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A piercing expos of American incompetence and corruption in Southeast Asia, The Ugly American captivated the nation when it was first published in 1958. The book introduces readers to an unlikely hero in the titular "ugly American"--and to the ignorant politicians and arrogant... Read Full Overview

In the episode that lends the book its title, the "ugly American" is Homer Atkins, a plain and plain-spoken man, who has been sent by the U.S. government to advise the Southeast Asian country of Sarkhan on engineering projects. When Atkins finds badly misplaced priorities... Read Full Overview

If This Were Not A Free Country, This Book Would Be Banned. Authentic, infuriating, and explosively candid, this is the daring, classic bestseller that unmasked the blundering hypocrisy of some of our top-level diplomats. It exposes the opportunism, incompetence, and cynical... Read Full Overview

First published in 1958, this book became a bestseller for its expose of American arrogance, incompetence and corruption in Southeast Asia. The stories and sketches drew a picture of how the United States was losing the struggle with Communism in Asia.

If This Were Not A Free Country, This Book Would Be Banned. Authentic, infuriating, and explosively candid, this is the daring, classic bestseller that unmasked the blundering hypocrisy of some of our top-level diplomats. It exposes the opportunism, incompetence, and cynical... Read Full Overview