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Alleluia America!: An Irish Journalist in Bush Country
An Irish journalist chronicles her trip around the ""red states,"" of the US to try to uncover the connection between old time religion and the policies and supporters of Mr. Bush, a connection that astounds and mystifies Europeans.
222 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2006
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November 11, 2013
"Alleluia America!: An Irish Journalist in Bush Country" is an enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, collection of scattered tales from across these United States. Coleman, an Irish citizen, recounts her experiences travelling across the country on field trips brought about by her desire to learn more about the quirkier side of conservative American life. She writes in the typical Irish style -- be prepared for erratic punctuation and lengthy, rambling sentences -- and adds a bit of humor to each story in order to help move things along.
Although the book opens with Bush and the Iraq War, it quickly moves on to religious fundamentalism in its various forms. She deals primarily with conservative Protestant denominations, but also describes her visits to a mosque, a synogogue, Lancaster County (or "Amish Country"), and other places of interest. For some reason, she throws in a side trip to Mexico, and though she does valiantly attempt to show the connection between American and Mexican life and politics, her efforts fall flat. However, her writing style makes the reading enjoyable enough for you to follow through.
It's important to note that, if you are an American or have lived here for any decent amount of time, there is almost nothing in this book that will be of news to you. "Alleluia America!" was clearly written to introduce certain aspects of American life to readers abroad. Most of the topics Coleman covers are elementary to Americans, and as a result, her lengthy descriptions can periodically become tiresome. (Feel free to skim the remedial definitions of the evangelical movement and the "War on Terrorism," as two examples.) Rather than the facts, what is interesting to the American reader is the viewpoint of a foreigner amongst us, which is what makes the book one that can give you some new knowledge, even if most of the topics are subjects you're quite familiar with already.
What I had a trouble figuring out about "Alleluia America!" is the overall theme Coleman was trying to follow. It tries to be a book about Bush's policies, evangelical Christians, and American culture all at once -- which should be easy enough to accomplish -- but Coleman doesn't have the control to pull it off. You move from one chapter to the next trying to determine what the connection between the topics was in the author's eyes. As I discovered about halfway through, it works best if approached as a collection of essays, not a traditional cover-to-cover non-fiction work.
Additionally, Coleman or her editor repeatedly commit one of the worst sins of writing, that being some very sloppy editing. George W. Bush's wife becomes Laura Welsh, not Welch; cities in Utah and Texas are renamed Hilldale (from Hildale) and El Dorado (from Eldorado); the Weather Channel loses its proper noun status; some driver named Kasey "Khane" joins the NASCAR circuit; and on it goes. (Coleman seems to have it out for last names in particular.) There are enough mistakes that it begins to make it seem that our author should not be trusted for her facts, because she clearly isn't totally up to speed with them. If she can't get the town names on the "Welcome to..." signs she's describing correct, what else is off?
In all, "Alleluia America!" is a good book to read in one sitting on a weekend, particularly if you want a primer on how Europeans view American culture. All criticisms aside, Coleman did a decent job, and the book is worth a shot for most readers. If you are looking for political commentary, in-depth information, consistency, or pretty much anything the back cover suggests you'll find inside, however, try somewhere else first.
Although the book opens with Bush and the Iraq War, it quickly moves on to religious fundamentalism in its various forms. She deals primarily with conservative Protestant denominations, but also describes her visits to a mosque, a synogogue, Lancaster County (or "Amish Country"), and other places of interest. For some reason, she throws in a side trip to Mexico, and though she does valiantly attempt to show the connection between American and Mexican life and politics, her efforts fall flat. However, her writing style makes the reading enjoyable enough for you to follow through.
It's important to note that, if you are an American or have lived here for any decent amount of time, there is almost nothing in this book that will be of news to you. "Alleluia America!" was clearly written to introduce certain aspects of American life to readers abroad. Most of the topics Coleman covers are elementary to Americans, and as a result, her lengthy descriptions can periodically become tiresome. (Feel free to skim the remedial definitions of the evangelical movement and the "War on Terrorism," as two examples.) Rather than the facts, what is interesting to the American reader is the viewpoint of a foreigner amongst us, which is what makes the book one that can give you some new knowledge, even if most of the topics are subjects you're quite familiar with already.
What I had a trouble figuring out about "Alleluia America!" is the overall theme Coleman was trying to follow. It tries to be a book about Bush's policies, evangelical Christians, and American culture all at once -- which should be easy enough to accomplish -- but Coleman doesn't have the control to pull it off. You move from one chapter to the next trying to determine what the connection between the topics was in the author's eyes. As I discovered about halfway through, it works best if approached as a collection of essays, not a traditional cover-to-cover non-fiction work.
Additionally, Coleman or her editor repeatedly commit one of the worst sins of writing, that being some very sloppy editing. George W. Bush's wife becomes Laura Welsh, not Welch; cities in Utah and Texas are renamed Hilldale (from Hildale) and El Dorado (from Eldorado); the Weather Channel loses its proper noun status; some driver named Kasey "Khane" joins the NASCAR circuit; and on it goes. (Coleman seems to have it out for last names in particular.) There are enough mistakes that it begins to make it seem that our author should not be trusted for her facts, because she clearly isn't totally up to speed with them. If she can't get the town names on the "Welcome to..." signs she's describing correct, what else is off?
In all, "Alleluia America!" is a good book to read in one sitting on a weekend, particularly if you want a primer on how Europeans view American culture. All criticisms aside, Coleman did a decent job, and the book is worth a shot for most readers. If you are looking for political commentary, in-depth information, consistency, or pretty much anything the back cover suggests you'll find inside, however, try somewhere else first.
January 16, 2008
I interned at the Liffey Press and they gave me a copy for free...
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