Travel to South America

Culture Shock! Argentina: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette

Format: Paperback
Author: Fiona Adams
ReleaseDate: May, 2002
Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
Rating:

Extremely useful pre-trip reading
I recently returned from 9 days in Buenos Aires, and the book provided a good discussion of the country's culture, behavior and attitudes such that I felt that much more comfortable during my visit. This is a useful and interesting book to read (or even peruse) if you are considering visiting Argentina. My only adverse comment is that the author kind of over-romanticizes the subject matter a bit at times (although that is a result of an enthusiastic writer) and thus should be consulted in tandem with other materials on Argentina.

Though the guide is dated, it is still has significant value
Her book, often reads like she is a publicist for the country. Culture Shock! Argentina by Fiona Adams 2000

To say that Fiona Adams is enthusiastic about Argentina would be a gross understatement. Her unbridled accolades about Argentina clashed radically with the pessimistic, often despairing citizen that I often talked with.

Yes, as Fiona Adams writes, Argentina has: the tango, beautiful people, cosmopolitan centers, chic boutiques, great steaks and cheap (good) wines, but these alone do not capture the ethos (or culture) of Argentina, any more than cloths make the person.

Though Fiona Adams mentions the dark recent history called the "dirty war" (1976-1983) where 30,000 "disappeared" and the military government oppressed its own populous she does not elucidate how this culture could foster such a government, or how this has affected the culture of today. She fails to say how the culture allowed years of massive ineptitude among corrupt government officials. Though the book is tagged "New, Expanded Edition" it is really a pre-2000 work, thus it doesn't consider how the economy sunk in the economic morass it is in today, nor does it talk about the effect on the society when the majority of all the people lost life savings in the financial collapse of 2001 (FYI: in 2002 the GDP was minus11%, Inflation was 41% and more than 37% of the population lived below the poverty line).

Though the guide is now dated, it is still has significant value and is a worthwhile primer on the culture. Fiona Adams does give you insight into the social customs, business etiquette, foods, football, and unique characteristics that you will find in Argentina. So should you buy it? Well, a good travel guide will also give you cultural insights (though not nearly as completely) and because of the date and what has happened in Argentina I would wait until Adams both revisits, and rewrites "Culture Shock!". Conditionally recommended.

An Excellent Travel Guide on Argentina
Generally, I don't read enthusiastically as I get distracted or bored during the process. This 250+ page book had me glued. I finished this in 3 days which for me, is miraculous. Fiona offers practical advice and her style is written in a way that it feels as if she's talking to you about the customs, scenery, people, do's and don't, traditions, history, and idiosyncracies of Argentina. I really appreciated statistics, detailed yet undaunting explanations of aspects of Argentine culture. As I'm heading to Argentina, this book has me so excited about my trip, I find myself restless, hyper, and filled with excitement like a "trasnochador. "
Although you may need tour guides for specifics (such as for hotel bookings), this is a great supplemental guide on Buenos Aires and Argentina to give you an overall feel of the climate of this great country.

The sense of humor, seriousness, usefulness, and fun within the pages of this book makes this the best travel guide I've ever read.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these South America travel books.

	The Rough Guide to Argentina 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
	At Home in Buenos Aires