A Touch of America

A Touch of America: Memoirs of an Austrian Fulbright Scholarby Wilma Shine

Set in America after World War II, this book details an Austrian woman’s adventures when she journeys to the United States as a Fulbright scholar. She starts in Arizona, where she meets up with her beau and has adventures in Mexico, Tombstone and the Grand Canyon. She then travels around several States, including New York, Pennsylvania and California. 

I was interested in reading this book because I was excited to see what America looks like from a foreigner’s eyes. However, it is more of a journal style play by play of where she went and what she did. It is not really spiced up as much as it could be. I feel like she went to many interesting places that could have been described in a bit more detail and with more pizazz. I don’t mean to say that she needed to needlessly embellish something that was nothing special, but I do think that more description was needed.  I would have liked to hear more about her impressions of where she went, and what it looked like for the first time. 

I also felt like the man that she came to visit in the beginning kind of disappeared all of a sudden. At first, I thought the book would have more of a tale of what happened to them, but she kind of stops talking about him and never really picks it back up. Also, the book was kind of hastily wrapped up, without a lead in to the conclusion. 

I was very interested in her tales of what it was like to be a Fulbright scholar, as far as what she had to do. She had to do a lot of public speaking, where she explained what life was like in Austria, to both children and adults. She also talked a lot about the relationships she formed, especially with the Native Americans, while she was traveling. I would have liked to hear more about her adventures as a representative of her country. 

I don’t want you to get the idea that I think this book was bad. I just feel that it could have been more descriptive. I give it a 3 out of 4. 

I received a complimentary copy of A Touch of America: Memoirs of an Austrian Fulbright Scholar as a member of the  Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team.Visit dorrancebookstore.comto learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.