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ORIGINAL: samboct

It's not surprising though- most people never read the book- The Ugly American.  It's not a great read- I don't think it was wonderfully written- it's rather preachy.  But to synopsize- there were two Americans living in a foreign land receiving US aid.  The ugly one was the one without the Alec Baldwin looks and without the snazzy threads- who got out amongst the people wearing jeans and made an effort to learn the language.  The attractive american was the guy who stayed in the embassy, never learned the language, treated everyone condescendingly, but looked very good in a suit.
Sam