Culture Shock! Morocco: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Comment: I'm a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in rural Morocco from 2007-2009. This is the book I used to prepare for my trip, and it's extremely effective for doing so. The author's grasp of the culture, languages, and simply "how Morocco works" will give you a far better appreciation of the country whether you're there for 2 years or just a short visit.

Comment: I pretty much read the whole thing, even though we are not re-locating to Morocco; we are "only" visiting. There is a lot of really good stuff here that I think will make it easier to understand behavior we might not otherwise understand, and also enable us to NOT make mistakes we wouldn't have understood (see the section on hand signals and also the whole social comfort section). Highly recommended. I will come back after we get home and update this review.

Comment: I enjoyed reading this book for my upcoming travels to Morocco. I did receive valuable insight on the the vast cultural differences in addition to learning how to effectively negotiate deals in the market; however, for traveling purposes there was too much superfluous information on living in Morocco. So, if you are going for a short visit pick up Rick Steve's Morocco instead.

Comment: My wife and I came to live in Morocco, in Rabat, two years ago after I retired from the practice of law in Chicago. I recently reread the book. I enjoyed it even more upon rereading it. The authort approaches Morocco with sympathy and understanding. But at the same time, he does a terrific job of explaining the ways in which Moroccans behave differently from people who have come from an Anglo-Saxon culture. Those differences can be very frustrating for us "Anglo-Saxons." His insights into Moroccans' attitudes and customs are excellent. The analysis he gives is very much in accord with our experiences during the last two years.

Comment: I learned a vast amount about Morocco with this, and it gave me a great deal of insight into my relationship with my Moroccan fiancee. However, the author does make some broad statements that do not cover all of Morocco. He seems to write from a Fassi point of view, which is very different from, for example, a Ribati persons sentiments'. There is a large spectrum of difference in Moroccan people. These differences can even be seen between neighboring cities, but for the most part the author captured the general feeling of the culture. I would recommend this before visiting Morocco or just for an interesting look into a very different culture.