Foreign to Familiar

by Sarah Lanier

Foreign to Familiar, 2nd Edition

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2022

About the author

Sarah Lanier, author of Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Hot and Cold Climate Cultures, which has been published in eleven languages, grew up in the Middle East and has served in Europe for 20 years as a trainer and consultant with NGOs and other cross-cultural workers. She currently serves as a consultant and trainer for the University of the Nations.

Reviews

[Brooke Durrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

(5/5) short sweet book! Good for anyone who wants to understand other people / cultures better

[Haley Hoggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why this book matters: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

The author pointed out the “obvious” of different cultures and drew attention to it in a way that I have never thought of before. If you ever go abroad, this book is a must-read! This book explores cultural context on topics like indirect/direct communication, hospitality, etc. I really liked how the author respectfully discussed gender roles in society. The examples the author gave were helpful. Yes, we have liberty in Christ, BUT we must be joyfully willing to give that up for the sake of a brother or sister. I wish I would have read this book sooner!

[Aniah Dowdy]

This book feels hard to rate because I knew beforehand that I would know a lot of this info from other sources/trainings, but it felt helpful to have reminders and new challenging ways to process my daily interactions in a new culture. Short and to the point, but I wish it could be more specific about the culture I’m personally interested in lol

[Jessie Kirkpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book, and I will never stop recommending it to people who love to traveling or who plan on crossing cultures at some point. It teaches so many important things about culture and adapting to where you are. Lanier simplifies these concepts so wonderfully using her own overseas experience. She teaches readers to correct their expectations about traveling overseas. There are things part of our daily life that we don’t realize are unique cultural characteristics of where we are from. Learning these things can help us to make friends and ‘fit in’ to a culture with more ease and without being disappointed.

[Natalie Lapointe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun! I think so many of the books that I've read for this class are overlapping now, so I don't love them as much. This has been my favorite so far though and I enjoyed it! I think this could be really helpful for people who are short-term traveling overseas. It's super concise and easy to pick up on!

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect introduction for those who want to work/ live cross-culturally. I loved it !

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, thought-provoking generalizations about different cultural mindsets!

[Ben Watt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and insightful, only an hour or so to read, based on the author's experience in many cultures. She builds a dichotomy to describe some cultures as "hot-climate" and others as "cold-climate," starting with an observation by Thomas Jefferson of the cultural and personality differences between the northern and southern states of the Union. She investigates many different aspects of how people relate to each other in a culture, and gives examples for why it is important for travelers, guests, and hosts to be aware of these cultural differences. For example, is it ever OK to say 'no' when someone invites you to lunch? (conversely, it is OK to say 'yes' to the first invitation?). There are different norms for directness in communication, making group decisions, dissenting from a leader, understanding the "start time" of a meeting or wedding, spontaneously visiting folks versus scheduling everything precisely ahead of time.
The author also touches on dichotomies that others have written about, low- and high-context cultures, and low- and high-power distance. The book has a good number of references, but is not burdened by citations. It has a good mix of stories, generalizations, and bullet point summaries.

Areas/cultures featured include: Amsterdam, Australia, Chile, Israel, Korea, Northern and Southern US, Yemen. Mentions also of South Africa, Germany, China, India.

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and straightforward book. It was short and practical. Its brevity naturally comes with moments of wishing the author would go deeper and explore certain topics more. This is a great book to begin with in learning about cross cultural interaction. It gets people to start thinking about their own culture/way of doing things in relation to others in a non-ethnocentric way.

[Kesia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful short read with insight into how ”the others” think and make decision, what drives them and what offends them.
I’d absolutely recomend to anyone working with different cultures or even just being exposed to a cross cultural setting.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick little read but so insightful and helpful when thinking about cultural differences and how to relate better to others in different contexts. Recommended read, especially if moving or communicating to a different cultural context.

[Syd Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so handy. I enjoyed the way the author mixed descriptions of cultural concepts with stories and real life examples. I would recommend for anyone traveling internationally anytime soon!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read this book as a part of required reading for a trip, but I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am sure that it will be reread in the future.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where has this book been all my life?! SOO helpful. And I wish there was a version for when a “hot climate” person and a “cold climate” person are married.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do recommend for getting a general sense of what the most common cultural differences are in the world. Great for general understanding and application.

[Ali McNeely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good content for people traveling to other cultures. Will reference again.

[Ryan Ulen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for my trip to Jordan. Lanier makes some generalizations but doesn’t pretend her book is anything other than introductory.

[Recbecca James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to follow and very educational!

[Christy Weimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and easy to read. 👍🏻

[Autumn]

“If we can get beyond (ethnocentrism), we can begin to learn, respect and enjoy the differences. Soon, what seems foreign will become familiar. And we’ll find we have much in common.”

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informational, easy read, not my favorite writing style and lots of grammar mistakes but nonetheless enjoyed

[Stephanie Benedict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for intercultural awareness, especially when traveling.

[Julia Cheung · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Anecdotes of a lot of cross-cultural communication. Groups the world into two broad categories (surprisingly the American South is considered a hot-Climate culture), one of which is task-oriented and the other of which is relationship-based. Shows how miscommunication can happen because of that. Entertaining and interesting. Not terribly deep, and obviously uses broad brushstrokes but interesting and helpful nonetheless.