A guide to understanding the Irish that unravels their idiosyncracies and national characteristics.

The couth truthA popular perception of the Irish is that they're all fiery, freckle-faced red-heads who'll start a fight at the slightest offence (e.g., being called British). The bit about the freckles is accurate enough, but the typical Irish person has brown hair and blue eyes. And while they may be descended from the Celts, a fearless people whose warriors were known to run naked into battle, most modern-day Irish people would think twice before running naked into the bathroom. Avoid the voidThere's no use denying it, Irish people talk a lot. They don't know why. It just seems to pour out of them. Maybe it's something to do with living on a lonely mist-covered island on the western fringe of Europe. Whatever the reason, they just can't abide silence. It's a vacuum that must be filled. The write stuffThe Irish devotion to literature is almost a character weakness. It is said that every Irish person has a book inside him or her. Very few of them can be persuaded to leave it there. From gags to richesThe myth of the thick Paddy--once especially popular in Britain--has waned in recent years. But the stereotype of the Irish as a charming-yet-feckless people lingers. They are seen as being ruled by their emotions, incapable of organization, and uninterested in material things. This has become very useful in business negotiations. The ability to pose as hopeless romantics with no concern for money has been a big factor in making Ireland one of the richest countries in the world.

A guide to understanding the Danes that highlights their character and behaviour with warmth and wit.

Highlights the unique character and behavior of the nation. Frank, irreverent, funny--almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

A guide to understanding the Finns that explores their national characteristics with humour and style.

A guide to understanding the Belgians, best known for their fine chocolate, which reveals a humorous and insightful view of the people.

This definitive history of American xenophobia is "essential reading for anyone who wants to build a more inclusive society" (Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times-bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist). The United States is known as a nation of immigrants. But it is also a nation of xenophobia. In America for Americans, Erika Lee shows that an irrational fear, hatred, and hostility toward immigrants has been a defining feature of our nation from the colonial era to the Trump era. Benjamin Franklin ridiculed Germans for their "strange and foreign ways." Americans' anxiety over Irish Catholics turned xenophobia into a national political movement. Chinese immigrants were excluded, Japanese incarcerated, and Mexicans deported. Today, Americans fear Muslims, Latinos, and the so-called browning of America. Forcing us to confront this history, Lee explains how xenophobia works, why it has endured, and how it threatens America. Now updated with an epilogue reflecting on how the coronavirus pandemic turbocharged xenophobia, America for Americans is an urgent spur to action for any concerned citizen.