| Edition |
6th ed. / rev. by Jef C. Davis. |
| Description |
xx, 243 pages ; 23 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-236) and index. |
| Contents |
Acknowledgments -- Original preface -- Introduction -- Part 1: American Intangibles -- Chapter 1: First impressions -- Pace -- People -- Size -- Climate -- Chapter 2: Dominant US American values -- Egalitarianism -- Directness -- Silence -- Public and private selves -- Social distance and touching -- Americans in motion -- Controlling nature -- Personal progress and changing jobs -- Materialism -- Parochialism -- Chapter 3: American cocultures -- Ethnic differences -- African Americans -- Latino Americans -- Asian Americans -- Native Americans -- Other groups -- Class -- Part 2: American Institutions -- Chapter 4: American social life -- Friendships -- Parties -- Invitations -- Announcements -- When to arrive and leave -- Drinking alcohol -- Dinner in a home -- Relationships between men and women -- Chapter 5: American civic life -- American political system -- Majority-minority politics -- American way of giving -- Volunteerism -- Chapter 6: American religious life -- Chapter 7: American family life -- What's in a name? -- Gay and Lesbian families -- Single parents and "blended" families -- Americans and their pets -- Chapter 8: American business life -- Labor unions -- Women in the working world -- Job sharing and part-time work -- Attitudes toward foreign investments in the US -- Risk takers and experimenters -- Time -- Letting emotions show -- Directness and confrontation -- Competition and decision making -- Negotiating -- Tax compliance and corporate fraud -- Life in the office -- Sexual harassment -- Part 3: Getting Here And Getting Settled -- Chapter 9: Getting here -- Immigration and customs -- Dependents -- Shipping your belongings -- Clothes you will need -- Chapter 10: Money and banking -- Coins and bills -- Banks -- Taking care with cash and valuables -- Sending money abroad -- Charge accounts and credit cards -- Tipping -- Chapter 11: Medical care -- Before you leave home -- Obtaining medical care -- Medical emergencies -- Health insurance -- Chapter 12: Safety and emergencies -- Safety on the streets -- Safety and unescorted women -- Security at home -- Fire and other emergencies -- Liability and homeowners' or renters' insurance -- Chapter 13: Food and food customs -- Hotels -- Restaurants -- Quick and cheap -- Bars and pubs -- Hours of meals -- American food habits -- Language of food -- Smoking -- Obesity -- Health food -- |
|
Chapter 14: Staying in touch with people -- Postal service -- Packages -- Telephones -- Telegrams and cables -- E-mail and Internet access -- Chapter 15: Transportation -- On foot -- By bus -- By subway (or Metro) -- By taxi -- By car -- Part 4: For Those Who Stay Longer -- Chapter 16: Housing -- How to begin looking -- Renting a house or apartment -- Buying a house -- Moving in -- Chapter 17: Shopping: getting the most for your money -- Food -- Returning merchandise -- Warranties -- Repairs -- Telephone sales -- Installment plans -- Comparison shopping and reduced prices -- Buying secondhand -- Internet, catalogue, and TV sales -- Chapter 18: Household help and care of young children -- Household cleaning or party help -- Childcare -- Taxes on household employees -- Chapter 19: Educating your children -- School year -- Nursery schools and preschools -- Public schools -- Private and parochial schools -- Relationships between parents and school -- After-school or extracurricular activities -- Higher education -- Summer camps and jobs -- Chapter 20: Raising teenagers -- Chapter 21: Finding friends and having fun -- Land of leisure time? -- Volunteering -- Organizations and interest groups -- Classes and lectures -- Museums -- Performing arts -- Sports -- Watching Americans at work -- Chapter 22: Twenty-first-century issues -- Effect of September 11, 2001 -- Impact of the war in Iraq -- Rise of religious fundamentalism -- Segregation, polarization, and "pernicious" dualism -- Globalization and corporate power -- Health care and retirement -- World leadership -- Energy, water, and the environment -- Privacy -- Wealth gap -- Conclusion -- Appendix A: National holidays -- Appendix B: Conversions -- Endnotes -- Internet resources -- Index. |
| Summary |
From the Publisher: As William Gay, distinguished adviser to the last edition of Living in the U.S.A., so aptly noted, the United States is a country that is never what you think it is. Since that edition was introduced nearly ten years ago, the country has been struggling with troubling, divisive events and issues, especially the September 11, 2001 attacks and the resulting War on Terror. Despite these extraordinary times, the United States still holds promise and opportunity for those who take the time to understand it. Jef Davis, a seasoned interculturalist and long-time adviser to international travelers, provides us a revised edition of Living in the U.S.A. that will guide you through the confusing, conflicted, exciting country and its diverse population. Part American cultural analysis, part practical relocation guide, this book will help you understand how general cultural traits will affect your daily interactions with Americans and give you a working vocabulary that will help you get around. Short-term visitors to the U.S. will learn how to survive customs and immigration, find an apartment, conduct business, obtain health care, and navigate the supermarket, bank, and post office. Long-term visitors will find practical pointers to get along at work, school, and at home; buy a house; make and keep American friends; and understand dominant American values in a diverse and complex society in the context of twenty-first century issues like the rise of religious fundamentalism and tensions between security and personal liberties. With new material and significantly updated chapters, Living in the U.S.A. is the perfect companion for those just visiting and immigrants alike. Comprehensive in its detail and attentive to the swirls of current events and attitudes, Living in the U.S.A. makes U.S. practices, habits and lifestyles understandable and navigable, even when uncomfortable for today's newcomers. It is local knowledge at its most digestible. |
| Subject |
United States -- Social life and customs -- 1971-
|
|
United States. |
|
Manners and customs. |
| Chronological Term |
1971- |
| Subject |
United States -- Guidebooks.
|
| Genre/Form |
Guidebooks.
|
|
Guidebooks.
|
| Added Author |
Davis, Jef C., 1964-
|
| Added Title |
Living in the USA |
| Other Form: |
Online version: Lanier, Alison Raymond. Living in the U.S.A. 6th ed. Yarmouth, ME : Intercultural Press, 2005 (OCoLC)607775625 |
| ISBN |
1931930198 |
|
9781931930192 |
|
