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Angus Woodward

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Americanisation: Lessons in American Culture and Language Kindle Edition

by Angus Woodward (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 6 ratings

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In this comic novel posing as a textbook, Biti Namoeteri comes to the US for graduate school and gets tangled up in multi-level marketing, personal-injury lawsuits, and romance. Woodward spins an engaging rags-to-riches-and-back-to-rags tale.

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About the Author

Angus Woodward is the author of a short story collection, Down at the End of the River (Margaret Media, 2008). His work has also appeared widely in journals and anthologies. He teaches writing at Our Lady of the Lake College in Baton Rouge, where he lives with his wife and daughters.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006IXOQ5S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Livingston Press (December 5, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 5, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 318 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 199 pages

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4.3 6 ratings

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Angus Woodward

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Angus Woodward was raised by southerners in the Midwest and moved to south Louisiana in 1987. He is the author of the short story collection Down at the End of the River and two satirical novels, Americanisation and Oily. His short stories, poems, personal essays, and scholarship have been published widely in journals and small magazines. In 2019, Angus began publishing graphic nonfiction, appearing in journals such as Hobart, Slag Glass City, and Shenandoah. His current projects are a graphic memoir and a climate-fiction novel. Angus teaches college writing in Baton Rouge. You can find Angus on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Richard Buchholz

My favorite ESL textbook--ever!!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2012

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I wish this textbook had been available when I moved from Germany to the U.S. in 1984 to attend graduate school at Southern Illinois University. Most ESL (English as a Second Language) textbooks are full of boring exercises, outdated slang expressions, and poor quality black-and-white illustrations, but not this one! Instead, you get real insight into American culture, served up in the form of amusing dialogues, dynamic situational activities, and vocabulary lists of the most useful expressions. There is even a kind of intercultural love story (if I am "reading between the lines" correctly) that I found most alluring.

But most importantly, I discovered in this book a much-needed focus on exactly the two areas foreigners find most puzzling about the United States. First, the Americans' freakish compulsion to sue each other and everything else in sight, and secondly their unique (from an international perspective) passion for expanses of neatly trimmed grass ("yards"), sanitized with massive applications of toxic substances until they are bright green and free of weeds and bugs. This was all a mystery to me in 1984, but no more!

I applaud the current trend of American universities requiring incoming freshman to read a book in common before orientation week, during which time they discuss the book with new friends and (perhaps) enjoy a speech by the book's author. May I put forth the modest proposal that ESL departments nationwide adopt Angus Woodward's textbook as required reading material for incoming foreign students? I could not think of a more fitting choice. For who knows? They might end up staying in this country longer than planned (it has happened before).

2 people found this helpful

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Joyce Fox

Mr. Name-O-Eatery

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2015

May 8, 2015

Dear Mr.Wood-ard [Wood-ward]:

This is to inform you that I have not forgotten that I owe you $5; I have only forgotten to mail you the purchase price requested--free shipping--of $5 for Americanisation (zation?): Lessons in American Culture and Language. Well, I haven't always forgotten to mail it; sometimes I think about mailing it, but then I wonder if I should finish reading the book first (I am on page 155, but I will probably have to reread it before I feel qualified to write a review as you asked). Then I remember that you said nothing about paying me only after I had finished reading the entire book. (Or was I supposed to pay you-- I get confused when I think about how little I am being paid for my time. I do think it should have been completed at least 50 pages ago. I have become a little bored with the group at "Dark Mirror." They are such a bunch of crooks and dead-beats. I know lots of folks are “sue-happy,” but this bunch takes the cake!)

If I am to pay you, then you have asked for very little monetary compensation for the many hours that you spent trying to point out and share the humor that you have found while observing the absurdities of our American culture. The use of a text-book approach is quite ingenious, I think. Do you actually use it in class? As I read, I kept imagining the story as a Charlie-Chaplain-like video. It might be a better vehicle for expression. You know...short cartoon-like vignettes...just a suggestion.

Your book really does “shine the light on” (definition?) the fact that we Americans do have an infinite number of utterly ridiculous cultural behaviors. Since I have tried to teach several foreign speaking ladies the intricacies of our American-English language, I have become acutely aware of the difficulties that arise with definitions. When any one word has more than one, and often completely different, definitions, it is no wonder that one lady said, “I’m going back to Brazil!” I don't think your book would be a good text to use with these ladies, however. They would need a great deal more English language proficiency before they could come close to comprehending the meaning of this particular text. If they could but understand, however, they would definitely relate to the language and cultural barriers that Mr. Nam-o-e-teri finds himself dealing with. (By the way, did anyone ever name a good "eatery" for him? Not McDonald’s, I know, because their coffee is definitely too hot!)

As I stated earlier, or did I...no matter...I shall state it here: I find the character names just as ridiculous as you intended them to be. I don't like them all that much, but that's okay. I admit they do have a certain appropriate connotation--Angelo Tongue, Peter Neck...but really...Janet Broccoli? You must have been getting tired. Was she a vegetarian also?

I really must tell you that I had no idea that this book was supposed to be funny when I ordered it from you. In fact, it was not at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a serious treatise on American history or culture or a combination of the two. However, a bargain is a bargain. And, after all, you are practically family, in-laws of family, anyway. So I felt that I owed it to you to plow through it, if that is what it took. It was good that you said in the preface—I think—that it was supposed to be funny. I actually laughed for the first time on page 40 when I read the grapefruit definition: "Americans associate grapefruits with weight loss and breakfast." I think I laughed again over in the hundreds, but I've forgotten what sparked that one now. Actually, my favorite part was the definitions. Yes, that was the funniest part for me. They were so true!

Perhaps I'm not the kind of reader who should be your intended audience. I realize my sense of humor is not normal (I blame my overly religious mother for that)--not normal as compared to my brother-in-laws, for instance. In fact, I think he would actually get quite a "kick" out of your book. Perhaps I will pass it on to him when I finish it.

As I said, I was not expecting a humorous book at all. But the moment I laid eyes on the cover I should have guessed. Seeing poor Mr. Lincoln there with his tie all askew and looking hung-over and dismayed that someone had dyed his hair red while he was drunk the night before gave me quite a pause of concern. I mean... I was almost insulted. After all, isn't it irreverent or something to show disrespect for so great an icon of American equality? Then there was that paper-doll dress that was almost an American flag, but not quite. I thought June Cleaver must be inside there somewhere. But the thing that gave me the most discomfort was that totally realistic picture of a human heart--ugh—I hope you didn’t actually pay somebody to design that cover for you.

Well, I know I've rambled on a bit, but the main purpose for this letter was to let you know that I hadn't forgotten (not completely, anyway) to send you the $5 (free shipping) that I owe you. And so I am herewith enclosing one five dollar bill and I hope you will mark my account "Paid in Full."

(I really must go and finish this thing so I can send it on to Ronnie. He is just the type to get a lot of laughs from it, I bet.)

Sincerely,

Joyce

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Kindle Customer

but it works beautifully as a text/work book as well

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2015

I only gave this a 4 stars because I didn't get a chance to completely read it through. I had just finished skimming it when a friend from out of town (who is an English as a Second Language teacher at the University level) arrived and asked to use it for his class this semester. It calls itself a novel, but it works beautifully as a text/work book as well. I'm looking forward to finding out how the class goes!

One person found this helpful

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jalanlea

One Man's American Dream/Nightmare

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2011

I loved Angus Woodward's Americanisation, a novel in the form of an ESL textbook. It's a hilarious fable about a young man who comes to America from a third-world country to get a graduate degree in Spiritual Geography. In this rags-to-riches-to-rags tale, the naive but likeable Biti quickly finds himself curiously embroiled in a pyramid scheme, a lawsuit, and a romance. The American dream Biti experiences is more of an American Nightmare!

One person found this helpful

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allisonlveal

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2011

I just purchased this book and thus far all that I read is pure genius. I am proud to say that this is my college professor! I recommend that you all buy this book!!!

One person found this helpful

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Chris Hooker

An Humorous Perspective On Americans

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2014

I was sent [Americanisation] by the author [Angus Woodward] since I had read and reviewed another book of his. This one was much different but just as good. I loved the tone of snarkiness that the author uses to portray "typical" American life from the eyes of a new immigrant. Sadly I don't think it was far from the truth.

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