Published: 2004 (1st Edition)
Publisher: First Books, www.firstbooks.com
ISBN: 0-912301-57-0

In this "Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in the USA" Mike Livingston aims to provide a practical guide to everyday life in America and furnish the reader with a selection of other information sources providing more detailed information. He succeeds admirably on both counts and has created a most valuable resource for anyone planning a move to the States.

It should be noted immediately, as the author does himself at the beginning of this book, that this is not a guide to US immigration procedures. Instead, the information included is aimed at those already in in the US.

Starting with a refreshingly honest and even-handed overview of modern day life in America the rest of the book is divided into the following chapters:

Measurement, Money, Communicating, Street Smarts, Consumer Basics, Getting Settled, Finding a Place to Live, Health Care, Education, Work, Etiquette & Society, A Year in the United States, From Sea to Shining Sea (a description of individual regions and states) and Heart & Soul

These are then followed by three appendices containing useful contact information, abbreviations and a number of important documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Compiling a single volume guide to life in the USA for the newcomer is a huge undertaking. America is such a vast and diverse country (both geographically and socially) that it must surely be impossible to cover all aspects of it's society in one book. Equally, immigrants to the US are themselves many and varied. Nevertheless Mike Livingston has taken what appears to be the most sensible approach and concentrated on those areas of life most likely to be of the greatest interest to newcomers and has assumed little or no knowledge of life in the US on the part of the reader. Furthermore, it quickly becomes clear that the content of each chapter is geared just as much towards pointing the reader towards further sources of information as it is to including the "bare necessities" of each topic covered. This works well and sets the book apart from other guides which perhaps try to cram too much in yet paradoxically leave the reader wanting more.

Perhaps inevitably, though, there will still be some sections which individual readers may like to have seen expanded upon (I would have liked to have seen more detailed coverage of public transportation, for example). The fact that the author assumes almost no familiarity with American (perhaps even Western?) culture in some chapters may mean that some parts of the book are of only limited use to Western Europeans or indeed anyone familiar with American culture through film or television. These are minor gripes, however, and should not detract from the book's strength as an accessible source of information.

Mike Livingston's writing style is clear, concise and a pleasure to read. This really feels like a book high on content, low on waffle. Equally welcome is the fact that the author is more than willing to discuss common stereotypes and some negative aspects of American life. This is in no way a promotional work for the US and the frankness with which some subjects are approached, combined with a consistently impartial tone is one of the book's many strong points.

In addition the publishers, First Books, have done an excellent job in putting together a book which "feels" right in the hand and the page layout throughout is clear and highly readable, making it easy to locate important information.

In summary, this is an excellent book and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone considering starting a new life in the Unites States, it is sure to reward the reader many times over.

Amazon.com link
Amazon.co.uk link

Reviewed by

Rod Morris

Expat Focus

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