Customer Reviews

The Ugly American

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3 star:		(1)
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The Ugly American succeeds on three major counts:
1) The book is a devastating look at the way the American diplomatic corps presents itself abroad. It may have been written decades ago, but given recent events and little evidence that anything has changed in the State Department, the lessons are still extremely applicable to this day. Every foreign service officer should read this as a manual on how to conduct themselves and adapt to foreign cultures.
2) The authors are clearly cutting into American policy without going overboard and cutting into the United States. This is no anti-American rant; Lederer and Burdick seem to write this book with one eye firmly on furthering America's ability to advance its interests and cooperate more effectively with other nations.
3) Each one of the short stories is extremely entertaining. I started this book at 10 pm one night and finished it three hours later after being totally unable to put it down. On top of its commentary, it's a quick and fascinating read.

The Ugly American was published in 1958, just after the Soviets put Sputnik in orbit and sent America into a deep funk. The book is as interesting for its idealized picture of communist accomplishments in foreign relations as it is for the dreary picture of Americans abroad. The authors attribute high quality training and patient well thought out policies to the Soviets. The American don't speak the language. The Americans don't understand the culture. The Americans are incapable of winning hearts or helping people. That was the mood in 1958. The Soviets had won the race to space and caused us as a nation to doubt our system of education, our ability to understand the world, and our instruments of diplomacy. The people working for the State Department in this book spend most of their time taking care of themselves (first class all the way), and the rest taking care of visitors from Washington (BS all the way). Now, in the post 9/11 world, the Ugly American is worth a fresh look. Are we going to do as poor a job in the Arab world as we did in Southeast Asia nearly 50 years ago. Do we speak Arabic? Are we spending the time and effort learning about the culture, needs and dreams of the people in that part of the world. Is there a hope we can get it right this time? The Ugly American is an important book for us now.

The Ugly American is a collection of about 20 fictional short stories based in Asia after World War II, when communism was a gaining momentum in the region. The stories, however, are based on factual experiences of the authors in South East-Asia and some of the characters are also based on real people.

Each tale is an enchanting story. The characterization is wonderful and the lessons of cultural sensitivity - or lack of it - are valuable. You could also use parts of the book as anecdotes for teaching leadership, but it is not a textbook; read it to enjoy it and you can have the "food for thought" as a bonus. Americans should not be put off by the title as the main character is far from ugly and people from other nations are also shown to be "ugly", for example, some of the French in Vietnam. Also, as the authors are American, they did not intend the title to be a slur.

Trivia FYI: Universal made a movie from the book, staring Marlon Brando, in the 1960s.

The title refers to an individual in the book but I do think there is an insinuation in the title. This is a brilliant book that said so much then in 1958, and says so much now today. The implicit references are strikingly clear in the characters and situations presented by Lederer and Burdick. When abroad our American psyche, consciousness, and sub-conscious attitudes and assumptions, have not changed since this book was written. We are culturally, mentally, and linguistically isolated, and do not attempt to learn about other cultural norms for a variety of reasons. Still today, the term "Ugly American" caricatures this ignorance & arrogance by those who live behind the "Golden Curtain" (USA). The authors also had the gift of saying a lot with few words. Few can do this. This is also a piece of work filled with humor. Many times I chuckled aloud while reading this book. I do believe that almost all aspects of Communism are evil and believed in the "intelligent" opposition to the Maoist and Leninist movements of the 20th Century and today. Communism gains, and maintains strength and control, by the theft of an individual's heart, mind, and soul. As for U.S. foreign policy in S.E Asia to counter the spread of Communism, it was was a debacle based upon arrogance and ignorance by politicians and military bureaucrats. A deadly and futile combination. The U.S. foreign policy effort in S.E. Asia was the blind leading the blind, culturally, militarily, and politically, and the result was our soldiers and innocent Asian citizens losing life and limb. Lederer and Burdick realized this at the time of writing in 1958--before the tumultuous times of Vietnam. It's a shame more influential bureaucrats didnt' read it. This book is a must read for Americans who will be traveling or living abroad for more than a short period of time. But also A classic however, for all Americans, whether at home or abroad.

I read this book in the 60s as a student and was appalled at the behavior of Americans abroad - sad but true. I reintroduced this book in an International marketing class last year in order to get students to think about our American image today: have we improved or is the image in the book of an "ugly American" alive and well? The overwhelming view is that we are still acting and being perceived as arrogant, prejudiced and superior. While some institutions are providing assistance and encouragement in language learning and cultural awareness, the common American still believes in "we do it best" and why shouldn't the rest of the world behave like us?" Clearly, there are many individuals with an awareness and respect for many cultures and traditions; many individuals learn other languages. Bottom line, this book is as relevant in 98 as it was in 58. Every student has commented positively about the book and the book has clearly left an impression on all of them. Hopefully, we have created an awareness of our need to be more respectful of others and recognize that we do live in a global environment. I would really like to talk to the authors today and see what they think.

This is one of the most compelling books I have read this year. Although it takes place in the first half of the twentieth century, several of the book's themes resonate today. It forces the reader to slow down in the hectic pace of the world today, and to think deeply about what's going on. Especially in the world today, I feel that this is a must-read.
There is excellent characterization that draws the readers into the lives and events in the books. The writing is literal and matter-of-fact that makes it a fast and enjoyable read without sacrificing clarity or depth. I would recommend this to anyone who has any interest in what's going on in the world today. Forget ideology and politics, this is a thought-provoking book that presents an accurate (albeit sometimes embarrassing) analysis of the US role in the world as a superpower.

The Ugly American is a classic book about the manner in which the U.S. approached Vietnam in the 1950s, but could just as well refer to American involvement in the Arab world today. Burdick and Lederer tell several satirical and easy-to-read stories capturing the arrogance, ignorance, and cultural insensitivity which too often mark the image of America abroad. The authors' impatient call for a reexamination of American methods continue to resonate, and their recommendations are no less virtuous today. Anyone with an interest in U.S. foreign policy, history, or the Vietnam era will find The Ugly American a delightful read.

While this is a work of fiction, that is only because, "the names have been changed to protect the innocent (guilty)." As the authors point out, the events described in the book actually happened, there are real people whose deeds were consistent with the "fictional" characters in the book. While there is no nation of Sarkhan, it is clear that it is merely a conglomerate pseudonym for several Asian nations. The book was written in 1958, and it describes a sequence of very competent and incompetent people who are trying to win the cold war for America.
It is both fascinating and sad to read the book and understand how ignorant the decision-makers of that time were. They made almost no attempt to understand the people and determine what their feelings were concerning what was happening. The insular arrogance of most Americans as they entered the nation of Sarkhon, refusing to learn the language and culture, believing only in their innate American superiority, is appalling. These are lessons that continue to hold true nearly a half-century after the book was written. If you ever wonder why America lost the war in Vietnam, read this book and it all will become clear.
Several people who understood the situation and did very real things to improve relations between the common "Sarkhanese" and America are described. Unfortunately, their labors largely went for naught, as their incompetent superiors always managed to get them dismissed as either misguided or worse. The one ambassador who really worked to make a difference and learned how to address the problems was terminated when he attempted to act on his discoveries.
The current events in Iraq prompted me to reread this book. Many parallels between the wars in Vietnam and Iraq are currently being raised, some of which are legitimate and others which are not. However, there is one thing that is indisputable. Those who made the decision to go to war did so without examining the culture and history of Iraq. They believed, like the failures in this book, that the innate superiority of America would easily win the day. As the lessons of Vietnam should have made very clear, being a superpower will never guarantee victory against a determined opponent. Unless of course, you are willing to kill all of your "enemies" in your pursuit of victory.
This is one of those books whose value only grows over time. As I understand it, the book is required reading for many overseas positions, and it should be read by all Americans before they graduate from high school. Furthermore, all Americans planning on going overseas for the first time should reread it. We now truly live in a global society and economy and there is no longer any room to make errors of this magnitude.

I'm about half way through with this book, but could not wait to make an entry concerning the content of this great book.

Wow, the concepts of our failures are as clear and unchanged now as they were 40 years ago. Burdick captures the essence of our narcissism and lays it all out on the table. It is no wonder we are being beaten again in Iraq and Afghanistan and that our country may suffer similar blows as the Soviet Union after years of corruption and ignorance domestically and especially abroad.

I could not help but to see parallels to my own experiences as a Military Advisor in Iraq. Granted I was working at a much lower level than the Ambassador in this story, I fell into the same traps and even though I feel I am educated and more than that I am culturally aware and sensitive.

The Ugly American explains why the "system" facilitates our ugly behavior at many levels when we are working as representatives overseas (no matter what level or job, such as military advisor, ambassador, state department employee or the many other government positions overseas).

I cannot wait to see how the fight goes and how the story ends, and I'll update this review once I'm done with the story, but so far I would recommend this timeless book.

Here is what I wrote after finishing the book.

The Ugly American, by Lederer and Burdick touched an important nerve when I read it because many of the mistakes that Burdick and Lederer described I made personally during an advising mission to Iraq. It is funny how some things seem to never change, and this is a perfect example. The Ugly American was written in 1958, but is as true today as it was when it was written. American's still have not gotten foreign diplomacy right and may never get it right.

Are we American's stupid, lazy, heartless, uncaring or not willing to sacrifice for anything? It is amazing that we are doing as well as we are as a country and for so long, when we make such strategic mistakes over and over.
There may be a time that our military/economic strength may putter out and we will need to rely on the softer side of strength that we often gravely screw up.

The Ugly American story could not have been better written. As a military officer who has engaged in missions where my primary responsibility was to mentor a foreign intelligence officer I found myself falling into the same mistakes. These points that Lederer and Burdick brought up are so important that I thought they should go in this review, so that even if you do not read the book one will know the best recommendations for foreign diplomats that we often do not enforce. If we could follow these we would be stronger as a nation and not be laughed at behind our backs as many countries tolerate our help only to put up with us in order to take the money/aide to the bank. Please take the time to read over these because they are the most important lines of the book. These are direct quotes, but they are lessons that can be applied to any diplomat serving in any foreign land:

1. "I request that every American (and his dependents) sent to Sarkhan be required to be able to both read and speak Sarkhanese. I am satisfied that if the motivation is high enough, any person can lean enough of the language in twelve weeks so that he can get along. This should be required of both military and civilian personnel.

2. I request that no American employee be allowed to bring his dependents to Sarkhan unless he is willing to serve here for at least two years. If he does bring his family, it should be with the understanding they will not be given luxurious quarters, but will live in housing which is normal to the area; their housing should certainly not be more luxurious than they are able to afford in America. They should also subsist on foods available in local stores--which are wholesome and ample.

3. I request that the American commissary and PX be withdrawn from Sarkhan, and that no American supplies be sold except for toilet articles, baby food, canned milk, coffee, and tobacco.

4. I request that Americans not be allowed to bring their private automobiles to this country. All of our official transportation should be done in official automobiles. Private transportation should be taxi, pedicab, or bicycle.

5. I request that all Americans serving in Sarkhan, regardless of their classification, be required to read books by Mao-Tse-tung, Lenin, Chou En-lai, Marx, Engels, and leading Asian Communists. This reading should be done before arrival.

6. I request in our recruiting program we make all of these conditions clear to any prospective government employee, so that he comes here with no illusions. It has been my experience that superior people are attracted only by challenge. By setting our standards low and making our life soft, we have, quite automatically and unconsciously , assured ourselves of mediocre people."

Those lines were written as a final plea from a "good" ambassador, pleading for better standards in order for him to keep on with his duties. Ambassador MacWhite was instead replaced with a more likeable bureaucrat who fueled the "Ugly American" persona because the demands above were highly impractical.
Until we get things right, government officials will continue to cause more harm than good in foreign lands. Too often it is the system, and not the people. Too often the positions are forced upon government officials and the training is not allowed, nor is precious seed of service planted in the civil servant. Ambassadorships are often a perk or reward for service, and not something a person has been highly trained for. Also, the tours are usually not for substantial amounts of time to foster a relationship that would afford true stewardship.

As in this story, religious men often do the best diplomacy and serve the mission spreading a positive American image. It is too bad that the people paid to do this job are the worst offenders of what truly would spread love for our country.

In the military, I see evidence that at the highest levels that they get it and they know what to do, but the proof is in the pudding. Considerable amount of time is spent on language and cultural training, but it is not followed up on and truly measured. Soldiers and Officers alike do not take it seriously and continue with missions relying on local translators and the cultural mistakes that make winning hearts and minds impossible. It is the rare unit that can carry out true counterinsurgency missions, and when the rare gem is found it is often tore down by an adjacent unit that continues to violate the very basic tenants of counterinsurgency and undo the careful work of the gemstone unit and the populace continues to resent your presence (often to fatal consequences).

So without going over book with a finer comb, I would recommend this very readable novel as a lesson to anyone who may be representing America abroad. I hope that if I ever get assigned another training/mentorship mission that I will do a better job now that I am more mature and take the reputation of America more seriously. It may come a time that we rely more on how we are perceived, if we do not have the clout, money or military strength to be the remaining world superpower.

This book was on a shelf in my family home for the past forty years, but it was not until last week that I actually read it. I can recall a number of adults referring to this book when I was a boy in the 1960's and 70's, but I now realize that most of these people somehow did not understand the book and failed to perceive its extraordinarily prophetic warnings. The point of the book is to show how much good Americans in the foreign services can do, not how much damage they can do to other cultures, and, in an ironic twist, the "Ugly American" of the title provides the most sterling example of this. But the most remarkable thing is how correctly the book presents the facts that were almost certainly responsible for our country's later disastrous military failures in Southeast Asia. I'm not sure I understand why, but it is a chilling lesson to know that so many Americans could have read this book (it was a best seller in its day) and still have allowed the country to descend into the disaster of the Vietnam War.