Customer Reviews

Leaving America: The New Expatriate Generation

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All info beyond Ch.1 can be accessed online for free on popular expatriate sites. None of the information provided was new to anyone who's already done their research in seeking foreign opportunities for travel, study and employment, especially considering the few countries the book was interested in discussing in any real detail were the "new typical" roster of nations: New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Japan and China. There were token mentions of a couple of countries in South America and a couple more in Central America for those who already have money who are seeking a place to retire and spend it.

This book limited its scope to being nothing more than an inspirational but superficial guide for the middle-class to head overseas. It even included stripping and "entertaining men" in Tokyo among its listing of "expat adventures." Ugh. Takes a kid from middle- to upper-class comforts, protected by their parents' safety net, to consider bartending in a foreign nation a good way to "get ahead" and "stay above the curve" during these competitive times.

Sadly enough, the author tossing out these suggestions isn't some naive gap student toying with foreign ideas but a much-traveled Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland. *shakes head* I expect better than this from a man of his position.

His mention of go-go dancing in Tokyo was even further useless in that it didn't offer any explanation on how an American girl might go about it, leaving the inexperienced to very likely be taken advantage of due to naive, wishful thinking and dreams of easy money (he claims their earnings are up to $700 in a day, saying that girls can earn more in a summer there than in a year working in the U.S.). What's up with a professor encouraging college age women to pole-dance in Asia anyway? Creepy.

All in all, I'd say this book was a waste of $31. Thumbs down. Wait for it to come available at your local library. We're better off sticking with the information already out there since this book likely won't be of much help to anyone who's already familiarized him or herself, even to a small extent, with international travel.

John Wennersten's book 'Leaving America' is a great book for those seeking to understand the current wave of emigration from the United States, a wave contrary to the arc of history of this country.
Wennersten weaves together anecdotes, data, and discussion to not only explain what is going on, but to give suggestions to anyone thinking of finding a new life in another country.
Well-written, and with copious resources and sources at the back, this book is a great introduction to an important topic.

This book is a must-read if you are thinking about working or living in a foreign country, or if you are dreaming about a "better life" overseas. A real, no-holds-barred, honest look at the good and not-so-good consequences of life as an expatriate. As they say in that famous TV commercial, "Don't leave home without it!"