisterous waiters angling for tips and no-parking signs crammed with a dozen lines of fine print. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the end of his visit, Severgnini has come to grips with life in these United States — and written a charming, laugh-out-loud tribute.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crown\/Archetype","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50078710464752,"sku":"9780767912365","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780767912365_p0.jpg?v=1784731093","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780767912365","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}