Intro -- Praise for Living in the U.S.A. -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Original Preface -- Introduction -- Part I American Intangibles -- 1 First Impressions -- Pace -- People -- Size -- Climate -- 2 Dominant U.S. American Values -- Egalitarianism -- Informality -- Personal Questions -- Ter ms of Address and Titles -- A Do-It-Yourself Society -- Challenging Authority -- Directness -- Silence -- Public and Private Selves -- Social Distance and Touching -- Americans in Motion -- Controlling Nature -- Personal Progress and Changing Jobs -- Materialism -- Parochialism -- 3 American Cocultures -- Ethnic Differences -- African Americans -- Latino Americans -- Asian Americans -- Native Americans -- Other Groups -- Retired People -- Americans with Disabilities -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Americans -- Class -- Part II American Institutions -- 4 American Social Life -- Friendships -- Parties -- Invitations -- Announcements -- When to Arrive and Leave -- Drinking Alcohol -- Dinner in a Home -- Buffet Meals -- Pot Luck -- Relationships between Men and Women -- Courtesies between the Sexes -- Adult Dating -- Single Women -- Single Women and Single Men -- Gay and Lesbian Social Life -- 5 American Civic Life -- The American Political System -- Majority-Minority Politics -- The American Way of Giving -- Volunteerism -- 6 American Religious Life -- 7 American Family Life -- What's in a Name? -- Gay and Lesbian Families -- Single Parents and "Blended" Families -- Americans and Their Pets -- 8 American Business Life -- Labor Unions -- Women in the Working World -- Job Sharing and Part-Time Work -- Attitudes toward Foreign Investments in the U. S. -- Risk Takers and Experimenters -- Time -- Letting Emotions Show -- Directness and Confrontation -- Competition and Decision Making -- Negotiating -- Tax Compliance and Corporate Fraud.

Life in the Office -- Hiring and Firing -- Informality -- Social Life -- Staff Meetings -- Coffee Breaks -- Collections -- Perquisites or "Perks" -- Business Cards -- Sexual Harassment -- Part III Getting Here and Getting Settled -- 9 Getting Here -- Immigration and Customs -- Visas -- Immigration -- Customs -- Not Allowed -- Pets -- Dependents -- Shipping Your Belongings -- Clothes You Will Need -- 10 Money and Banking -- Coins and Bills -- Banks -- Taking Care with Cash and Valuables -- Sending Money Abroad -- Charge Accounts and Credit Cards -- Tipping -- People You Tip in the United States -- People You Do Not Tip -- Normal Tips -- 11 Medical Care -- Before You Leave Home -- Obtaining Medical Care -- Medical Emergencies -- Urgent Care -- Health Insurance -- 12 Safety and Emergencies -- Safety on the Streets -- Safety and Unescorted Women -- Security at Home -- Fire and Other Emergencies -- Liability and Homeowners' or Renters' Insurance -- 13 Food and Food Customs -- Hotels -- Quick and Cheap -- Bars and Pubs -- Hours of Meals -- American Food Habits -- The Language of Food -- Meat -- Coffee -- Tea -- Other Drinks -- Eggs -- French Fries and Coleslaw -- Hot Dogs and Hamburgers -- Smoking -- Obesity -- Health Food -- 14 Staying in Touch with People -- Postal Service -- Types of Mail Service -- Packages -- Telephones -- Telephone Directories -- Telephone Credit Cards -- Public Telephones -- Answering Machines and Voice Mail -- Cellular (Mobile) Phones -- Telegrams and Cables -- E-Mail and Internet Access -- Dial-Up -- DSL -- Cable -- Satellite -- Wireless Access Points (WAPs) -- 15 Transportation -- On Foot -- By Bus -- By Subway (or Metro) -- By Taxi -- By Car -- Costs -- Licensing -- Automobile Insurance -- Buying a Car -- Secondhand Cars -- Leasing a Car -- Renting a Car -- Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Other Drugs.

Theft of Cars and from Cars -- Service Stations -- Traffic Rules -- Speed Limits -- Parking Rules -- Hitchhikers -- Finding Restrooms -- Part IV For Those Who Stay Longer -- 16 Housing -- How to Begin Looking -- Sources of Information -- Renting a House or Apartment -- Furnished Apartments or Houses -- Housing Agreements and Leases -- Utilities -- Buying a House -- Real Estate Agents and Brokers -- Mortgages -- Moving In -- 17 Shopping: Getting the Most for Your Money -- Food -- Price -- Food Labels -- War nings -- Returning Merchandise -- Warranties -- Repairs -- Telephone Sales -- Installment Plans -- Comparison Shopping and Reduced Prices -- Buying Secondhand -- Auctions, Garage Sales, and Yard Sales -- Thrift Shops -- Internet, Catalogue, and TV Sales -- 18 Household Help and Care of Young Children -- Household Cleaning or Party Help -- Childcare -- Baby-sitters -- Day-Care Centers -- Taxes on Household Employees -- 19 Educating Your Children -- The School Year -- Nursery Schools and Preschools -- Public Schools -- Vocational Schools -- Magnet Schools -- Charter Schools -- Private and Parochial Schools -- Relationships between Parents and School -- After-School or Extracurricular Activities -- Higher Education -- Trade Schools and Technical Colleges -- Junior Colleges and Community Colleges -- Colleges -- Universities -- Summer Camps and Jobs -- 20 Raising Teenagers -- 21 Finding Friends and Having Fun -- The Land of Leisure Time? -- Volunteering -- Organizations and Interest Groups -- Classes and Lectures -- Museums -- The Performing Arts -- Sports -- Swimming -- Other Sports -- Spectator Sports -- Camping and Hiking -- Fishing and Hunting -- Bird Watching -- Watching Americans at Work -- 22 Twenty-First-Century Issues -- The Effect of September 11, 2001 -- The Impact of the War in Iraq -- The Rise of Religious Fundamentalism.

Segregation, Polarization, and "Pernicious" Dualism -- Globalization and Corporate Power -- Health Care and Retirement -- World Leadership -- Energy, Water, and the Environment -- Privacy -- The Wealth Gap -- Conclusion -- Appendix A National Holidays -- Appendix B Conversions -- Temperature -- Weights and Measures -- Clothing Sizes -- Translating Cooking Measures -- Oven Settings -- Endnotes -- Internet Resources -- Index.

Living in the U.S.A., has for many years provided the sojourner with just the information and advice needed to deal with the expected and the unexpected. Now, under Davies' skilled editorship, this sixth edition continues in that tradition. Living in the U.S.A. is a concise but comprehensive guide to attitudes, customs, manners and daily life in the United States. It is factual but lively, educational but not pedantic, informative but not prescriptive.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2019. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.