Customer Reviews

101 American Customs : Understanding Language and Culture Through Common Practices

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I use this book in my E.S.L. classes in Japan. I like it because it presents the idioms in neat "one point lesson" packages. It's great for introducing students to the strange expressions of genuine spoken English. As cheerful as the illustrations are, they can be a little misleading. The vocabulary used in the explanations needs to be explained sometimes so I would only use this book in my higher level classes.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It has far more material in it than I expected. There are eight sections: special occasions, courtship and marriage, body language, enjoy, all in the family, let's have fun, red letter days, and the icons of America. Most of them are not customs per say but cultural aspects and oddities. It includes such diverse topics as the tooth fairy, separate phone lines for teens, and demolition derbies. Each topic includes an example of how it would be talked about. There is also a cartoon which is cute but unrelated to understanding the custom.

The only real disadvantage is the language level. I would expect a book on this subject to have fairly simple English but this is far from the case. Of bedtime stories it says they "provide the stimulation so necessary for children's intellectual growth." Also some of the explanations don't really capture the spirit of the custom: "Tupperware parties are gatherings where people display and sell versatile plastic products to their friends." I think this definition would greatly puzzle someone who had never been to such a party.

This book is fun, informative but lacks depth as far as a real source of topics. And, the dialogues/jokes? at the bottom of every explantion page are a bit lame. But the cartoons are cute.......

The pictures are a tad cheasy, but the concept here is smart and fun, and the entries are short (a mere paragraph in length) and would work well as a warmer, or an addition to a larger discussion on birthdays, weddings, family, holidays, etc.

Be warned, however, that the language is at a high advanced level. I actually test ran this book this afternoon with an intermediate student and, though she was amused by the goofy pictures and really curious about the topics, she struggled with the readings. For example, in the section on why we cover our mouth while yawning, the text explains that, "covering the mouth...is considered good manners and stems from two beliefs: that covering the mouth safeguarded against the soul's premature departure; second, that an open mouth was an invitation for lurking evil spirits..."

A bit disappointing-- I would really love to have used this with inter/beginners. I hope the publisher considers putting out another edition!

I loved this bood for my foreign exchange student. It was funny and so true of some of our crazy American Customs. I wish there had been something like this for me to read on his Danish Culture.

If you really want to undrestand American people you have to read this book.

101 American Customs : Understanding Language and Culture Through Common Practices

Jorge Vazquez G