Living the american dream?
(2007)
“When I first started to investigate the possibility of living in the United States, there didn’t appear to be any all-encompassing published tome that illustrated the many cultural, social and even financial differences and difficulties facing British immigrants who harboured a desire to live in America. But as I became increasingly aware of the vast numbers of people who independently sought to live in the USA and also of the increasing number of employees of Anglo-American businesses who were being sent there to work, I soon realised that a book of this type might prove immensely useful to this group of émigrés and may even provide pleasant fodder for a few others.”
Response: Gary Numan (Musician)
3 June 2010
“I can’t believe that the book that tells me exactly what I need to know about moving to America is written by you. How coincidental is that?”
“It’s fantastic by the way. Huge amount of useful info and yet written in a style that makes it easy to absorb. Very impressed.”
Reviewed by Lesley Logan (Author)
20 March 2008
I liked this book, I was very interested in what an Englishman thought of the US, and he certainly dished up a variety of topics, the specific and the general. It seems to be in some ways two books: the very useful and information-packed guide to immigration; and the observations of a cultured and social person of a certain age. These two books dovetailed nicely in the beginning, when such practical subjects as how to apply for residency; how to set up a bank account, get credit, buy property, put your kids in school, and so forth, were examined and compared with the English systems.
I liked his take on the (over) development of body mass in the US and how it relates to restaurants–there were historical facts and personal observations that I had never really noticed, such as the American penchant for offering or asking for ‘doggie bags’ at the end of a restaurant meal. I even copied one page of his discussion of the difference in golf between here and there for the reading pleasure of my husband. And I found out something about a new slant in the practice of broker’s fees in the States that was not current when I lived there, and which I certainly needed to learn about.
I think it’s well-written, but overall I found it a useful and interesting book. The question is: do the English turn to how-to books with the same devotion that the Yankee does? And I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that there are areas of Florida, Los Angeles, and New York that have a huge population of British ex-pats, who would find this book entertaining. I also know that despite the current economic woes of the US, prices there still seem ridiculously cheap compared to the cost of living in London.
So as a good guide on what to expect from immigration across the pond, it’s a winner; and for armchair would-be or already-there ex-pats, it has enough good stuff on the American way of life to make it fun reading. I Googled the author (always a good sign to have some lasting curiosity about a writer you’ve just read) and it seems he was something of an 80s pop music writer and performer. It also seemed to me throughout the book that he was an insightful and good-natured chap, for whatever that’s worth. It was my pleasure to read it.
Lesley Logan