Brit-Think, Ameri-Think: A Transatlantic Survival Guide, Revised Edition Here is a book to help you understand those who live across the pond (both ways). This book should help you understand the pysche of Brits and Yanks. It possesses a light style of writing, with cute cartoons that support the text that discusses cultural differences between the two societies. It was a very enjoyable read and informative, as well. CAUTION, two versions exist. The original that contains many references to Ronald Reagan/ Maragret Thatcher and life in the the 1980s, in general. The second version was re-written and updated for the 21st century. Make sure you are getting the book you want. Other than that, I fully recommend it all anglophiles and yankophiles out there.

This book explains Boris Johnson's rumpled, ill-fitting suit and untucked shirt at the Olympic Games closing ceremonies.

Updated by inserting more current paragraphs into the original text, this remains one of the most insightful and funniest comparisons of two very different cultures. One (USA) is a country of No Limits, No Rules, No Boundaries, and the other (Britain) is a country limited by unspoken rules, invisible lines and serpentine boundaries. Jane Walmsley skewers the two, with warmth and humor. If you're an American overseas, you'll see yourself AND you'll recognize your UK colleagues. And if you are an American planning to travel or do business in the UK, this book is an invaluable guide to exactly what IS and IS NOT going to interfere with getting the job done. This book is real, it's authentic, and it's a truly fun read. BUY NOW.

This is a wonderful perspective of both Brits and Yanks and I highly recommend it.

Those who frequently travelled to the UK like I do will laugh at the author's spot on musings on Brit-think and Ameri-think. I read this book after coming back from the UK and completely related to the tales of how miserably cold Americans feel as soon as they land in the UK. While everyone else walked around in flimsy t-shirts, pretending it was 100 degrees in the shade, I was covered in layers of sweaters and yet felt chilly 24/7! This is a must read for those who've been to the UK and even for those who haven't (at least you' ll be prepared).

I am both and English and American citizen, and I finally understand how I have become so screwed up : )
This explains it all, and is laugh out loud funny.
A gem!!!

At the risk of going on a tirade, it deplicted all Americans to be gum-chewing, pink-cowboy-hat-wearing, loud, uneducated, boorish idiots. Conversely, it depicted the English/ British as pompous, bowler-hat-wearing, demure, easily-offended, hyper-mannered, stifled bores. I am American and my husband is English; we are nothing if not the polar opposite of these depictions. I was constantly offended my the author's wide-cast net of stereotypes. I agree there are many in ANY country of these type-casts, but to write a book attempting to acclimatize people to a new country/ lifestyle/ attitude... honey, do some more research that isn't heavily embedded in watching old reruns of "Keeping Up Appearances" and/ or "Dukes of Hazard".

This book Pokes fun but tells the truth about our two cultures. It is a very entertaining eye-opener as it compares the American and the British point of view concerning all the basics of living. A quick read with quite a few chuckles.

This book Pokes fun but tells the truth about our two cultures. It is a very entertaining eye-opener as it compares the American and the British point of view concerning all the basics of living. A quick read with quite a few chuckles.

I know some reviewers found this book offensive, but my mother is British and I can honestly say I was not offended. In fact, I found myself smiling and laughing more than once while reading it. Different chapters made me think back on some of my adventures with the "relatives" I was surrounded by when I was a child (while summering with Mum in the UK) and trying to figure everyone out!
I don't think the author meant to imply that Americans were in any way superior (goodness knows we have our faults!), and I do concur that some of the descriptions of Brits were a tad outdated. Just remember if you do buy this book to take it with a grain of salt.

Ms Walmsley clearly grinds her axe on both sides, but there's a lot of food for thought here, both as comparisons between the two English-speaking populations and as "if the shoe fits" mirrors

Ms Walmsley clearly grinds her axe on both sides, but there's a lot of food for thought here, both as comparisons between the two English-speaking populations and as "if the shoe fits" mirrors

I cannot believe this book was actually published. This is THE MOST racist (if not entirely xenophobic) book I have EVER had the misfortune to read. I am so thankful that I myself didn't buy this book (it was bought as a present, and has since been swiftly returned to the store, good riddance) and therefore give money to this revolting, despicable American woman who obviously has serious issues with her British husband - of whom has probably divorced her since she wrote the book. Or maybe whom divorced her prior to her writing, hence why it is so morbidly bitter about the British.

The book compares Americans in the 21st century with a view of the British in the 1950's. An entirely unfare account of the UK and all whom live in it.

Brash, defamatory lies are spewn across the pages depicting Brits to be living in a repressed, behind-the-times, ugly nation of second-bests and losers. However, Americans are shown to be the most amazing creations in existence (how surprising that an American should have the utter audacity to believe such propaganda) with every page explaining their "magnificence" and how they are FAR superior to the British.

When there ARE the very occasional compliments to the British way of life, these are then very quickly slapped around the face with a scandalous, condescending dig, and then noted how America is an APPARENTLY far more exceptional country...


I cannot believe I actually wasted a few hours of my life reading this book. Please, for the sake of your time, money and humanity, do not buy or bother to read this book.
I really think this print should be discontinued and a full apology written by the author to all readers on how misguided she was on both the supposedly backwards Brits and godsent Americans who can do no wrong....


I would give this book 0 stars out of 5 if I could.

Brit-think, Ameri-think is extremely outdated in its information about and analysis of the British population. At times it borders on xenophobia. I would strongly recommend avoiding this book.

Brit-think, Ameri-think is extremely outdated in its information about and analysis of the British population. At times it borders on xenophobia. I would strongly recommend avoiding this book.

Yeah, it's all right. In fact it's better than that. This was just a really great book. It's dated, no question about it. But it really does provide some very useful insight into the REASONS behind our cultural differences. The same reasons I wasn't able to explain to my friends are articulated brilliantly here in this oft-times witty tome.

I'm an American living in the North West of England, and I happened upon this book in my local Barnes and Noble the night before my return flight to England. As I'm never very happy about having to return, I thought this book might be just the ticket for a quick, light and entertaining read to pass the time on the flight. This book turned out to be the perfect choice! I think people around me must have thought I was deranged, as I would burst out laughing every few minutes. Her take on Brits and Americans is right on target. The thing that made me laugh the most was the chapter on British home decorating taste, which more times than not is an oxymoron. Also the bit about Americans thinking that death is optional, while the Brits think it's inevitable, so why do anything to fight it? I highly recommend this to Americans living in the U.K., and Brits living in the U.S. What a great read!

I came across this book by change when in the US and I am glad I bought it then. It made good reading on the long flight back home,Australia, and left me with a couple of thoughts about how languages change,evolve into new languages, etc. English from England has become a bit like Italian in Italy after the fall of the Roman Empire. Good old English is a long way away from what is spoken now in the US and Australia as well, and other parts of the world. Behind this fragmentation of English lies different cultural experiences as is clear from this usefulbook. I cannot help thinking that it would be very useful to have a similar book for the Australian language.

This book by an American born woman who has been transplanted to Britain is a very enjoyable read. Her anecdotal style makes the information fun and fascinating, and her insights invaluable, though one must have a sense of humor about both cultures as she is very tongue-in-cheek. As opposed to most other books I've read on the subject that are almost strictly technical, Walmsley tells the readers in a very conversational style about many differences that wouldn't occur to most travelers - differences in attitude (about sex, gender issues, finance, etc.), values, customs, etiquette and habits; and she may sometimes touch a little on why the discrepencies exist.

Because this is in no way a dictionary style book, she does not offer alternate words, phrases or technical info. Thus, as a supplement, I highly recommend "Divided by a Common Language" by Christopher Davies, who (as opposed to Walmsley) is a Brit who now lives in Florida.

All in all - a humorous, anecdotal insight into two very different cultures. Even though this may not be as technical as some travelers would prefer, the information is crucial for developing a truer understanding than is offered in any travel guide, so do not pass it over for the latter; buy it as well.

This book has been updated and now reflects many modern cultural traits for comparison as well as new words to compare. It also compares attitudes to war and the Brit perception of the Amis' politics and vice versa.

The section on the differences in British/American humor is particularly funny but the entire book is humorous. Tongue-in-cheek but all from those 'grains of truth' we often fail to see in our own cultures.

I highly recommend it as a light read that'll make you smile in recognition and give you a few of those 'aha!' moments.

As a Brit married to a Yank, I had to laugh at a few of the customer reviews below. Some people seemed to be very seriously expecting a guide about how to avoid horrible breaches of business etiquette. Just because it has 'Survival Guide' in the title..... lighten up!

Admittedly, it probably is a little dated. I was given my treasured, tattered copy a number of years ago by an Anglophile Yank, and laughed my head off at the very accurate observations. I suddenly understood why my American friends thought I had a 'poor self-image' - they take all that self-depracating humor seriously!

This short, biting, tongue in cheek satire does not necessarily pick original targets: bad teeth, the royal family, food, clothing, temperature, sex, etc. This is no small matter as Walmsley gleeflully creates a super fast and light read highlighting the many differences existing on both sides of the pond. An American married to a Brit herself, Walmsley has experienced first hand all the dichotomous behaviors seperating us from our former landlords. My favorite chapter focuses on our respective perceptions and reactions to Death. In this particular chapter, Walmsley hits her target like a SAS (or SEAL) sniper.

This is not great literature, it is just simply plain fun as well as required reading for any true card carrying Anglophilic American patriot like myself. A pure harmless (and highly affordable!) way to spend an hour or pass the time on a transatlantic flight.

Not very funny the first time. Not very accurate. Really out of date, cliched throughout. I tend to think that "humour" like this at the expense of others show that the author may be struggling for genuine content.
My advice - leave this one on the shelf!

This book is funny -- it will provide laughs for the American expat or traveler who has spent a fair amount of time in Britain, who has seen the socks & sensible sandals combo, suffered through the self-deprecating humor, sipped a few too many sodas sans ice, watched sandwiches eaten with knife & fork, had "puddings" for dessert. Beyond the laugh factor, I'm not sure how useful it is. A casual traveler might be helped by the Brit-American dictionary in the front of the book ("chips = French fries, crisps = potato chips, biscuit = cookie, scone = biscuit," etc., but beyond that, I wouldn't rely on this as a "survival guide."

This book is a humorous and mostly accurate comparison and contrast of the British and American cultures. It explores a wide array of the facets of our cultures, showing that George Bernard Shaw was right on the money when he said that the British and the Americans were two peoples divided by a common language.

The major problem with this book is that it is dated. A lot of references to the politics and pop culture of the Eighties, including Margaret Thatcher, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, the television shows "Dallas" and "Dynasty" and their characters and stars.

Other than this, a good book to have if you are interested in the cultural differences one finds across the Atlantic, but I'm not sure how reliable a cultural guide it would be if you were to travel today.

... tediously implemented. After the first dozen pages, you fairly much can predict the rest of the book. My copy ended up in the fire, I'm afraid.

I recently moved to the UK and bought this book to "prepare" myself for the differences I knew I would experience. I found the book to be extremely out of date. For example, the book referenced the old American show Dynasty about 5 times. I showed it to a few of my British friends and we had a good laugh. Instead of sharing a laugh about our differences, we were laughing at the book. I'm sure it was good in the 80s.

I've worked for a British-based company for fifteen years and was introduced to this book by my British colleague a number of years ago. We were working on a three year project involving Brits and Americans. We started each of our workshops by reading a chapter from this book. What a great ice-breaker and afterwards, we convened with a better understanding of our cultural differences. Since then, I own three copies of this book (always on loan and quite frayed around the edges)!

I was absolutely hooked by page 4. Working for a British controlled company in the southern United States, and also having a British boss, I was "keen" to have a better understanding of why there were so many disconnects in our communication.

Between chortles and tears of laughter, I discovered the true understanding of why we are separated by a common language. Highly recommended - particularly for those who deal with the Yank / Brit equation on a regular basis. Thanks to this book I have a true appreciation (and now understanding) of those puzzled looks I receive on a daily basis!

My boss needs to read it next!

This book creases me up. As an angry young man growing up in England, it was fashionable to rage against the cultural imperialism of the folks with whom we share something of a common language but actually surprisingly little culture across the water. Now I thoroughly enjoy visiting the US and doing most of my business with Americans - and I put some of the fun and success I've had doing that down to this book. It was bought for me by an all-american gal with the words 'Hugh, read this if you want us get along!" (by the way that's 'get along' not 'get on' - just one example of a potential pitfall for the unwary!). Thank you Marly - and I hereby pass on your commendation to anyone else who's trying to have business or personal relationship across the atlantic divide!

I spent 2 years in England and of all the books and articles I read, Brit-Think, Ameri-Think was the most insightful about both American and British culture. Rather than just list a catalogue of different words and customs, the authors lay out 7 fundamental differences between the cultures that form and inform all the details that we notice. Now that I'm back in America I still think about what they had to say about American culture, and I chuckle.

This book does a great job of explaining the cultural differences between America and Great Britain. It's witty and funny, and a good book to spend an afternoon reading just for fun. The only problem that I had with the book is that is seems a bit dated, having been published in the mid-1980s