Customer Reviews

Mexicans & Americans: Cracking the Culture Code (Reference Shelf)

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Ned Crouch gives us a great book, full of practical advice and interesting anecdotes. His love for Mexico and its people shines through. His goal is to make sure you gain, personally and professionally, from your travels in Mexico. This is a must read for those who do business in Mexico and want to learn more about how to walk in the shoes, as well as embrace the hearts and minds, of their Mexican hosts and future compañeros.

While this book may seem to appeal most strongly to those who are working in or with Mexico, its charm extends to all sorts of human endeavor. The author not only reveals his total immersion into the culture of Mexico but also his understanding of how people work. Many of the points of emphasis could be applied to understanding the foibles of those with whom we work and play, regardless of geography. But, the specifics are uniquely those of Mexico and they are illuminating, touching and often delightful to read and to learn. This is such a useful book to enlarge the reader's awareness, not only of others, but also of himself.

I would highly recommend this book to every business man. So much of the information presented in this book hits every cultural misconception on the head. I have had the pleasure to travel to Mexico for the past 12 years and experienced much of the culture and practices that are so misunderstood here in the United States. I would also recommend this book to the average joe who is looking to expand their scope on human behavior and intercultural relationships. This book will be an excellence resource to my library as I continue my education in Latin American Studies.

Something that I have to be careful of when I write about my experience as an American expat in Mexico is not to come across in my prose as an expat expert. I think I tend to do this, but be assured, it is unintentional. It is easy for any nonfiction writer to get into trouble with this.

I took a writer's workshop a few years ago where this warning was discussed. Whenever you write nonfiction, readers tend to regard you as an expert in the subject about which you write. It is mostly unavoidable since you, the writer, are not responsible for how someone interprets what you write. You cannot dictate your reader's perception of the prose you put on the page. No matter what you write, there is going to be someone, somewhere, who somehow takes it the wrong way. Such is the adventure of writing.

Lately, I've been investigating works on culture by specialists who I would interpret as indeed being experts in Mexican culture. I have had a great time looking at those who have gone before me. They have done decades of practical and academic investigation into the Mexican worldview that steadily flows through the culture of these wonderful people. I've been humbled, instructed, and corrected in what I've read, particularly by a book called, Mexicans & Americans Cracking the Cultural Code, written by cultural analyst Ned Crouch.

In some of the cultural bumps in my expat road I've been driving here in Mexico, I've run into things that have been, to use a hyperbole, mindboggling. However, Mr. Crouch, who is indeed academically and experientially qualified in Mexican culture, has given me criteria in his fine book with which to exist at peace with some of these cultural mysteries.

One particular thing that I learned is that you could become fluent in Spanish and never begin to crack the cultural code of Mexico. What is needed is Spanish fluency, which leads to Cultural fluency.

You've got to have both.

Americans from Hispanic heritage and who speak Spanish find it difficult to get along in Mexico's culture because they operate here with an American Cultural Worldview. You have to become not only bilingual but also bicultural to be a success here.

I recommend getting a copy of this book. If you are going to do business in Mexico, study in Mexico, teach ESL in Mexico, work in Mexico doing anything, or even if you plan on making this country your retirement home, you need to read this book.

Though it is slanted towards readers who plan on conducting business in Mexico, everything from the first word to the last is applicable for anyone who will be spending time in Mexico.



Doug Bower
THE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT LIVING IN MEXICO

Just finished reading this brilliant work. I found it insightful, helpful and pertinent. I loved it and can't wait to read it again in order to see if I missed anything and also for the enjoyment factor. So glad I found this book!!

I don't always personally agree with some of Crouch's oversimplified claims (most of which are purely opinion), but they nevertheless serve as excellent platforms for discussion and analysis of our often ingrained beliefs about Mexico and its people. There's a degree of truth in his statements, I'm sure, but maybe not every Mexican is how he describes.

Although I think everyone should start this book from the beginning and discover it little by little, Chapter 13 is probably my favorite and is a great synthesis of the previous chapters. His style of writing is practical yet poetic. It's an enjoyable read!

Thanks to Ned Crouch we now have a guide for understanding the differences between the American Business man and our Mexican friends and partners. This should be required reading for any company who is doing business in Mexico and are serious about developing lasting relationships.

What a sad comment it is that so many Americans, well-fed, self-righteous, and "Christian", have ganged up to make life even tougher for Mexican immigrants.

Read this knowledgeable description of the people south of us to understand their feelings toward the US. Ned Crouch knows Mexicans! and uses his experiences with Mexicans to explain their loving, well meant, somtimes stiffbacked, sometimes childlike behavior.

I leave the book grateful that these cheerful mostly hard striving people are our neighbors

As in every book, not everything you read is absolutely true, but it is a very good appproach to understand US and México cultures.