Grace, Patricia et al. Earth, Sea, Sky: Images and Maori Proverbs from the Natural World of Aotearoa New Zealand
In Earth, Sea, Sky, the authors' lyrical translations and explanations of Maori poetry and traditional wisdom are presented alongside Craig Potton's evocative New Zealand landscape photographs. This result of the collaboration of internationally proven talents will appeal to New Zealanders and visitors alike, who will appreciate sensitive and thoughtful insight into the Maori world.
BuyLabels: Culture, Environment, Literature, New Zealand
Hagen, Toni. Nepal: The Kingdom in the Himalayas
This is one of the most complete studies of Nepal's people, geography and geology. Hagen has travelled extensively throughout Nepal and the book reflects his intimate knowledge of the country.
BuyLabels: Culture, Environment, Nepal
Hessler, Peter. Oracle Bones: A Journey between China's Past and Present
Having lived in China for a decade now, fluent in Mandarin and working as a correspondent in Beijing, Hessler displays impressive knowledge, research and personal encounters as he brings the country's peoples, foibles and history into sharp focus.
Buy Labels: Armchair Travel, Biography, China, Culture
Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
In 1996, 26-year-old Peter Hessler arrived in Fuling, a town on China's Yangtze River, to begin a two-year Peace Corps stint as a teacher at the local college. Along with fellow teacher Adam Meier, the two are the first foreigners to be in this part of the Sichuan province for 50 years.
BuyLabels: Armchair Travel, Biography, China, Culture
Honduras (Cultures of the World)
A competent, up-to-date look at this Central American nation. Following introductory chapters on the geography, history, and government, the clearly written book focuses on contemporary life. The economy, population, religion, leisure activities, holidays, indigenous and ethnic groups, and rural and urban lifestyles are all covered.
BuyLabels: Culture, Honduras
In Focus Ecuador: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture
Ecuador is currently one of the major tourist destinations in the Americas, offering unparalleled colonial architecture, dramatic landscapes and the eco-tourist mecca of the Galapagos Islands. Ecuador in Focus is an authoritative and up-to-date guide to this multi-faceted country.
BuyLabels: Culture, Ecuador, Politics
Jamieson, Neil L. Understanding Vietnam
'Discloses what the American military and political leadership largely misunderstood. The nature of Vietnamese society, the confrontation with colonialism and Western values, the resistance of the intellectuals, and the culture of the people.' - New York Times Reviewer. Buy
Labels: Culture, History, Politics, Vietnam
Kane, Joe. Savages
In this impressive, funny and moving work, Joe Kane tells the story of the Huaorani, a tribe living in the deepest part of the Amazonian rain forest in Ecuador. The Huaorani have only in the last generation been exposed to such items as the wristwatch. But the modern world is reaching them quickly, for better or worse - usually worse - they live astride some of Ecuador's richest oilfields.
BuyLabels: Culture, Ecuador
Klepper, Nicolai. Taste of Romania: Its Cookery and Glimpses of Its History, Folklore, Art, Literature, and Poetry
Klepper paints a pretty picture of his native country's culinary possibilities. It's a mine of information and a beautiful read - a wonderful way of discovering Romania.
BuyLabels: Culture, Romania
Koonings, Kees and Dirk Kruijt (Eds). Fractured Cities: Social Exclusion, Urban Violence and Contested Spaces in Latin America
Based on new empirical evidence, interviews with local people and historical contextualization, the authors attempt to shed light on the faultlines which have appeared in Latin American society.
BuyLabels: Culture, El Salvador, History, Politics
Landscapes of Struggle: Politics, Society and Community in El Salvador
Offers a broad, interdisciplinary assessment of El Salvador from the late nineteenth century to the present, focusing on the ways local politics have shaped the development of the nation.
BuyLabels: Culture, El Salvador, Politics
Lanier, Sarah A. Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - And Cold - Climate Cultures
'As a college Professor, I have been using this book as a textbook to help my students learn how to communicate cross-culturally for almost 2 years now. It is a real eye-opener both for students from Mid-America and for students from Latin America and Asia. It is so easy to be misunderstood'. - Amazon review.
BuyLabels: Culture, Educational
Lonely Planet World Food Thailand
From pulse-pounding Bangkok to tranquil villages moored along the Mekong River, Thai cuisine is as rich and diverse as the culture it sustains. This unique culinary guide takes you to the heart of the kingdom's food culture.
BuyLabels: Culture, Thailand
Culture Smart! Philippines: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette
This book is not a travel guide, although it describes places to visit; it gives a good historical overview of the Philippines, then spends much of its 168 pages explaining daily life and cultural issues. BuyLabels: Culture, Philippines, Travel Guide
Culture Smart! India: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette
Culture Smart is a new series of travel guides written for the traveller on the go. Each volume is a quick, accurate guide to customs and etiquette; all the essential cultural and etiquette points are covered, making you confident in a variety of situations. BuyLabels: Culture, India, Travel Guide
Crowder, Nicholas. Culture Shock! Ecuador
Nowhere on earth will you find such a unique and diverse country as Ecuador. It is a complex place which requires time and compassion to understand. This book is informed, fluent, involved, intelligent and luridly realistic. BuyLabels: Culture, Ecuador
Burrows, Gideon. Trigger Issues: Kalashnikov AK47 (Trigger Issues Series)
Vodka, chess, hip-hop and child soldiers.... All are linked by the Kalashnikov, the iconic but deadly Russian rifle. There are some 90 million of these guns - and they do not die when their owners do. A provocative read that explains the arms trade, politics and culture through the grimly fascinating lens of the world's deadliest weapon. BuyLabels: Culture, Politics
Bumiller, Elisabeth. May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of India
The overall powerlessness of Indian women is shown through a discussion of traditions and portraits of typical individuals. Based on Bumiller's four-year residence in India, this perceptive, alert travelogue considers the prevalent custom of arranged marriage, India's scattered, budding feminist movement, population control, female infanticide and the legacy of Indira Gandhi. BuyLabels: Culture, India, Women
Nickles, Greg. El Salvador: The People and Culture
The book has only 32 pages, so while it touches on many subjects, each only gets a two-page spread. Within these limitations, though, the book presents useful information in a narrative form and with minimal bias. Buy
Labels: Culture, El Salvador
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried
Every story in The Things They Carried speaks another truth that Tim O'Brien learned in Vietnam; it is this blurred line between truth and reality, fact and fiction, which makes his book unforgettable. Buy
Labels: Armchair Travel, Culture, Vietnam
Ogunsanya, Dokpe L. "My Cooking" West-African Cookbook
This cookbook offers a fascinating glimpse into the West African kitchens. The book includes authentic easy recipe pages, colourful photos, etc. The book comes handy as an educational tool and makes for an interesting reading if used in the classroom or as a source for personal growth on the subject area if used outside the classroom. Buy
Labels: Culture, Ghana
Palmer, Martin. Travels through Sacred China: Guide to the Soul and Spiritual Heritage of China
A guide to the sacred places of China, a country with centuries of religious tradition. The authors exhibit an impressive knowledge of the sacred sites, and provide historical and political background, anecdotes, and details of the daily life of the people who live in there. Buy
Labels: China, Culture, Travel Guide
Sen, Amartya. The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity
As India's multicultural society confronts violent sectarianism at home and a range of destabilizing forces internationally, these illuminating essays from Nobel Prize winning economist Sen offer a timely and cogent examination of the country's long history of heterodoxy and public discourse. Challenging the notion of the West as sole originator of liberal values, the book bears forcefully on contemporary debates over multiculturalism, secularism and postcolonial identity. Buy
Labels: Culture, History, India
Biesanz, Mavis Hiltunen, Richard Biesanz, Karen Zubris Biesanz. The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica
Much more than a land of coffee and bananas, Costa Rica boasts more teachers than soldiers; it has even abolished its army. This book is divided into 11 chapters covering history, government and politics, the economy, the family, education, and religion. The authors draw on their experiences in the country, interviews with people from all walks of Costa Rican life, and secondary sources. The result is a solid monograph on Costa Rica that points out the contradictions in its perception by the rest of the world. BuyLabels: Costa Rica, Culture, History, Politics
Sobania, Neal. Culture and Customs of Kenya
Kenya, a land of safaris, wild animals, and Masai warriors, perfectly represents Africa for many Westerners. This peerless single-source book presents the contemporary reality of life in Kenya, an important East-African nation that has served as a crossroads for peoples and cultures from Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia for centuries. Buy
Labels: Culture, Kenya
Templer, Robert. Shadows and Wind: A View of Modern Vietnam
Through many vivid interviews and brief, crisp essays on economics, politics, culture, and society, Templer reveals the contemporary problems of a government mired in Socialist rhetoric but looking forward to reform and global participation while many common people seek their own ways. His tone is both critical and admiring. BuyLabels: Culture, Vietnam
The World Guide Book (10th Edition 2005/2006)
The World Guide provides you with a refreshingly different perspective of the countries of the world. Drawing on United Nations and other mainstream data, it includes all the facts, history, political and economic analysis you would find in a conventional reference work, but it also offers information on the issues central to the lives of people in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. BuyLabels: Culture, History, Politics
Thompson, Phyllis L. Dear Alice: Letters Home from American Teachers Learning to Live in China
"I just finished reading Dear Alice. I found it extremely helpful in preparing myself mentally for an upcoming trip to China. The letters were quite authentic and honest, often revealing small details about the enigma of life in China" - Amazon Review.
BuyLabels: China, Culture
Towell, Larry. El Salvador
A deeply compelling look at a tumultuous country, Larry Towell's photographs are at once powerful and compassionate, revealing a country of violence, heartbreak, strength, and dignity. BuyLabels: Culture, El Salvador, Pictorial
Barry, Tom. Central America Inside Out
This indispensable guide offers a comprehensive, country-by-country look at the current state of affairs in the most explosive region in the hemisphere. BuyLabels: Costa Rica, Culture, El Salvador, Honduras, Politics
Ashwill, Mark A. and Thai Ngoc Diep. Vietnam Today: A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads
A practical and relevant guide that provides a deeper understanding of Vietnam's rich heritage and recent changes. In-depth and comprehensive. BuyLabels: Culture, Vietnam
Anderson, Mary M. The Festivals of Nepal
An excellent rundown of Nepal's many festivals, this work includes accounts of the legends and tales behind the festivals as well as a great deal of background information on the Hindu religion. BuyLabels: Culture, Nepal
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As India's multicultural society confronts violent sectarianism at home and a range of destabilizing forces internationally, these illuminating essays from Nobel Prize winning economist Sen offer a timely and cogent examination of the country's long history of heterodoxy and public discourse. Challenging the notion of the West as sole originator of liberal values, the book bears forcefully on contemporary debates over multiculturalism, secularism and postcolonial identity. Buy 
