Probably already well known, but in this same vein, I would highly recommend:
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Similar idea, but written with humor from the perspective of an American living in the UK.
Side note: the audio tour at the Roman Baths in Bath is voiced by Bill Bryson and it’s very enjoyable.
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I like this book too. I agree with the commentators saying it’s not perfect, but as someone who has talk Intercultural communication/culture studies classes, I’ve found it good enough to use as a recommended text for students. My main gripe is actually the way Fox jokes about ‘mud huts’ etc - as an anthropologist myself, I feel that’s insensitive, and also erases the existence of any ‘middle ground’ between a society like England and remote hunter-gatherer societies. Plus, she generally really refers to the USA as a contrast example.
Having said all of that, my American fiancé and I are currently listening to the audiobook on car journeys (he’s not read it before), and it’s both entertaining and a good conversation starter - we’ll pause and discuss it together.
Totally agree! I’d been here a while when it came out and wish I’d had it earlier.
My main source of confusion is people inviting you to things when they mean precisely the opposite!
My only criticism is the weather thing - literally every country in the world makes small talk about the weather. This is in no way British at all. It’s very odd to be so self centred that you think this is unique.
i loved it, i’ve read it at least twice, it is ready for an update though. As a British expat it helped me understand myself in other countries and notice things more keenly when i visited home.
I moved to the Scottish Highlands. Scottish people in general mean exactly what say (like the Dutch though less abrasively so). It's easy.
English on the other have I've had a harder time with. I've met some super nice folks who promised to take me out to all these places and hang out etc then absolutely ghosted and in some cases randomly unfriended etc. Sad because I don't know what I did or said to offend but even more annoying it reminds me of the passive aggressive crowd back in the midwest I grew up around.
(These are VERY high level generalizations based upon personal experience. My father went to high school in London and I love English people and dislike cunts on either side of the border.)
I just finished reading it last month. It is excellent. I have been married to a Brit for 24 years, and I learned a lot from it. Actually, my father in law was visiting last month (he's Welsh) and he loved it too, and actually said, "that explains a lot." Not sure which part of the book he was referring to. I highly recommend it. Ordering at a pub -- didn't know the whole process --but I do now.
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>Neither The Times, nor The Guardian liked it, it’s understandable if they’re not impressed by reading insightful observations about their own culture.
Maybe because the insights aren't totally correct and are a bit of a generalisation. I'm just leafing through a preview. First one that jumps out is the privacy one - massive overstatement and generalisation tbh. A lot of this (from what I've read so far) applies more to the older generation th the younger one.
They may be generalizations, but those generalizations are helpful when you first get here. As long as you aren’t like “that’s not how’re supposed to act!” and realize a book like this is going to be generalizations on a population to help you understand larger unspoken differences it’s helpful.
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Oh dear 3 pages into the 13 on Weather and utterly bored of weather. I pushed on another 4 and have put the book down until I can face the rest. I have broken all rules about it thus far at various times. I don’t think I could talk/not talk about weather that long anywhere for any reason tbh.
This book was footnoted and is free online. It looks delightfully horrific The English:Are They Human? By Dutchman GJ Renier 1931
https://archive.org/details/bwb_KR-833-807/mode/1up
This book was mentioned a few times in comments on an expat post this week,so I added it to my To Read list.
Interesting about the Island bit, as I lived on O'ahu and being quiet and keeping to oneself isn't the way at all.
And New Yorkerst aren't quiet. They're loud and rude, just like Massholes, who are not on an island.
Probably already well known, but in this same vein, I would highly recommend: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson Similar idea, but written with humor from the perspective of an American living in the UK. Side note: the audio tour at the Roman Baths in Bath is voiced by Bill Bryson and it’s very enjoyable.
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I like this book too. I agree with the commentators saying it’s not perfect, but as someone who has talk Intercultural communication/culture studies classes, I’ve found it good enough to use as a recommended text for students. My main gripe is actually the way Fox jokes about ‘mud huts’ etc - as an anthropologist myself, I feel that’s insensitive, and also erases the existence of any ‘middle ground’ between a society like England and remote hunter-gatherer societies. Plus, she generally really refers to the USA as a contrast example. Having said all of that, my American fiancé and I are currently listening to the audiobook on car journeys (he’s not read it before), and it’s both entertaining and a good conversation starter - we’ll pause and discuss it together.
Totally agree! I’d been here a while when it came out and wish I’d had it earlier. My main source of confusion is people inviting you to things when they mean precisely the opposite! My only criticism is the weather thing - literally every country in the world makes small talk about the weather. This is in no way British at all. It’s very odd to be so self centred that you think this is unique.
i loved it, i’ve read it at least twice, it is ready for an update though. As a British expat it helped me understand myself in other countries and notice things more keenly when i visited home.
I moved to the Scottish Highlands. Scottish people in general mean exactly what say (like the Dutch though less abrasively so). It's easy. English on the other have I've had a harder time with. I've met some super nice folks who promised to take me out to all these places and hang out etc then absolutely ghosted and in some cases randomly unfriended etc. Sad because I don't know what I did or said to offend but even more annoying it reminds me of the passive aggressive crowd back in the midwest I grew up around. (These are VERY high level generalizations based upon personal experience. My father went to high school in London and I love English people and dislike cunts on either side of the border.)
Same experience in South west. It’s a them thing.
I just finished reading it last month. It is excellent. I have been married to a Brit for 24 years, and I learned a lot from it. Actually, my father in law was visiting last month (he's Welsh) and he loved it too, and actually said, "that explains a lot." Not sure which part of the book he was referring to. I highly recommend it. Ordering at a pub -- didn't know the whole process --but I do now.
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>Neither The Times, nor The Guardian liked it, it’s understandable if they’re not impressed by reading insightful observations about their own culture. Maybe because the insights aren't totally correct and are a bit of a generalisation. I'm just leafing through a preview. First one that jumps out is the privacy one - massive overstatement and generalisation tbh. A lot of this (from what I've read so far) applies more to the older generation th the younger one.
They may be generalizations, but those generalizations are helpful when you first get here. As long as you aren’t like “that’s not how’re supposed to act!” and realize a book like this is going to be generalizations on a population to help you understand larger unspoken differences it’s helpful.
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Oh dear 3 pages into the 13 on Weather and utterly bored of weather. I pushed on another 4 and have put the book down until I can face the rest. I have broken all rules about it thus far at various times. I don’t think I could talk/not talk about weather that long anywhere for any reason tbh. This book was footnoted and is free online. It looks delightfully horrific The English:Are They Human? By Dutchman GJ Renier 1931 https://archive.org/details/bwb_KR-833-807/mode/1up
This book was mentioned a few times in comments on an expat post this week,so I added it to my To Read list. Interesting about the Island bit, as I lived on O'ahu and being quiet and keeping to oneself isn't the way at all. And New Yorkerst aren't quiet. They're loud and rude, just like Massholes, who are not on an island.