Chasing a Croatian Girl: A Survivor's Tale

I have trouble believing this author is a PH.D graduate. The story read like a middle school book report. Ok , maybe high school. I have lived outside the US so I get the cultural differences but I never disparaged my own country in the process. Every place is unique. He was paid by a school in the US to continue his education abroad and yet in every example the US is viewed as a poor example for others to experience. He doesn’t want to live here any longer which is fine but I would be interested to see if he wants his child to enjoy the academic world offered in the US when she is older

It is clear that Cody Brown has spent considerable time in Croatia. He is right on target when he talks about the differences in culture between Croatia and America. I laughed out loud when reading many of his thoughts regarding the many differences: drinking coffee, overbearing mother-in-laws, drafts from open windows, partying and neighbors. He went off track, however, in chapter 24 "Wild West vs Mild West" and gun violence in America. In all the previous chapters Brown emphasized the closeness of families, the genuineness of the people, the love of children, the positive attitudes toward real friendships and the tolerance of others. He even admits that other countries like Serbia has a similar number of guns per capita and then somehow explains that gun violence in America is due to the proliferation of guns and gun ownership. If he would only read his earlier chapters regarding the Croatian commitment to family, friendships and their respect for human life and compare those aspects with American culture he might just stumble on the real answers to his own question: Why is there more violence in America and why is Croatia a safer place to live? Those many differences that he found both funny and endearing in Croatian culture are the very reasons why it is safer to walk down the streets of any major Croatian city than one in America.With that one exception, I would strongly recommend the book to anyone who wants to get a fresh view of not only the Croatian culture, but a fresh look at their own non-Croat culture. It is clear that Cody Brown has developed both a love and understanding of his adopted country.

Our family will arrive in Croatia tomorrow for a 1 day vacation. I read 2 books in preparation. file a War and this one. One heavy and sad about the war, and this one more light-hearted yet still serious about what it is like as an American to adjust to living there. We have also been expats in another country and the author describes the inner conflict perfectly about what is it like to live abroad. Excellent book!!

In the spirit of reviewing this book, I'm drinking some coffee and propping up my bare feet onto my desk. Ahhh.I just finished reading it. As someone who will be visiting in a few months (I loved the poetic description of Zagreb and Split in the winter) I also laughed out loud- I live in Colorado, and naturally we consider fresh air to be healthy, and stale indoor air to be the opposite! I also teach yoga.. and am a big proponent of going barefoot for biomechanical/fitness reasons, (over-engineered shoes are the devil!) so I can relate. But I also get the feeling that I will love Croatia. Jedva čekam!Cody's writings have made for some interesting conversations with my friends in Croatia about the difference in culture, but also as a way to discover some similarities between us. I have friends and contacts that have some very American qualities, and I know I will pick up (If I have not already) some Croatian traits.This book and Zablogreb have so far served as a great introduction to me (and have been a LOT easier to read than my BCS grammar text!) My only complaint: I can't find the book here in the US in Croatian, because I want to read it on the plane. It might take me at least the 10 hour flight to get through it, but a perfect way to practice.. So I'll just have to find it in Zagreb and test my reading comprehension skills on the flight back to the US! Come to think of it, I need to save room in my baggage to bring everyone a small gift.I hope there is more coming!

Superficial, quick and entertaining read on Croatia but poorly edited and really didn't need the USA bashing.

The author's blog-style revelations about falling in love and living in Croatia was so entertaining. As the wife of an American-born Croatian, I laughed about the quirks between the cultures that my husband recognized and even explained some of his parents' and grandparents' behaviors. I turned it over to him immediately after finishing it (and reading some sections aloud to him) - and he consumed it in a few days. It made us both want to visit Croatia... when this pandemic is over. So nice to have something to look forward to.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was informative and provided great examples of culture shock between the two countries. It also made me want to visit Croatia.

This book was recommended to me by one of the guides on a recent tour to Croatia. It was a fun story, but I most appreciated the author's insights into being an American living abroad and preferring it. As child I lived in South America, spent one year in the U.S. in 6th grade, and then moved to Europe for my junior high and high school years. I have never felt that I fit it with American culture and my immigrant friends think I'm crazy to want to leave the U.S., I guess because they made the choice to live here. I frequently travel abroad because I know this is not the greatest country in the world and enjoy getting away from here. My mom, also an immigrant, tells me to think of myself as cosmopolitan and be done with it. Anyway, I enjoyed the last chapters of the book because of those observations by an American of America.

This is a book for anyone wanting to get to the heart of Croatia, and a guide to the problems of living and working there.It is certainly the only book about the subject that has managed to encapsulate the country and the people. And the great bonus is that it’s very funny. It has it’s serious side, but most of it is extremely entertain tales about the author’s experiences. It’s rare for a book by an outsider who has not made an exhaustive study of a nation to do this, but just as Bill Bryson wrote the best book ever to be written about the English, so Cody Brown has done the same with Croatia.At times he writes a commentary in the first person, but for much of the time he portrays the people by describing events that happen in his own family of in-laws and to others around him.There seems to be an Anglo-Saxon tradition of humorous travel writing – Bill Bryson, Eric Newby, Gerald Durrell, and this is a book in that tradition.With a lightness of touch of an experienced writer, Brown is able to covey the upsides and the downsides of Croatian life – their aspirations, their fierce loyalty, their fatalism, and above all their stubbornness. And to give things their perspective, he contrasts life there with life in America.The book is written with a clearness and self-deprecating charm, and surprisingly, he manages to wrap everything in an unfolding story of his meeting his wife in the US, their courtship and their eventual moving to Croatia, giving it a narrative arch that keeps one wanting to know what happens next.I think the book will be not only a perennial handbook for visitors to Croatia but certainly a handbook for those marrying into a Croatian family.

A funny and compelling reading. I had live in 3 different countries but my own so far and I guess that made this book even more enjoyable.Decided to read it because of a recent holiday to Croatia and even with a few days there this book made me loved my vacation time even more.

Recommended reading by a Croatian tour guide but of very little interest unless you are Croatian or American. Having said that having read it I now know I would far rather live in Croatia than among our so called friends across the pond!

Enjoyed this story. It was recommended to me as a good holiday read and I expected a romance but it's more about the cultural differences between Americans and Croatian. No chasing involved as the couple get together early on but a good amusing read. (You don't need to be either American or Croatian to enjoy).

I wish I had read this book before we had our Croatian holiday this year. Now I understand more of what our lovely guide was explaining. Zagreb was interesting but the best part was the fabulous countryside, the wonderful Krka national park and the Istrian Riviera.