William J. Lederer
Paperback | Pages: 288 pages Rating: 4.01 | 3720 Users | 406 Reviews
Define Books As The Ugly American
| Original Title: | The Ugly American |
| ISBN: | 0393318672 (ISBN13: 9780393318678) |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://books.wwnorton.com/books/The-Ugly-American/ |
Narrative Conducive To Books The Ugly American
The multi-million-copy bestseller that coined the phrase for tragic American blunders abroad. First published in 1958, The Ugly American became a runaway national bestseller for its slashing expose of American arrogance, incompetence, and corruption in Southeast Asia. Based on fact, the book's eye-opening stories and sketches drew a devastating picture of how the United States was losing the struggle with Communism in Asia. Combining gripping storytelling with an urgent call to action, the book prompted President Eisenhower to launch a study of our military aid program that led the way to much-needed reform."Powerful and absorbing.... Should be required reading in Washington". -- Kirkus Reviews
"Not only important but consistently entertaining.... The attack on American policy in Asia this book makes is clothed in sharp characterizations, frequently humorous incident, and perceptive descriptions of the countries and people where the action occurs". -- Robert Trumbull, former chief correspondent for the New York Times in China and Southeast Asia
Point Out Of Books The Ugly American
| Title | : | The Ugly American |
| Author | : | William J. Lederer |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 288 pages |
| Published | : | January 17th 1999 by W. W. Norton Company (first published 1958) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Politics. Historical. Historical Fiction. Classics. Cultural. Asia |
Rating Out Of Books The Ugly American
Ratings: 4.01 From 3720 Users | 406 ReviewsCrit Out Of Books The Ugly American
Because of this book, I missed my bus stop, delayed running, and stayed up hours later than normal. That's one of the highest compliments I can give. Written 60 years ago or yesterday, this collection of interwoven stories was amazing. I hated and loved the characters and only wish this book could be 4x as long.The only thing I didn't need was the epilogue, which goes out of its way to point out the book's themes and connections to reality. A bit like a magician explaining his tricks. If you'reRetroactive Review: I read this over 10 years ago, so naturally my thoughts here will be a bit hazy! I read this for a class on foreign relations since 1945. It's a novel set in a fictional Southeast Asian country that focuses on both diplomats and civilians. It's an amazing indictment of American diplomacy at the time it was written (1958) and unfortunately when I read it 60 years later, it seems as though it still held true. (Funnily enough, the character referred to as "Ugly" is actually the
I read this book in 1982 just before I joined the Peace Corps. The book was important to me because it solidified the idea that we are all walking a path that is unique and the more that we are engrossed by our own path, consumed by our own needs, wishes, and desires, we will miss the beauty and uniqueness of every other person and every culture under the sun. The book is timeless in that we could once again be called Ugly Americans or perhaps more accurately Oblivious Americans or Arrogant
YES. a set of fictional short stories grounded in truth. The shorts stories are related and occasionally have an overlap of characters. I think the lessons this book teaches about high handed "help" could be applied to today's voluntourism mindset, even among the "missions trips" many churches sponsor annually. Another aspect of this book I liked was the factual epilogue about the issues in the stories. This was a re-read and worth every minute. I'd highly recommend.
A nice, tight indictment of the many mistakes America makes when it comes to relations with other countries. It's all the more depressing considering that we still make all these mistakes today. One would think that the position of an ambassador to a foreign country would go to somebody that is best qualified to represent our interests at a location. This is why you are not in politics.Instead of sending people with any sort of discernible skill for the task being assigned to them, we send
Re-read while thinking about my First Indo-China War IP, this is the cautionary tale of what can go wrong when the Soviet ambassador to Sarkhan speaks the language and has local informers, while the Americans drink and talk loudly among themselves, not to mention what ensues when the expy of Col. Ed. Lansdale announces that the key to understanding the country's culture is astrology.
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