Do you know the single, shocking difference between the Redneck and the Appalachian? Can you successfully identify -- and avoid -- the Charismatic, Verbose Nigerian Cabdriver or the Honda-Driving UCLA Korean Gangster Wannabe? If the answer is "no" to any of the above, then Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes is the book for you.

Home to people from over 168 nations, the bourgeoning ethnic melting pot we call America can be a frightening and disorienting place for the uninitiated. In order to...