Xenophobe's Guide to the Aussies Paperback – Illustrated, December 1, 2008

This is my second Xenophobes guide read, and I loved it!This captures the culture (or lack there of) and easy going lifestyle of the everyday Aussie.I found this a really entertaining read and as an Aussie, found it helpful about other parts of the country!It was funny without being offensive and smart without trying to be.It is a must read for the traveler to Oz!

A nice read, describing a land and culture that still seem opaque. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but a pleasant tone. Recommended.

Very good book, humorous but informative. A good explanation of many of the customs and behaviour of Caucasian Aussies. Recommended.

I was not Ok with this book. Their was some humour in it, and I was amused by some of the comments, however I dont think the Australian generally was portrayed in a proper way. As a long term Australian my family has been in Australia since the mid 1800s I did not like the way we were portrayed. In general terms and in some parts the opinions of the authors may have been correct, but not so of all parts, and certainly not so of the Southerners. I will not read it again

I use this series of books to help me prepare to doing international business. Concisely written and a fun quick read.

just what I was looking for

This is the second and last Xenophobes book that I have purchased and read. Why no more? Because they fail both as humor books and culture guides. They aren't funny to me because the "humor" is insult humor. They don't work as culture guides because they are just chock full of stereotypes. I know enough about Australia to know that it is a very diverse place, but if you believed this book you'd think every Aussie is a character out of a Paul Hogan movie.

This was a gift

If you deal with Australians in any capacity, read this first. They may not conform to the archetypes themselves, but they will have been soaked in them, and it will have affected their viewpoint in subtle ways.Written with the dry, laconic wit of an Australian voice, this little book gives an overview of the Australian people and their lives. I agree the variants associated with Greek Australians, Italian Australians etc. have been left out, but it is only a little book, not an encyclopaedia. Women are also mostly left out, but then again, they're mostly left out of the popular imagination inside Australia too, so that's authentic.Highlights include: the famous outdoor sporty lifestyle revolves mostly around watching other people having it on television (myth busted!!!), the deep distrust of politicians and successful businessmen, the can-do culture of wanting to become a successful businessman because all bosses are idiots, the suspicion that arts and culture are something that only Europeans do because they're trapped indoors all the time, and the rabid competiveness of cake stalls run by the Country Women's Association. (But strangely, no mention of stale lamingtons.)Great fun. I'm now reading the rest of the series.

Anything that has the title ‘Xenophobe’s Guide’ can’t be taking too seriously. There is a lot of good old-fashioned stereotyping and tongue in cheek comments. It is not a complete and comprehensive guide of Australia, but I didn’t expect that. I only paid 59 pence for it and at that price I feel I would have a nerve to complain. Bill Bryson’s ‘Down Under’ is a more wide-ranging take on a huge country. For a quick broadbrush snapshot at Australia, I would recommend this as I would any of the Xenophobe’s guides. They are jolly good fun and easy to read.

Having already collected XGTT Germans, Canadians, Greek, English & Scots, a pending parental trip to Australia was a good excuse to purchase the Aussie book for my father for Christmas and like all the other books before it, it's been a great succcess. My dad isn't even that much of a reader, but he's been picking this up, reading exerts to us and chuckling to himself. A great purcahse!

Amusing book for the possums or poms among us who have often wondered why the Aussies are just sooooo.......This is part of the Xenophobe's guide series. Particularly useful when looking for books beginning with X!

You can't fault the xenophobes' guides. This gets all the broad truths across by looking at them from the funny side. Often found myself hooting out loud with laughter.