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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
nice effort, but missed a lot of chances to be informative, September 28, 2000
This review is from: Culture Shock! U.S. South (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)
The _Culture Shock_ series of books are some of my favourites. While this one has a fair amount to like, and some pleasant surprises, there's also a lot it misses out on, which is kind of too bad. Winter does correctly communicate what I believe to be the single most important thing anyone can take South with them: the knowledge that the South is a very diverse region, generally misunderstood and accustomed to being misunderstood, and is more complex and changing than is typically realized outside the Southern states. Winter makes clear that if you go without a bunch of assumptions, and give people a fair shake while having the courtesy to let them be themselves, you'll maximize your odds of a good experience. Those are good procedures anywhere you go. The markdown is for two reasons. First of all, the quiz at the end of the book really takes the cake for silliness; it insults the reader's intelligence and adds no value. It's the worst I've seen so far in six _Culture Shock_ books. The other weak spot is the coverage of regional cultural and accent differences. The mountain South and Texas are given fairly short shrift; the focus seems mostly on the Deep South and Piedmont. We are told that there are half a dozen distinct Southern accents, for example: great, how about teaching us learn to tell them apart? We get a big section on the role of Christianity in Southern life; ok, fine--but what does that mean for the non-Christian...is the popular image perhaps a media exaggeration with little relation to reality, and does it vary by region? We hear about Atlanta's cosmopolitanism, great; my impression of Austin is that it does pretty well also, but I don't think it's even mentioned in the book. And so on. Recommended because even though it falls short of what it could have been, it's still a good book for the visitor or new arrival to the South, or for someone marrying into a Southern family.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The perfect gift for the carpetbagger in your life., September 30, 2004
This review is from: Culture Shock! U.S. South (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)
I've lived in the grographic South for my entire life; however, because the city I live in is Atlanta, there is a degree of homogenization in the ATL thanks in large part to the number of people who've moved here from other cities that it really has lost its identity as a Southern city. When a friend of mine from New York (Lon Gisland, actually) asked me what being raised in the South was like, I found that I really couldn't tell him based on my own experience. Then one day I found this book. I read it out of interest in what I had been missing. It's true, this book more accurately depicts life in more traditional Southern cities or towns...in Georgia that would be larger sities like Augusta or Savannah...as opposed to truly international cities like Atlanta or Charlotte. But it still serves as a terrific primer on both the heritage and the core values that still resonate with most of us today. I bought the book for my Lon Gislander friend and the first thing he said the day after he finished it was "'Mornin', y'all!" See? There IS hope. Great book, anecdotal and referential, and written with a healthy sense of humor (terrific example, paraphrasing: "The reason so much of the food in the South is fried is because Southerners know it tastes better that way"). If you're curious about the region, about stereotypes, about realities, about the nature of a warm and beautiful group of peaople, this is the book that will answer a great deal of questions while providing some entertaining reading as well.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If moving, You NEED this book!, June 21, 2005
This review is from: Culture Shock! U.S. South (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)
Regardless of what you read below (from southerners), even the larger cities such as Atlanta are very Southern in overall character (e.g., few mixed race relationships as compared to major non-Southern cities, etc.). I am now in my third year there. Some people talk about the "New South," etc. Forget it,....unless Miami counts! I'm a WASP and still feel like I've abandoned the 21st-century by living in Atlanta. To some of you, it will literally feel like a third-world country. (You'll DEFINITELY need cultural preparation if coming from the West Coast or Northeast). But, don't take my word for it. The culture shock series prints this volume separately since the American South needs special attention above and beyond the U.S.A. volume. And remember, the South includes Texas and Oklahoma. So, do yourself a real favor and get this book as well as related publications.
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