Intercultural communication reading list

Looking for better ways to communicate across cultures and specific country-by-country advice? We hope you find these books useful! They are recommended for Americans going abroad or dealing with international students and colleagues.



Hilariously apt look at two nations divided by a common language.


Miller maintains Europeans are the way they are due to their many centuries of rigid class structure, as well as an incredibly violent and hate-filled history, while Americans are an unusual people, molded by a Puritan ethic that all people are friends before God.


Excellent look at difference in U.S. and French conversation styles.


Considered to be one of the finest works about cross-cultural encounters.



Filled with a Regular Joe’s bafflement, yet hilarious and deceptively insightful.


Opening chapter on “States of Mind” examines the linguistic and cultural differences that led to U.S. woe in Vietnam. Much of the information is broadly applicable to Asia and even small villages everywhere.


Written by executives who prepare other executives for international travel. The introduction discusses cognitive styles, value systems and negotiation strategies in different cultures, explaining how delicate they make the process of intercultural relations.


Scholarly guide that looks at differences in how men and women communicate in many cultures, including Greece, Japan, Madagascar and United States. Makes point that most people communicate indirectly.

The Culture Shock! series
55 titles examining in depth customs, business practices, meals and driving.