{"product_id":"ciao-america-an-italian-discovers-the-u-s-isbn-9780767912365","title":"Ciao, America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S.","description":"\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\u003e When 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By the end of his visit, Severgnini has come to grips with life in these United States—and written a charming, laugh-out-loud tribute.","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302080696549,"sku":"NP9780767912365","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780767912365.jpg?v=1767723730","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/ciao-america-an-italian-discovers-the-u-s-isbn-9780767912365","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}