A Fair Go for All: Australian/American Interactions

by George W. Renwick

Book by Renwick, George W.

72 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1991

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangely interesting. Having been living in Australia for over 11 years put me in a bit of a weird space reading this but I thought it was pretty right overall. Brief. Would probably be useful to Americans coming to live/work in Australia and vice versa. I've long thought that at first blush the two countries seem so alike on the surface that the deep differernces in the cultures are often overlooked which can lead to difficulties in communications. This book speaks to that.

[Danita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful overview of the difference between Australians and Americans. It's quite dated (1991) and I found it a bit repetitive.

[Allen Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical, easy, short read, which compares American and Australian cultures. This book does seem to be slightly weighted toward American readers seeking to understand Australian colleagues, but Australian friends that have read it indicated to me that it has also been valuable for them.

I think this book would be valuable for any Americans who are working in or amongst any other culture. Even though the Australian information wouldn't necessarily be relevant, the way this book highlights and articulates American perspectives and proclivities makes it a helpful and potentially eye-opening read for any American. Few people of any culture can accurately identify and describe what makes them distinctive as a culture, so any resource that can help do this will be beneficial.

Given that it's short and easy to read, I recommend this book for any American operating in today's global environment.

[Numa Parrott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although initially very informative and quick-paced, this book soon became maddeningly repetitive. All I am left with is a dim impression that Australians are reasonable and laid-back, while Americans are conceited power-hungry workaholics. As an American procrastinator, I beg to differ. Also, according to this book, there are a whopping TWO similarities between Americans and Australians--everything else about our cultures is bound to cause unavoidable tension.
Chapter 5 was like something out of a melodramatic high school essay. "The future looks promising"? Really? After reading this I can't say I feel very optimistic.

Save yourself some time, just read the 3-page chart in the back.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

given by the university exchange program to prepair us for the cultural differences between australian and american culture.