Why the Dutch are different
Subtitle: a journey into the hidden heart of the Netherlands
By: Ben Coates
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 293
ISBN-13: 9781857886856
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Social life and customs; Dutch National characteristics; Description and travel; Travel; British; Civilization; Social change; Social conditions; Biography; History
Description: "Stranded at Schiphol airport, Ben Coates called up a friendly Dutch girl he'd met some months earlier. He stayed for dinner. Actually, he stayed for good. In the first book to consider the hidden heart and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out from the love of dairy and beer to the attitude to nature and the famous tolerance. Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland and why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil. He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and how the Dutch manage to be richer than almost everyone else despite working far less. He also discovers a country which is changing fast, with the Dutch now questioning many of the liberal policies which made their nation famous. A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it."--Publisher's website.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-291).
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Almost Dutch; title: Water, Water, Everywhere : Windmills, Climate Change and the Battle against the Tides; title: The Religious Divide : Carnivals, Catholics and the War against Spain; title: The Golden Age : Empire, Slavery and the Rise of Amsterdam; title: Fire and Ashes : The Nazi Destruction of the Netherlands; title: Total Football : Feyenoord, Ajax and the Pride of a Nation; title: Mosques on the Maas : Immigration, Islam and Murder; title: Anything Goes : Sex, Drugs and the Tradition of Tolerance; title: Epilogue : Going Dutch.