It's hard to find good books that help you understand other countries. Most bookstores carry travel books - for tourists. Business sections have a limited selection of international business books. You've found the right place. Every few weeks (yeah right!), we'll pick a topic and select what we think are the best books - whether they're new or old - as long as they're still in print and represent the best value for money. We are opinionated - but we welcome your opinions too! If you want a particular topic or want to review or comment on books, tell us! We might even publish you.

Buying the Books

• Browse through our selections.
• When you find a book you want to buy, click on the title.
• That will take you to Amazon Books where you click on the shopping basket button.
• You'll see the contents of your shopping basket.
• If you want to browse more at our bookstore,click your browser's Back button (the left arrow) to return to Expat Forum
• When you're ready to buy, click on any book title to return to Amazon and "check out".
• They will collect the personal, shipping, and financial information and ship the book to you. It is so secure that they won't tell us who you are - and they don't give us the credit unless you use our link.
• Amazon.com has agreed to handle the payment and shipping logistics for Expat Forum's Bookstore - and we've agreed to save you time by reviewing books, selecting the best, and linking directly to that book in their catalog. They meet Expat Forum's criteria for security. By using Expat Forum's link:
  

• you save time and you get the books at the regular Amazon price
• you can have the books shipped to you anywhere in the world
• we receive credit and can continue to weed out the best books for you

Guides for Living Overseas

Here are some good guides for living overseas that are generic rather than country specific. They can help you get through a particular stage of the assignment - whether it's moving overseas, cultural adaptation (that's academic-speak for successfully settling in), or returning home. Others address some of the unique issues faced by employees, trailing spouses, women, families, children, etc. Those things happen regardless of where you may be moving. What they share is a focus on the practical - more or less - rather than academic treatises on psychology, cultural anthropology, etc.

Survival Kit For Overseas Living by L. Robert Kohls

If there is a "classic" overview, this is it. The book has been around for fifteen years but is revised and updated periodically to keep it fresh. The book is written from an American perspective and focuses on how to successfully settle in and take advantage of the overseas experience. This includes recognizing and managing culture shock, understanding how cultural values affect behavior, avoiding stereotypes, developing communications and observation skills, getting to know your hosts, and coping with difficulties and restrictions. There are chapters that address "special situations" - such as families, trailing spouses, short term assignments and travel. Indispensable for first-timers and an excellent review for "veterans".

The Art Of Crossing Cultures by Craig Storti

This book focuses on making the personal changes necessary to successfully adapt to living overseas. It pulls in some theory from psychology and communications and some literary perceptions from great authors. (As an aside - the expat experience has produced some good literature and fiction. We'll feature some of those in a future selection.) The book excels at helping expats understand how to anticipate cultural differences and their personal, automatic reaction to those. It then helps expats prepare to master those reactions rather than "withdraw". An excellent resource for those who want more details on what to expect in making a successful adaptation.

The Art Of Coming Home by Craig Storti

So, you've successfully completed your expat assignment and are getting ready to return home. No sweat - right? Well, 25% will "fail" in this next step (from the employer's perspective) and many more will experience significant confusion and stress. This book explores the process of returning home and reaping the benefits of their overseas experience. It defines four stages of reentry - and through narrative, quotes, examples, and suggestions - helps expats identify and deal with each stage. Special sections for employees, spouses, teenagers, children, military, missionaries, and students address some of those unique issues. This book is long overdue. Excellent for all returning expats and HR professionals who want to know what specifically they can do to improve their repatriation process.

Moving Your Family Overseas by Rosalind Kalb and Penelope Welch

Families face more "logistical" issues than singles. This book focuses on many of those logistical issues. It is very strong in addressing many of the pre-move preparations and first-year issues - from deciding to go, informing the family, preparing to move, settling in, finding social outlets, keeping the family functioning, and preparing for the move home. There's a good balance between general advice and detailed suggestions - and the focus is practical. Indispensable for families - and very useful for singles in addressing the logistical "stuff".

The Adventure Of Working Abroad by Joyce Sautters Osland

This book is excellent in serving two purposes. First, it addresses the unique issues that expatriate employees need to resolve in order to succeed overseas. This includes unstructured/indefinite assignments, multiple bosses, significant responsibilities and independence, using cultural mentors, communicating with a HQ that "doesn't get it", career management, conflicting priorities and missions, etc. Second, it provides unique "Aha!" insights into how the expat experience changes every expat - employee or not. Those intangibles that you can't explain to non-expats - but that can be very profound and permanent. The metaphor of the "hero-myth" and some of the paradoxes are very useful. The book offers some practical suggestions for dealing with workplace issues and probably the best overview of "what it all means". It pulls in academic sources/theory and extensive experiences of other expats. Excellent for expats - especially veterans and first-timers who've gotten through the first months - and for HR professionals who want to understand the expat experience to develop a successful international program.

The Transplanted Executive by P. Christopher Earley and Miriam Erez

Managing a local workforce can be confusing - especially if you're still trying to adapt yourself. Offering sensible solutions to everyday problems, this book shows how employees with different backgrounds respond to specific managerial techniques. It describes why the same management practices used in the same country can generate success for some, but failure for others. Each chapter focuses on a different issue - effective communication, motivation, team development, leadership, and quality. There is also a table which provides cultural business profiles of different countries. This book is a great practical overview for understanding the issues you're likely to face and is useful for both prospective expatriate managers and international business travellers. There will be future selections specific to international management and country-specific guides. But this book is useful here because it can help you in the early stages.

There In The World Are You Going? by Judith M. Blohm

In the turmoil of a family move, the children are often unprepared. They don't know what to expect, they don't know how to help, they are scared of the new place, and they fear losing their friends. But this book can help. It is an activity workbook specifically for kids (ages 5 - 10). They can write, draw pictures, and explore what's on their minds (their fears and excitements) related to the move. They're given suggestions on how to stay in touch with friends, how to deal with pets which may be left behind, how they can help the family and each other, and how they can make their new home exciting and fun. Uniquely useful and fun.

Women's Guide To Overseas Living by Nancy J. Piet-Pelon and Barbara Hornby