I LOST MY ENGLISH ACCENT

Entertaining account of an Englishman's life in America since 1933. Sent over as correspondent for the London Daily Express, he lands at the height of prohibition, and it, and other quaint American customs, throw him for a loss, but only for a short time, for he lacks the British reticence in hiding his ignorance. He interviews Roosevelt, covers a Cuban revolution, tours Chicago intent on finding gangsters and gunbattles (unsuccessfully), reports the Flemington trial, marries a newspaperwoman, Dixie Tighe, which brings new situations in its train, they move to Pound Ridge, where servant problems and friendships among the famous neighbors provide him with highlighted moments, and the book comes to a close with the journey with the King and Queen this year. It's likeable reading, not smart-alecky, but amusing, with a genial attitude toward this country and its people and a tolerant acceptance of customs, habits, food, drink, living that he encounters.