New American Expat (Book Review)

"The New American Expat: Thriving and Surviving Overseas in the Post-9/11 World", by William Russell Melton, Intercultural Press, c2005, #1931930244, 222 p., $25.

At the time this was typed up, this work had a dozen 5-star reviews on a popular online bookseller’s website, out of the 13 reviews then found there. This seems remarkable, given that the book is, well, just so mediocre.

Contents include: Introduction - The New American Expat in the Twenty-First Century -- Chapter 1 (C1): The World at Your Doorstep -- C2: Finding Your Job Overseas -- C3: Closing the Deal: Negotiating Your Compensation Package -- C4: Getting There, Moving Family and Belongings to Your New Home -- C5: Being There, Living and Working in a Foreign Country -- C6: Safety and Security in the Post-9/11 World -- C7: Coming Home: Returning to Your U.S. Home and Job -- Appendix A (AA): Recommended Reading on General Expatriate Issues -- AB: Expatriate Internet Resources with General Information and Advice on Expatriate Issues -- AC: Resources and Organizations to Contact for Information Regarding International Jobs -- AD: Government and Private Organizations that Provide Information and Assistance for Expatriates and for Companies Employing Expatriates -- Appendix E: Resources for Learning More about Specific Foreign Countries.

This is an odd book, at best. It is odd on several levels and in several ways. The expat, as defined here, is simply not “new” (it is the same sort of corporate-abroad transfer it has, to a great extent, always been). The world is, of course, new, but then again the nature of time pretty much guarantees that. Aside from a fear of a kidnapping or terrorist attack, it is not clear what separates the new expat from the old expat - and given that the definition of expat, as use here, seems limited to those who are in the process of “Negotiating Your Compensation Package”, it has almost no application to those who make up the ever-growing number of people leaving North America: Retirees (early and otherwise), entrepreneurs, students, volunteers, political “exiles”, etc.

The thing is, if someone were negotiating a compensation package with an international employer, s/he would certainly hope they could do -per the information provided here- a lot better than this book. If you have skills that are so sought-after they make you an international transfer or hire, you should be smart enough to figure out most of this book on a single afternoon, on your own via the www.