Author Description

This thoughtful and amusing collection of essays examines fiction and films of the past 50 years focused on Americans at work and play in Southeast Asia. Act Like Americans casts a critical eye on classic novels like The Quiet American and The Ugly American and blockbuster films like Rambo, The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now and Platoon, down through the popular Eat, Pray, Love and eye-popping documentaries about dropping and picking up bombs. The tiger's share of these tales takes you to Vietnam and Laos. You'll also meet Ugly Americans and some good ones in Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore, as well as Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.