America-Culture Shock

Informative and enlightening April 25, 2007
By Reader Views
Format:Paperback
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (3/07)

Ian Moore is a well-traveled and exceptional individual. Born in London, England to Jamaican and English parents; Ian received his own culture shock as a young man. As a way to deal with it, he traveled Europe, the Middle East and West Africa. After extensively traveling the world, Mr. Moore elected to settle in Oakland, California in 1981 where he presently resides.

Ian Moore produces a weekly cable show (coincidentally called, "Culture Shock News") and broadcasts a weekly radio program of the same name.

In "America: Culture Shock," Ian Moore has summoned all his memories of past adventures in travel -- memories from the days of a young man exploring the world to his return to America. Ian speaks to us of world diversity that spans the globe. He explains the price of greed and in poetic form; the land once possessed.

One of the many unique parts of the book was the "Culture Shock Interviews." They were transcripts of a 1993 news show the author did. He interviewed eight people from different lands and cultures. In this interview he gets their reaction to their culture shock experiences in America.

From a Puerto Rican writer to an Afro-American journalist, each voices their thoughts.
According to Ian, culture shock has many symptoms and five stages. He explains this in Part III, "The ABC's of Culture Shock." Along with this he also goes into such things as "Surviving Culture Shock" and "Cultural Training."

Part IV deals with "Cultural Adjustment in the USA" and the last part, part V, is an ironic description of "The Benefits of Culture Shock."

"America: Culture Shock" is an interesting and diversified volume of poetry and prose.
It is written with many contributions from existing work which the author has blended into a melting pot of experience. He takes all things from all people and gives the reader a view from their perspective. "America: Culture Shock" is interesting and easy to read. It is worth looking at from the standpoint of outside opinion. How the rest of the world perceives us in the grand scheme of things. I considered "America: Culture Shock" worth the time and gave it a B+. Not something I would go out of my way for, but the book is informative and enlightening.

Review of Ian c. Dawkins Moore's America: Culture Shock October 21, 2006
By James H. Quina
Format:Paperback
Through his travel in Israel, Jamaica, London, Africa, India and China, Ian Dawkins Moore demonstrates in his America: Culture Shock that "culture joins and separates people, not color or race." Moore's non-linear prose style challenges the reader with mixtures of poetry from Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Moore's own sonnets and excerpts from Alex de Tocqueville, Vance Packard, Baudelaire and Thomas Sewell. In Part Four: Cultural Adjustments in America, Moore offers practical advice for those entering American Culture--advice on money management, health care and job search. Moore's rhapsodic delivery surprises, amuses and delights.