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High, Wide, and Handsome: An American Journey
British-born US resident, Julian Bishop, is at an inflection point. His children have left home, and he and his wife must figure out what they want to do next. They travel coast-to-coast across the USA and explore whether they truly want to be American. High, Wide, and Handsome is an extremely witty travel book that seeks to understand American culture. It explores why the USA has been so successful since independence. In a world where America’s political leaders are widely ridiculed, the book acts as an antidote to the narrative that everything American is broken. It is an essential read for anybody interested in America. Using Amazon reviews from around the world, who would like this book?
Readers who are missing travel
"If you've missed travelling for the last 12 months this very readable book will give you your next wanderlust fix”
“It's been a great antidote to lockdown life”
“Reading this book is like a journey overseas from your living room, with a thoughtful and funny guide pointing out those observations”
People who like humor
“Written with wit and insight this book is enjoyable on many level”
“It left me occasionally weeping with laughter, and sometimes grinding my teeth in disagreement, but I did enjoy every page”
“An eclectic, informative and very, very funny journey around the US”
"Super fun read and a clever and witty romp across the US and through 400 years of US history”
"Quick-hitting (and witty) narrative that held my attention and drove me to finish the book as quickly as any I've read in the past 10 years"
Americans
"This is one of the most interesting and entertaining books I’ve read in a long time. If you don’t include the pages of postscripts there are 225 pages... with at least 225 facts that were a) very interesting unknown or long forgotten items about my country (yes, I’m American) b) things that I love being shared or explored with others outside my country, or c) just general facts that I read out loud to my husband. Approximately every 4th comment made him say “Is that true??”. Of course he checked. They were. "
”Not often you read something that entertains you, makes you laugh and gets you to learn about US history, geography and culture. ”
”Not only does it provide fresh insights and witty observations, but also weaves in interesting tidbits of US history. You will surely be entertained as well as pick up some new historical facts. Highly recommended”
”Full of optimism in difficult times”
”As a fan of all things British, I loved seeing America through English eyes”
”The book reveals a beautiful land and how its people became great”
Immigrants to the US
“If you are an immigrant, you will say to yourself you had the exact same questions”
”This is an objective analysis of what it means to immigrate to America and embrace it unconditionally, for what it is, the land of opportunity
People who like traveling to America
“Makes me want to go back to the States”
"Fascinating insight into American history, education, and politics"
What’s it similar to?
“Really different from other books I’ve read”
“The United Kingdom's answer to Bill Bryson”
“If Palin, Portillo and Macintyre wrote a book”
The book is available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook.
The author enjoys speaking at events and book clubs, in person if convenient or online. Please contact the author at
Readers who are missing travel
"If you've missed travelling for the last 12 months this very readable book will give you your next wanderlust fix”
“It's been a great antidote to lockdown life”
“Reading this book is like a journey overseas from your living room, with a thoughtful and funny guide pointing out those observations”
People who like humor
“Written with wit and insight this book is enjoyable on many level”
“It left me occasionally weeping with laughter, and sometimes grinding my teeth in disagreement, but I did enjoy every page”
“An eclectic, informative and very, very funny journey around the US”
"Super fun read and a clever and witty romp across the US and through 400 years of US history”
"Quick-hitting (and witty) narrative that held my attention and drove me to finish the book as quickly as any I've read in the past 10 years"
Americans
"This is one of the most interesting and entertaining books I’ve read in a long time. If you don’t include the pages of postscripts there are 225 pages... with at least 225 facts that were a) very interesting unknown or long forgotten items about my country (yes, I’m American) b) things that I love being shared or explored with others outside my country, or c) just general facts that I read out loud to my husband. Approximately every 4th comment made him say “Is that true??”. Of course he checked. They were. "
”Not often you read something that entertains you, makes you laugh and gets you to learn about US history, geography and culture. ”
”Not only does it provide fresh insights and witty observations, but also weaves in interesting tidbits of US history. You will surely be entertained as well as pick up some new historical facts. Highly recommended”
”Full of optimism in difficult times”
”As a fan of all things British, I loved seeing America through English eyes”
”The book reveals a beautiful land and how its people became great”
Immigrants to the US
“If you are an immigrant, you will say to yourself you had the exact same questions”
”This is an objective analysis of what it means to immigrate to America and embrace it unconditionally, for what it is, the land of opportunity
People who like traveling to America
“Makes me want to go back to the States”
"Fascinating insight into American history, education, and politics"
What’s it similar to?
“Really different from other books I’ve read”
“The United Kingdom's answer to Bill Bryson”
“If Palin, Portillo and Macintyre wrote a book”
The book is available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook.
The author enjoys speaking at events and book clubs, in person if convenient or online. Please contact the author at
- GenresNonfiction
242 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2021
48 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Julian Bishop
4 books1 followerJulian Bishop has lived with his family in America since 2012. He and his family have lived on three continents and traveled to over 100 countries. Julian has a number of eclectic passions: how history affects culture, foster care system, fatherhood, and contemporary art to name but a few.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 27, 2021
This is one of the most interesting and entertaining books I’ve read in a long time. If you don’t include the pages of postscripts there are 225 pages... with at least 225 facts that were a) very interesting unknown or long forgotten items about my country (yes, I’m American) b) things that I love being shared or explored with others outside my country, or c) just general facts that I read out loud to my husband. Approximately every 4th comment made him say “Is that true??”. Of course he checked. They were.
So, 5 ⭐️ and a bonus ⭐️ for encouraging us in our plan to explore a bit more of our own country this summer. 🙂
So, 5 ⭐️ and a bonus ⭐️ for encouraging us in our plan to explore a bit more of our own country this summer. 🙂
February 6, 2021
Wow! What a journey, even more so for the reader than the author. It is so much more than a “what I did on my holiday” travelogue and whilst sating some of my wanderlust in our current COVID-ridden world, it also gave me a thirst for more travel, more adventures and more knowledge.
The book ostensibly follows the author’s journey across America. Whilst at a crossroads in their lives, Julian, the author, and his wife Lorna set out to travel coast to coast across America to decide on their future path – to remain in America or not. This journey is an incredible feat in itself, given that it took place in the middle of 2020, whilst most of the world was in lockdown. The author’s personal journey is interwoven with the journey of the making of modern-day America. Acting as both a travel book and a history book, it is crammed full of facts and figures laid out in an accessible and humorous way, that leaves the reader wanting more.
The book provides the reader with a foreigner’s eye view of what life in the US is like. As a fellow Brit abroad (although in Australia) it is helpful to get this British perspective of a country we try to understand from the news and TV programs. It certainly got me thinking and has led to me asking questions about my own aspirations for the future. It was so refreshing to read a tale of optimism and share the author’s genuine love for his adopted homeland. This book gave me a new respect for America, a country about which I have previously had many reservations and viewed with the usual British scepticism. America is definitely now on my bucket list.
The book ostensibly follows the author’s journey across America. Whilst at a crossroads in their lives, Julian, the author, and his wife Lorna set out to travel coast to coast across America to decide on their future path – to remain in America or not. This journey is an incredible feat in itself, given that it took place in the middle of 2020, whilst most of the world was in lockdown. The author’s personal journey is interwoven with the journey of the making of modern-day America. Acting as both a travel book and a history book, it is crammed full of facts and figures laid out in an accessible and humorous way, that leaves the reader wanting more.
The book provides the reader with a foreigner’s eye view of what life in the US is like. As a fellow Brit abroad (although in Australia) it is helpful to get this British perspective of a country we try to understand from the news and TV programs. It certainly got me thinking and has led to me asking questions about my own aspirations for the future. It was so refreshing to read a tale of optimism and share the author’s genuine love for his adopted homeland. This book gave me a new respect for America, a country about which I have previously had many reservations and viewed with the usual British scepticism. America is definitely now on my bucket list.
February 8, 2021
An eclectic, entertaining read, this debut is in fact several books in one. Principally, it’s the British-born author's expeditious travel guide to a big, US road trip with his "modern-day Sacagawea" (of whom you learn more in the book); undertaken between lockdowns last year, it gives first-hand descriptions of the natural wonders and (often eccentric) cultural sites along the way.
It also includes a raft of encyclopaedic facts - all you ever needed to know about the USA and more - covering subjects as wide-ranging as the dissimilarity of US spelling; the perfect way to cook bear meat; why a bison is a buffalo and how the 12th president's vegetarian diet was the death of him. I also learned the complicated ways of US dating, how the (bizarre) sorority/fraternity system works, and, most intriguingly, why most Americans like a good Mattress.
Finally, the book tackles the contentious topics of slavery, gun ownership, healthcare and US politics, which will no doubt provoke strong reactions among international readers.
All of this is delivered with the zeal of a convert's manifesto for the US way of life, as well as keen observation skills and plenty of wry humour.
At a time when most of us are having to travel vicariously, I recommend you pack it in your luggage and enjoy the ride.
Julian Bishop High, Wide, and Handsome: An American Journey
It also includes a raft of encyclopaedic facts - all you ever needed to know about the USA and more - covering subjects as wide-ranging as the dissimilarity of US spelling; the perfect way to cook bear meat; why a bison is a buffalo and how the 12th president's vegetarian diet was the death of him. I also learned the complicated ways of US dating, how the (bizarre) sorority/fraternity system works, and, most intriguingly, why most Americans like a good Mattress.
Finally, the book tackles the contentious topics of slavery, gun ownership, healthcare and US politics, which will no doubt provoke strong reactions among international readers.
All of this is delivered with the zeal of a convert's manifesto for the US way of life, as well as keen observation skills and plenty of wry humour.
At a time when most of us are having to travel vicariously, I recommend you pack it in your luggage and enjoy the ride.
Julian Bishop High, Wide, and Handsome: An American Journey
February 5, 2021
Make no mistake, this is less a travel book and more a love letter to the US and its people by Bishop, a Brit who moved to the US with his family 10 years ago. This fast paced and engaging read casts a British lens on the quirks, history, language, society, geography, education, arts and culture – and everything in between – of a country that has been welcoming migrants for a couple of hundred years. Bishop manages to cleverly weave facts and figures alongside his and his family’s experiences in the USA, and several Dad jokes, all while travelling on a coast-to-coast road trip with Wife #1, taking in the weird and wonderful museums they find along the way. My only bone of contention is that Wife #1 wasn’t featured more – I have a feeling she is the true comedian in this duo. Entertaining reading for ex-pats living in the US or anyone who has lived in, or is contemplating a move to, the US. If you’re familiar with or love the US, you’ll find this book fascinating.
February 7, 2021
Fascinating Insight into American History, Education and Politics
Written by an English author who loves living in America, this is an absorbing and interesting book which includes personal anecdotes and nice touches of humour. The book covers different aspects of the USA, together with an enlightening trip from the east to the west coast of America during the pandemic (following social distancing)! Each place and national park the author and his wife visited contains detailed historical facts and important events. He is particularly impressed with the opportunities this country has to offer, the friendliness of the people and the various differences in communities and states. This is an excellent, informative and detailed book to read. The 'icing on the cake' - they became American citizens on the launch date.
Written by an English author who loves living in America, this is an absorbing and interesting book which includes personal anecdotes and nice touches of humour. The book covers different aspects of the USA, together with an enlightening trip from the east to the west coast of America during the pandemic (following social distancing)! Each place and national park the author and his wife visited contains detailed historical facts and important events. He is particularly impressed with the opportunities this country has to offer, the friendliness of the people and the various differences in communities and states. This is an excellent, informative and detailed book to read. The 'icing on the cake' - they became American citizens on the launch date.
February 21, 2021
This book follows the journey made by the author and his wife in the summer of 2020 coast-to-coast across the United States. It's partly a journal of that trip, which takes the reader from Atlanta to the Atlantic and then via a network of National Parks to the Pacific, and partly a delving into American history, development and mindset. Each chapter, takes us a little further on their journey and also reveals something deeper about the States: its politics, its judicial system; its schools and colleges, its love affair with iced drinks, to name just some of the topics covered. Written with humour and great admiration for this vast land, it has a target audience of anyone who has ever fallen in love with America, anyone who wants to know more about how the country came to be as it is, and anyone who, like me, has never before fully understood the spell it casts.
February 24, 2021
I loved this book. I followed their trip on my 1980 Greyhound Map; they visited places that were still under development back then. It's incredible how much ground they covered, especially in Covid times and I loved the insights into the places they stayed - some so bonkers it made me think of Clark Griswold and the House of Mud. What makes this book stand out for me is the wealth of fascinating, slightly wacky history, and I appreciated the explanations of the American way of life and general psyche.
Julian obviously has a wry sense of humour. In addition, his comments regarding Lorna his wife and his daughters were highly amusing and full of admiration - a great foil for the serious bits.
I hope to read more of his work, whether USA related or otherwise - I can see a road trip TV show too. Great read - I was sorry to finish it......
Julian obviously has a wry sense of humour. In addition, his comments regarding Lorna his wife and his daughters were highly amusing and full of admiration - a great foil for the serious bits.
I hope to read more of his work, whether USA related or otherwise - I can see a road trip TV show too. Great read - I was sorry to finish it......
April 13, 2021
I'm recommending this book (and the 5 stars I've given it) because it's like having a warm bucket of positivity poured over you. So many people in this age are negative about the USA, but it's just so refreshing to read something that doesn't take the easy route at finger-ponting at politicians, recent events, etc. Instead the author takes us along on a road-trip with his (long-suffering?) wife across the beautiful USA - showing us the magnificent parts of the continent that we, in Europe, don't hear about as much as we should.
If you want a good, happy read, about a place that you should think about again, read this book.
If you want a good, happy read, about a place that you should think about again, read this book.
February 25, 2021
A good first book
It's easy to compare this book to Bill Bryan's books. The difference being that Bill's books seem to flow a bit more smoothly. Both authors love their digressions but these seemed a bit more arbitrary as if the chapter was written to create an excuse for the digression. Humor also seemed a bit forced. Still. I enjoyed the book and look forward to his next book.
It's easy to compare this book to Bill Bryan's books. The difference being that Bill's books seem to flow a bit more smoothly. Both authors love their digressions but these seemed a bit more arbitrary as if the chapter was written to create an excuse for the digression. Humor also seemed a bit forced. Still. I enjoyed the book and look forward to his next book.
March 4, 2021
What a journey and so many facts!! I loved the rambling nature of some of the fact packed sections that sat against the journey from coast to coast. I feel I understand the American government system better as to a Brit so many things look to be unusual - now underarms the rationale behind the federal vs state system. The geographical aspect is dream making and I hope to travel to some of the spots travelled to. A must for fact lovers and intrepid travelers
September 16, 2022
A fabulous travelogue, packed with fascinating facts about every aspect of American life, history and culture.
A very entertaining and humorous adventure across the US, with less on the actual travel and more on the author's understanding of the country and its quirks.
A very enjoyable (and educational) read.
A very entertaining and humorous adventure across the US, with less on the actual travel and more on the author's understanding of the country and its quirks.
A very enjoyable (and educational) read.
February 8, 2021
An easy and enjoyable trip both figuratively and literally through the landscape of modern America. The many historical, cultural and geographical perspectives are peppered through an entertaining road journey from east wo west across a nation still coming to terms with the Covid19 pandemic. A must read for anyone visiting or planning to relocate to the US from any European or Commonwealth nation!
October 14, 2021
Couldn't read it
First few pages of a book are the most important for me. If I can't grasp or get on with it, I'll flip a few pages and if it gets better I'll continue. If not, I'll dump it.
Unfortunately, I dumped this one. Boring beyond.
First few pages of a book are the most important for me. If I can't grasp or get on with it, I'll flip a few pages and if it gets better I'll continue. If not, I'll dump it.
Unfortunately, I dumped this one. Boring beyond.
February 8, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this wander through all things Americana. The book was a veritable “pot pourri” of good stories, interesting facts and gentle humour, all well told. Well done!
March 10, 2021
Really enjoyed this book
Good read
I liked all the light history lessons. Gave me some places to travel to in the neat future
Good read
I liked all the light history lessons. Gave me some places to travel to in the neat future
October 5, 2021
Combining culture, travel, history and humour, High, Wide & Handsome is both educational and funny!
January 1, 2024
A classic road trip!
November 11, 2025
less travel more civics and history...not the best travel book but I now know more about which states wore more masks during Covid...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews