Perception Deception: A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures

By Joe Lurie

Communication skills
Contemporary
Culture / Society

I learned of Joe’s work and his book from an interview on the Global TV Talk Show—whose host, Ed Cohen, asked many revealing questions. I learned that Joe and I are contemporaries—he was in Kenya with the Peace Corps when I was in Guatemala, but he took his knowledge of cross-cultural communications to new levels, and we have a more tolerant world as a result—at least among those who have read his book or participated in one of his classes/courses.

I contacted Joe through the host of Global TV Talk Show, and he sent me a copy of his book. Although the book was first published in 2015, it’s timelier than ever, given the growing cultural divide, misinformation about immigrants, and the heightened rhetoric of mistrust and hatred. This situation motivated a new chapter in the second edition, “Globalization and its Disconnects: Convergence Without Context,” which focuses on cross-cultural misperceptions in religion, migration, and technology and provides practical strategies to cope with these disrupting cultural disconnections.

Often what sounds or looks rude or crude to us has an entirely different meaning in a different culture, and Lurie provides a practical guide to help deal with other cultures.

 

Book reviewed by Mark D. Walker
United States