Synopses & Reviews
An irreverent and hilarious journey around the world to examine how and why people cheat on their spouses; this global look at infidelity reveals that Americans are uniquely mixed up about being faithful. It's an adulterous world out there. Russian husbands and wives don't believe that beach-resort flings violate their marital vows. Japanese businessmen, armed with the aphorism If you pay, it's not cheating, flock to sex clubs where the extramarital services on offer include getting oral sex without showering first. South Africans may be the masters of creative accounting: Pollsters there had to create separate categories for men who cheat, and men who only cheat while drunk. In America, however, there is never a free pass when it comes to infidelity. According to our national moral compass, cheating is abominable no matter what the circumstances. But do we actually behave differently than everyone else? Pamela Druckerman, a former foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, decided to delve into this incredibly taboo topic. She interviews people all over the world, from retirees in South Florida to Muslim polygamists in Indonesia; from Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn to the men who keep their mistresses in a concubine village outside Hong Kong. Druckerman talks to psychologists, sex researchers, marriage counselors, and most of all, cheaters and the people they've cheated on, and concludes that Americans are the least adept at having affairs, have the most trouble enjoying them, and suffer the most in their aftermath. Lust in Translation is a voyeuristic, statistics-packed, sometimes shocking, often hysterical, worldwide glimpse into the endlessly intriguing world ofextramarital sex. It may be politically incorrect to say so, but who knew infidelity could be this fascinating?
Review
"[Druckerman's] finely calibrated moral compass is matched by a reporter's knack for deft, understated description....[This] thoughtful and myth-busting study of infidelity deserves to be widely translated and read."
-The Economist
"A witty, engaging exploration of comparative infidelity. . . . Undeniably alluring."
-The New York Observer
"Colorfully told. . . . Entertaining."
-The New York Times
"[Druckerman's] finely calibrated moral compass is matched by a reporter's knack for deft, understated description."
-The Economist
Synopsis
Acclaimed journalist Druckerman decided to investigate extramarital affairs around the world to learn how different cultures deal with adultery. The result of her journey reveals some surprising results.
Synopsis
Compared to the citizens of just about every other nation, Americans are the least adept at having affairs, have the most trouble enjoying them, and suffer the most in their aftermath and Pamela Druckerman has the facts to prove it. The journalist's surprising findings include:
- Russian spouses don't count beach resort flings as infidelity
- South Africans consider drunkenness an adequate excuse for extramarital sex
- Japanese businessmen believe, "If you pay, it's not cheating."
Voyeuristic and packed with eyebrow-raising statistics and interviews,
Lust in Translation is her funny and fact-filled world tour of infidelity that will give new meaning to the phrase "practicing monogamy."
About the Author
Pamela Druckerman is a former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal, where she covered foreign affairs. She has also written for The New York Times and The Washington Post, and appeared on the Today Show and NPR's Morning Edition, among many other outlets. She is the author of the international bestseller, Bringing up B�b�, and Lust in Translation, which was translated into eight languages. She has a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia, and lives in Paris.