America Expects: A Travel Diary

Until I purchased this book I had never heard of Hector Bolitho. Turns out he was a prolific author, born in Auckland, NZ who travelled a lot and settled in Essex, considering himself (as many colonials of the time did) British.

As a British man, he travelled to the USA to join a lecture circuit (on quite what we are not really told) and this book is his diary of that travel basically on the eve of World War II. There are various references about people disapproving of ‘what Hitler was doing over there in Germany', but no strong prediction of any war.

It took a while to warm to Bolitho, within a few pages he has told some foreign travelling companions that he ‘speaks only English'. When asked what he does in France he replies that he speaks it louder, and when in Germany louder still, and when he visits Tehran he yells English - then admits he has not visited Tehran. This was an off-colour way for an author to introduce himself as a travel author, I thought. There were other petty arrogances displayed, but eventually he settled down and became, if anything, a bit rose-tinted glasses viewed in America.

He met many generous people, with their time and hospitality, taking him places far out of their way, even across the border to Mexico for a 2 day bender (well, maybe not a bender). He hails many people as the most intelligent or most friendly or most accommodating or most...

As I say lots of positives, and wedged in amongst what he sees and does he briefly discusses the mechanics of his lectures, but not his topics or much more. He does detail his travel and so forth. There were various cultural references of the time lost on me, but not interesting enough for me to seek out.

Ultimately it was a brief read, of only moderate interest. Very dated and falls into that ‘snapshot of time' sort of book which might hold appeal for others.

2.5 stars, rounded down.