Chasing a Croatian Girl: A Survivor's Tale

If you like a light, and entertaining book, this is the one to read it. I was born in CROATIA, and the customs the author portrayed were great!! Written with the humor and great observation of the life of the Mediterranean culture! Great book to read on your vacation to Croatia!! 😄You would love the coffee drinking habits over there....if you ever go and visit the country, you will remember that one!!!! Go and visit Croatia!!!👍😄

I just returned from my first visit to Croatia, and I felt sorry I had not prepared better in advance (I read most of a traveller’s history and some historical novels in advance but that’s all I had time for). I was happy to find such an easygoing yet informative introduction to the culture. The chapter on trams in Zagreb alone was worth the read.

Being from a former Yugoslavia myself and living in America for the last 17 years, I feel free to say that I was very excited to finally find a book about Croatia that's not gloomy and war related. As much as this was a tragic and awful time for people in Balkans, it's about the time that someone wrote something that's actually funny, although somewhat stereotypical at times, and culturally insightful about Croatia. I don't think that any of us Croats, Bosnians, Serbs, etc. would have been able to explain this to any American through the American perspective any better than this book. It's funny, mostly correct in its cultural facts, insightful, heartwarming, and easy to read. I won't comment on editing as this is not a literary piece and won't make you smarter in any way, however it will provide an insight into a colorful and oftentimes silly customs of Balkan culture and its people. If you are planning to travel, have friends or significant others from Croatia, then this book should be in your library.

As someone who married into a Croation-American family, I read this memoir with great interest. I even learned some things that my in-laws never mentioned or practiced in their daily lives. It is an entertaining and sometimes funny nonfictional tale of an expatriot who fell in love with a Croatian woman, her family, and her country. The constant criticism of the United States, the midwest, and Americans in general was a distraction that weakened the overall narrative. The very poor copy editing of the volume was also a bit frustrating. Nevertheless, it is a reasonably good read and I recommend it with medium enthusiasm.

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!

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.

This book is so funny. I read it after my trip to Croatia and enjoyed it greatly. Works to read it before your trip as well! I learned more about the culture, traditions and places I visited. A great short fun read. Perfect for the airplane.

What a great book! The author has a nice way of blending humor with his daily observations of life in Croatia. His observations, although focused on Croatia, will be of interest to those traveling to East Europe--and even Russia. I enjoyed the author's realizations of American life after spending so much time abroad; they hint at the aspects of reverse cultural shock that many experience. In many ways, this book is a reminder that we can move beyond the small annoyances we may encounter in new locations in order to embrace the best a location and its inhabitants have to offer. Regarding the book's organization, I found it to be easy to navigate, allowing the reader to skip around to topics of interest. I think it is a fun and informative read and would recommend it to anyone having an interest in the region---or knowing someone from the region!