Multicultural Manners: Essential Rules of Etiquette for the 21st Century

by Norine Dresser

Both highly informative and entertaining, Multicultural Manners gives readers the understanding they need, the perfect words to say, and the correct behavior to use in a wide range of cross-cultural situations. This incisive and award-winning guide to etiquette features completely updated etiquette guidelines with special emphasis on post–September 11 culture clashes as well as a brand-new section that demystifies unfamiliar cultures in the news. Norine Dresser identifies key cross-cultural hot spots and suggests methods that foster respect for diversity. Readers will discover the dos and don’ts of successful business and social interaction, detailed tips on avoiding embarrassment in a variety of social settings, amusing firsthand accounts of cultural gaffes, a breakdown of customs, religions, languages, and ethnicities for seventy different countries, and appropriate etiquette for innumerable settings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Travel, Cultural, Business, Education, Sociology

304 pages, Paperback

Published July 12, 2005

About the author

Norine Dresser is a professional consultant, speaker, folklorist, and educator.
From 1993 to 2001, she wrote the award-winning “Multicultural Manners” column for the Los Angeles Times. Dresser has been interviewed on the Voice of America and numerous other radio and TV shows.

Reviews

[Devika Koppikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library to prepare for a conference presentation on multicultural communication.

What I liked, and what I find rare among intercultural communication books, is that it talked about communicating inter-culturally, in America. That is, other books discuss what to do if you travel abroad.

It had some great statistics as how many Americans now have multicultural backgrounds, and the benefits of reaching out to others who may be culturally different. It also discussed situations whereby those who did not have "mainstream-sounding" names or appearances, were mistaken for "foreigners." Dresser gives some good tips on how to handle these situations.

However, if one reads this as a "crash course," one will probably get mixed up as to what culture follows what tradition. While I see some benefits to organizing the book by intercultural difference: dress/attire, food habits, etc., a more succinct way to present the material would be by region: Europe, Africa, Asia, etc.

Nevertheless, it is a must read for everyone!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Smorgasbord" is a good way to describe this book. It was entertaining and enlightening, and would be worth reading again for the cultural tidbits. (I was refreshed on the meaning of customs from my own background.)

[Edie Kestenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written guide to views and manners in most societies. Probably a life-saver to a clumsy person.

[Lauren Nishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moral of the story: Don’t take everything personally. If someone from another culture “seems” rude or offensive, it could be that there is a cultural reason for their behavior/response.

I hope materials on this topic don’t cause so much fear of offense to the point we are all too afraid to interact with others. To avoid that, I always accompanied any gift or activity with an explanation of how it pertains to our culture (or doesn’t). We do our best to research or ask in advance, and of course, never just assume something will be well-received just because it’s common. “Common” isn’t common.

You will learn a lot of interesting cultural facts in this book.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book to really learn about all cultures...even my own culture. I was quite surprised to find out many "things" I was not aware of--about my natal country. Nevertheless, an excellent source of useful information if we want to do business or simply get along with people from other cultures.

Strongly recommend this book to readers of all ages and of course, all cultures.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice, easy to use resource. I read it for a class and felt that it would be good for students, travelers, or those in the business realm who have not had much multicultural experience and want to put their best face forward.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was for my World Languages class. The info in this book was kind of random, but at least it was easy to read.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of articles about manners found around the world!

[Astrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tidbits, lovingly compiled. Too basic for my liking, though. I had hoped for something a bit more “advanced”.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

While there is some legitimate and helpful information in this book, it contains many generalities and some outright inaccuracies. It also feels very dated. If you are from the U.S. and want to improve your cultural competency, I recommend consulting other resources.

[Rose]

Very interesting and enlightening on different cultures and the problems a lack of understanding of cultures and practices can cause. I now have a better appreciation of other cultures and how to accommodate them, although I didn't always support the suggested responses to problems (e.g. having an appointment-only system because immigrants did not know how to queue in a US fashion - seems more sensible to educate them on how to queue). However, I now realise more what a minefield this is, especially when cultures have completely opposite traditions and practices. Some of the stories that contained ethical dilemmas were very interesting and well-handled.

I would have liked more of the book to be dedicated to the anecdotes with analysis, and less to the section listing various countries, which I found long, somewhat dull, and hard to remember much from - although I did discover some interesting things in that section.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good general guide to cultural differences in etiquette, especially pertaining to multiculturalism in the United States. Each chapter is focused on a certain area (e.g. classroom or medical setting). Oddly the miscellaneous section is found before a few last chapters. Each chapter has short vignettes of what not to do when interacting with people from different backgrounds. These vignettes seem to be anecdotal, possibly hypothetical. The last section of the book organizes the information by country. I wish this reference section had some more of the key do's and don'ts from the rest of the book, though. Reading all of these tidbits quickly causes confusion and I could not keep these tips straight after being saturated with them. As far as I can recall, play it safe by not giving yellow flowers to anyone, and don't touch people of a gender that is not your own.

[Jamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was very helpful book. I live in an international city and it really helped me understand interactions with people I've met from different cultures or religions. I think it's a helpful guide to understand people around the world much better and it encourages patience and for one not to make assumptions.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had this book during the 2002 Olympics when I worked downtown in SLC, or when I went to Europe in 2003. Not that I had any confrontations, but so that I could appreciate the cultures better. It might be a book I'm always reading, since I 'm just reading bits and pieces that interest me at the moment.

[apwebb83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The information is so useful when trying to understand and not offend people in my diverse community. Who would have thought that a potluck could be offensive? I will use the topics in the book to start discussions among diverse groups and the ensuing conversation is always entertaining, enlightening and ultimately bridge building.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did nothing to squelch my deep desire to BE Rick Steves. This was a fast and wonderful read about intercultural mingling, travel, and communication. I'd love to read something like this which is not geared to U.S. Americans, but rather toward people researching travel to the United States.

[Oscar Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book to really learn about all cultures...even my own culture. I was quite surprised to find out many "things" I was not aware of--about my natal country. Nevertheless, an excellent source of useful information if we want to do business or simply get along with people from other cultures.

Strongly recommend this book to readers of all ages and of course, all cultures.

[Amber Kuehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting!! It really lifted some prejudices and misconceptions I had about other cultures (especially about gender and religious issues).
If you're interested in everyday culture differences and how other cultures do things differently from Americans, read this.

[Jayme Carruthers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. I knew almost none of the facts presented in this book before reading. This is one book I had to read for school that I actually really enjoyed. Hmmm...seems those books always come from my ESL classes.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. It was very easy to read, with a lot of useful/interesting information about etiquette in various cultures. Parts of it seemed redundant and a few examples were a little dated.

[Jen Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for those who wish to avoid unintentionally offending someone from a different culture.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poorly organized. The content was interesting, but I felt as if I was slogging through it to get anything. It's more of a "pick up, put down" book, rather than a wonderful reference.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

191

[Talbot Hook · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is organized well, but it held little in the way of learning for me.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Anyone traveling or anyone working in the service industry should read this. Or just to know your neighbor!