The writing of a guidebook is never an easy task ! The writer must not only be accurate and up-to-date, but also knowledgeable and discriminating. That Marilyn Rouvelas is such a writer and guide is demonstrated on every page of her published book.

A second generation Greek American, this reviewer confesses at the outset that she would never have undertaken the writing of a book to guide 1,110,373 Greek Americans (this figure comes from the 1990 census), their non-Greek spouses, families and friends into the highways and byways of Greek traditions and customs as observed in the United States at the end of the twentieth century. It is a daunting task.

That it is a non-Greek woman who has written the first such guidebook does her honour.

Marilyn Rouvelas says that she once found Greek ways "foreign". By the time she wrote her book, however, they had long since lost their strangeness, Greek traditions and customs had become hers. As a result, A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America is not of the dry- as-bone variety, lists of "do this" and wamings of "don't say that ". For one thing, it has a personal dimension, inspired by the happy story of her marriage into a Greek American community and it's special culture. Tliis endows the author's voice with authenticity and an engaging quality.

The traditions and customs described in this guidebook began arriving on American shores towards the end of the nineteenth century. They have been part of the baggage carried by every Greek immigrant, whether she or he crossed the ocean in steerage in the early decades and disembarked at Ellis Island or flew by jet and landed at Kennedy, Dulles or O'Hare in recent times.

With the passage of more than a century, the traditions and customs brought by Greek immigrants from the chorio (village) left behind in the patrida (fatherland) have become part of the inheritance and experience of five generations of Greek Americans. Believing that this uniquely rich cultural legacy rooted in classical antiquity and shaped by Orthodoxy should be accessible to the present generation and preserved for the future, Rouvelas takes a comprehensive look at its origins, variations and its practice.

I cannot think of anything she has left out. In fact, there are some things in her guidebook that I did not know. (This even though I was so strictly trained by my immigrant mother that when I was living in Greece, Greeks were always astonished that I kept many Greek traditions and customs, some of which, I might add, they ignored). The next time I lose my glasses, I shall bake the special cake (the recipe is given) of St Phanourios, who will tell me where to find them.

Divided into three parts, each of which is then subdivided into relevant topics, A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America is easy to use and reader-friendly.

"The Enduring Traditions of Orthodoxy", the first part, is also the longest. It reflects the importance of the Greek Orthodox Church in the personal and communal life of Greek Americans, scattered throughout the United States and organised in some 500 parishes. Here the Guide offers detailed, specific information about the seven sacraments, saints, icons, special blessings, fasting, death and mourning. Rouvelas not only describes what is said and done. More importantly, she explains their meaning.

The same meticulous attention to details and accurate information characterises the second part, "Customs of Everyday Life". More secular in nature, the focus here is on children, selection of names, activities of the community, Greek school, food and drink, popular music and dancing.

The content of the third and last part is revealed by its title "Feast Days, Fasts and Holidays". In this section, Rouvelas guides the reader through the festive cycle of the Greek Orthodox calendar. She begins with September, as does the ecclesiastical year. Whatever questions anyone might have about Pascha, the "feast of feasts". Christmas, the Annunciation and any other holiday, the answers can be found here.

Greek Americans and non-Greeks as well, will enjoy and profit from this carefully researched and clearly written book.

This reviewer's recommendation is simple. Get the book.Then use it. You will be glad you did.