Thatcher (communication, New Mexico State U.) criticizes the prevailing local-only and ethnocentric models of professional communication and presents his own model of intercultural rhetoric that addresses the intimate connections between culture and rhetoric and allows intercultural adaptation. Six application chapters compare the cultural and rhetorical elements of website design, organizational behavior, distance education, law and legal traditions, health literacy, and instruction manuals. The author also connects English and Chinese to the eight common human thresholds of interaction and shows how media research in the United States presupposes strong US cultural values. The final chapter describes the goals, assignments, and teaching strategies used in an intercultural rhetoric and writing class. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)