Endorsements I congratulate you on writing this timely work. This will promote better mutual understanding between America and Asia. Tommy Koh, Singapore Ambassador to the U.N. and U.S. Your book covers a broad range of topics that I am sure many…will find very useful. I certainly agree with you on the importance of mutual understanding, which [this] book serves to promote. Clark T. Randt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to China I greatly appreciate your efforts in sharing with other people your opinion and experience on the exchanges between different peoples and cultures. It is so important for us to better understand each other while striving to build a better world for all. Zhou Wenzhong, China Ambassador to U.S. A to Z is by a scholar of globalization. Raised and schooled in India and widely traveled, I believe that discrimination is based on ignorance. [This book] tears at this veil and is as objective as is humanly possible. The message is clear, the text has flow and the language is easy to understand. Readers will find this book useful, no matter which portal they would like to enter from. Dr. Stephen Gill, poet, novelist and literary critic Misunderstandings often happen needlessly due to ignorance and differences in cultures. I really wish I had read this book when I lived in China in order to learn more about the U.S. Since moving to America and getting my MBA, it is not too late because there is so much to learn from A to Z. I highly recommend this book that could change your life! Lily Lang, financial analyst, Washington, D.C. I found this book refreshingly different from the general run of books in this genre because it shows both Americans and foreigners warts and all! Mohammad Vazeeruddin, India journalist; former Associate Editor, The Tribune The A to Z chapters are nicely written and are very informative. The language is simple and lucid and presented in a nice manner with fine sequence. The writer’s efforts of thorough research are praiseworthy. It is, in short, a realistic bible of modern America. Jay Gajjar, India language professor, writer of three hundred short stories I’ve lived in America 20 years. I took ESL [English as a Second Language] classes for three years and studied five years with a tutor. Until reading A to Z, I never found a book to help me with my grammar, pronunciation, phrasing and other essential speaking skills. It also helped me understand important American culture. So many of the questions I have always had about America and its people are answered in this book. I love this book’s generous use of helpful hints. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about America like I did. Sarah Kim, Korean American business owner, Los Angeles Teachers of English from our schools were selected to attend a unique and extensive course in which Mr. Lance Johnson was our educator. Not only did we want them to improve their command of English grammar and speech, but also to learn about America, its people and its culture. He used his A to Z book as a guide for his classes. We were extremely pleased with the knowledge our teachers gained from this program. Their level of listening, reading, speaking, and writing English increased dramatically. Equally important, they gained confidence in using the English language and understanding Western ways. His chapters on English grammar and speech identify common problems for foreigners and easy ways to overcome them. His book also summarizes the important aspects of American customs and culture that foreigners should know more about. This combined approach to learning was fun and informative for our teachers. I strongly recommend Mr. Johnson’s book to anyone who wants to learn about America and Western culture, its people, customs and language. It will certainly benefit those going to America or those who have contact with Americans in their homelands. Tianchi Lu, Director-Suzhou Education Research Institute, Suzhou, China Published by A to Z Publishing COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Lance Johnson All rights reserved and strictly enforced. Without permission in writing from the publisher, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system (except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or other endorsement or in a recommendation to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Internet). However, when contacted the author is generous with reprint rights, excerpts, and articles. Trademarks and myriad names of referenced individuals, products, journals, books, films, magazines, newspapers, websites, businesses, and other institutions used in this work are not authorized by, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. No association with the names is implied or intended. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author used best efforts preparing this book, there is no representation or warranties for the accuracy or completeness of the contents. Specifically disclaimed are implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. If need be, readers should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or any other damages. ISBN-13: 978-1468172362 ISBN-10: 1468172360 eBook ISBN: 978-1-62346-235-2 BISAC: REF015000, SEL027000, SOC007000. (Additional: BUS025000, EDU015000, FOR007000, HIS036000, LAN006000, LAN018000, POL011000, POL040000, REF011000, REF026000) Available worldwide through Amazon.com. Austria – amazon.at Canada – amazon.ca France – amazon.fr Germany – amazon.de Italy – amazon.it Japan – amazon.co.jp Spain – amazon.es United Kingdom – amazon.co.uk United States – amazon.com Book website: www.AmericaAtoZ.com (This book is available at a discount when purchased in quantity for premiums, sales promotions, corporate training programs, or by schools or organizations for educational purposes. For information, including permission for excerpts, contact [email protected].) 1.41 To increase mutual understanding, we need to understand each other’s history and culture. If we do not, we will not understand why we make different choices, or why we do not think and behave in exactly the same way. Increased contacts and greater knowledge will reduce misunderstanding and lead to greater mutual respect. Tommy Koh, former Singapore Ambassador to the U.N. and U.S. America– rather, the United States– seems to me to be…resourceful, adaptable, maligned, envied, feared, imposed upon. It is warm-hearted, over-friendly; quick-witted, lavish, colorful; given to extravagant speech and gestures; its people are travelers and wanderers by nature, moving, shifting, restless; swarming in Fords, in oceanliners; craving entertainment; volatile. The chuckle among the nations of the world. Edna Ferber, American author, 1887-1968 About the Author Equation of life: Knowledge + Understanding + Acceptance = A Better World for All. - Lance Johnson Born and raised in America, Lance Johnson has long been fascinated with the history and culture of America and foreign countries and how they differ. Having visited 49 of the 50 U.S. states and traveled in 81 countries, he’s learned among other things that the Black Sea, Red Sea, and the Blue Danube do not reflect those colors, and that Iceland might better be called Greenland and vice versa. He’s also learned how America and its people are perceived abroad both correctly and incorrectly. And how America’s perception of the rest of the world can vary, too. A student of cultural differences, his travels also allow him to explore the difficulties foreigners face understanding American ways and language, and how that affects their success in dealing with us. He consults, teaches, and conducts seminars about the subjects in this book. He has an Ivy League graduate business degree and has studied at Oxford University in England. Author at Yunnan Stone Forest outside Kunming, China. The author and lecturer was a manager with an international management consulting firm and a corporate president for 26 years before taking up acting and writing. He now volunteers his services to nonprofit organizations and immigrants. He has appeared in movies, stage plays, national commercials, and TV dramas, including a lead American role in a 28-part China TV production. As a second-generation American, he shares his love of history and culture with visitors at a leading museum of history where he is a docent. He also golfs and skis, adores his grandchildren, and plays with Malibu Barbie, his third Great Dane, and Max, his Bulldog-Pug mix. He has also mentored underprivileged youth. His American heroes include American visionary presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt, and inventor Thomas Edison, all of whom had significant roles in the development of America and its culture as we know it today. Equally important on his list are those foreigners who came to America and despite overwhelming discrimination, sacrifice, and deprivation contributed to the rich history of the early settlement of America. The legacy of all these immigrants resides throughout America today.