The Xenophobe's Guide to the Americans

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

Stephanie Faul is a freelance writer, editor and journalist who lives in Washington, D.C., in an old house primarily furnished with stacks of books, plants and plastering tools. She enjoys Irish music, Vietnamese food, Italian footwear, Siamese cats and English novels.

Growing up in the nation¿s capital has given her a unique perspective on the foibles and quirks of her compatriots and has taught her more than she ever wanted to know about cocktail parties, politics and hyperbole.

Ms Faul comes from a typical American background: half Czech immigrant, half Connecticut Yankee, with a German-speaking grandmother and a Canadian cousin. Her xenophobic perceptions were heightened by an education in a French primary school, a Swiss boarding school, and college summers spent drinking beer in English pubs.

In many ways she feels that she is typically American - curious, inventive, outspoken - but her atypical attributes include a distaste for shopping and television, and a marked preference for walking instead of driving. In any case, it¿s usually quicker.