Geez, when was the last time I sat up and read a book in one night? This book truly held me in its grasp from the very first sentence. McGregor's writing is so poetic and beautifully composed that I have to deem this one a classic for many years to come.

Some of the readings in this issue are better than others, but overall, Granta #77 was a disappointment. The criticism that appears in this issue America is seldom critical enough--one pleasant exception, however, is in the short essay by Harold Pinter. Also very enjoyable was the short story--irrelavent to the theme--by Coatzee, "Youth." This story was a well-done analysis of, among other things, the human aspect of the corporate world. There are a couple dry but informative readings that are worthwhile, though, if you're not up on your goings on in the middle east.

I bought Granta 77 expecting a pointed analysis of US foreign policy since September 11- with particular emphasis placed opinions on muslim countries. I wanted to hear what people were thinking of the US pulling out of the Kyoto Treaty, not ratifying the Anti-Land Mine Treaty, maintaining support for Isreal during the current occupation of the Palestinean territories, and other provacative, liable-to-be-misconstrued, actions taken by the US in recent years which are obviously smearing the good name of the US - for reasons perhaps justified, perhaps not.

What I got instead was a series of 24 often affectionate ruminations on how the USA, and the "idea" of the USA, has affected the lives and imaginations of writers from around the globe. Some essays are simply mini-memoirs of how some small bit of americana (comic book superheros, in one instance) transformed a life.

Some readers may be disappointed to note that only passing mention is made of September 11 in a few of the essays. Taken as a whole, however, the 24 essay present an underlying sense that the current behaviour of the US is, in a way, disappointing to these writers- who, from movies, school lessons, and personal contact with the USA, have come to admire the ideals of the country and the people who live there. A common theme is a "dislike America but love Americans" sensibility.

Granta 77 is sucessful because the essays are more ambivilant and nuanced than one expects them to be. Also included is an interesting photo essay on Afghansitan.

Granta collections are always a surprise, and this one is no exception. I bought it expecting to grit my teeth while trying to come to terms with some of the frustration of the rest of the world with Americans. But instead I discovered a gathering of writers who, as much as I do, wonder at the ungraspable complexity of this nation whose belief in it itself and its ideals is as much to be praised as its uncritical and opportunistic practices are to be blamed. Both insiders and outsiders feel the right to insist that American values be upheld. This collection is not a serious critique but it is an amazing collection of meditations on America as uplifting as they are a reminder of how much and how long we Americans have lazily indulged in cynicism about our political process.