January 26, 2005 "Mexicans & Americans: Cracking the Cultural Code" Is Topic of Feb. 14 Book Talk

International business executive and cultural analyst Ned Crouch will discuss and sign his new book, “Mexicans and Americans: Cracking the Cultural Code” (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2004) at noon on Monday, Feb. 14, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the Library’s Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. Part of the Center for the Book’s “Books & Beyond author series, this presentation is co-sponsored by the Hispanic Division and the Office of Workforce Diversity. It is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.

Crouch believes that “how Mexicans and Americans live and work together will be the big cultural story in North America in the 21st century.” In “Mexicans & Americans” he focuses on the elements that determine “what works and what does not work” when Mexicans and Americans come together, including different views of time and space and differences in the construction and use of language. Crouch offers advice on how to cross the cultural divide that separates their views of hierarchy, authority, class and gender. He emphasizes that Americans should care about strengthening their relationships with Mexicans “because we are neighbors, because we are co-workers, and because our economic futures depend on it.”

Raised in a U.S. diplomatic family in Colombia, France, Spain and Mexico, Crouch speaks five languages and has spent a lifetime examining the patterns and dynamics of cultural differences. For more than 30 years, he helped global companies expand business opportunities in Mexico and he has conducted seminars on developing intercultural relationships in Mexico for many multinational corporations, including General Motors and Chrysler.

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