Customer Reviews

English

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Honestly, as a Brit, this book is thoroughly entertaining and really, truly informative. All sorts of little gems whether historical, political, or simply hitherto unknowns. This is the sort of book that you can read straight through or just keep by the bed to dip into. Incredibly well researched. Yes, sure, it's older (1999) but just bear that in mind. It is quite possible that some of the childhood touchstones may be more pertinent to someone who grew up in the UK, but perhaps not much more than I experience reading a host of American non-fiction books? Dry, wry, witty, sardonic, entertaining, intelligent and... I'm here to buy a second copy having left my last one on a plane.

If perchance you're thinking of using this book to get to know the English better but are not yourself English, you're going to have to go elsewhere. This book is written by an Englishman as a sort of sardonic take on the national character. As such, it contains many references to people, places, and events that probably only someone who grew up in England would get.

And if you're thinking of using this as part of a cultural studies or intercultural communication course, you can forget it. It's far too literate. The whole level of the thing, it's like it was designed to elicit wry smiles from the crowd of people who read The New Yorker, the Atlantic, Best American Essays, etc.

Another problem is the publication date (1999), which means that, even though it's only ten years old, it's out-of-date regarding Britian's problem with immigrants.