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lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
A look at cultural differences and some of the core values that shapes those differences. I found the way that this book was organized felt a bit confusing it felt like it jumped around. I did like many of the examples of cultural values and how they play out differently for different cultures. A book to read if you are interested in cross cultural thoughts. I also liked the fact that the author addressed the fact that we are not always only one culture and that living in a different culture can impact our responses over time.
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
3.0
Gish Jen has good ideas on a good topic. She'd be a wonderful person to meet for coffee: warm, funny, quirky, and very very smart.
That said, the book has frustrating flaws. Why, for example, is her description of the fundamental attribution error -- an important part of her argument -- so sketchy that I had to consult Wikipedia for a clear explanation? I know she can write very well. Why didn't she?
Another example: why does she construct this story of the girl at the baggage claim in the preface, then keep me guessing on the resolution until the epilogue? It's only there, after slogging through hundreds of pages, that I finally deduced that the entire story was fiction.
How is this fair, exactly? After all, Gish Jen promised me in the preface that I would understand the logic of the girl at the baggage claim being not being the girl she was supposed to be. She promised me that I would understand why a Chinese family might pull a bait and switch operation on an American school and why they would expect it to succeed.
And then in the epilogue, I find out that there was no girl at all, and no Chinese family determined to deceive Milton
Academy. The whole story was fiction. So the bait and switch was Gish Jen pulling a deception on me.
Gish Jen is a graceful and expressive prose stylist, but I don't like being deceived.
That said, the book has frustrating flaws. Why, for example, is her description of the fundamental attribution error -- an important part of her argument -- so sketchy that I had to consult Wikipedia for a clear explanation? I know she can write very well. Why didn't she?
Another example: why does she construct this story of the girl at the baggage claim in the preface, then keep me guessing on the resolution until the epilogue? It's only there, after slogging through hundreds of pages, that I finally deduced that the entire story was fiction.
How is this fair, exactly? After all, Gish Jen promised me in the preface that I would understand the logic of the girl at the baggage claim being not being the girl she was supposed to be. She promised me that I would understand why a Chinese family might pull a bait and switch operation on an American school and why they would expect it to succeed.
And then in the epilogue, I find out that there was no girl at all, and no Chinese family determined to deceive Milton
Academy. The whole story was fiction. So the bait and switch was Gish Jen pulling a deception on me.
Gish Jen is a graceful and expressive prose stylist, but I don't like being deceived.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
The Girl at the Baggage Claim is Gish Jen's book explaining the East-West culture gap, by examining the differences between interdependent and independent people. We're all somewhere along a continuum, but in the West, and especially the US, we value independence and uniqueness, while in the East, using China as the main example, interdependence with one's family and community is stressed. Jen was raised by parents who had immigrated to the US from China, and now teaches at both American and Asian universities, giving her a perspective that takes in Eastern and Western cultures as both an insider and an outsider.
Having lived in five countries, albeit all in the West, I'm fascinated by how the culture we are raised in shapes how we perceive the world. We make unconscious value judgements all the time, based on nothing more than what we're used to and as the world becomes an increasingly global place, we desperately need to make the effort to understand cultural differences and how to work with and around them.
Jen does go a little academic at times with her subject matter, but it's clearly one that she understands and finds fascinating.
Having lived in five countries, albeit all in the West, I'm fascinated by how the culture we are raised in shapes how we perceive the world. We make unconscious value judgements all the time, based on nothing more than what we're used to and as the world becomes an increasingly global place, we desperately need to make the effort to understand cultural differences and how to work with and around them.
Jen does go a little academic at times with her subject matter, but it's clearly one that she understands and finds fascinating.
situationnormal's review against another edition
3.0
Closer to 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book, but I found it a little too repetitive. I felt like the sections could have been arranged better throughout the book somehow, which might have solved this problem, or maybe a couple of them were too long. I did like the way the book was written, though, with studies and different people cited, and then with the author's own experience thrown in as well. It made the book less dry. I like Jen's writing style a lot, as well. For a subject I wouldn't consider myself *extremely* interested in, I found the book compulsively readable and sometimes couldn't find a point when I was willing to put it down and move on to another task.
halaagmod's review against another edition
Like yes this was for class, but I also didn't really care, partially because I hated the class but also because I didn't like Jen's style of writing. From as far as I got I could tell you just as much about the East-West cultural gap as I could going in, which is basically squat damn.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Classism, and Xenophobia
inquiry_from_an_anti_library's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
Overview:
Different cultures think differently about how each individual fits in their society. Cultures influence how much control each individual thinks they have to shape events. Whether the individual chooses every decision, to decisions being a product of the situation and influenced by the community. Cultures that are individualistic prioritize oneself and contrast themselves to others. Cultures that are interdependent flexi-self do not have clear personal boundaries, for the boundary is fluid within their group, but do have a boundary for an outgroup. Individualistic cultures prioritize individual achievement and effort. Flexi-self cultures prioritize the context and community that facilitated the achievement.
Different ways of understanding can create misunderstanding when interpreting the decisions of people from other cultures. A cultural clash. Each type of culture has its advantages and disadvantages. The dichotomy between individualistic and flexi-self has deviations for individuals within the cultures can think differently. People and organizations can also become ambidependent, by making decisions and interpreting them using both types of understandings.
Caveats?
The book is composed of mostly examples. Lacking a systematic analysis of the ideas. The focus is primarily to explain flexi-self cultures such as China, while often contrasting it with individualistic cultures such as America. These examples themselves are diverse ways to understand the concept of a flexi-self, they do not necessarily add value to the concept of flexi-self.
donzhivago's review against another edition
Sadly failed to answer why people in Sydney's Chinatown stand 8 wide on the sidewalk.
innae's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting look at how culture shapes us, but still there is hope on controlling your own self.