Explore the Unique Culture of the Dutch: An Inside Look at the Netherlands

Andre Paradis: I liked the tone of this book, very personal and engaging. The historical depth is alert to what make the Netherlands so ... well, so Dutch.

United States on Aug 30, 2023

The collector: I am enjoying reading this book. It has lots of historical elements.

Canada on Aug 07, 2023

john charles Henfrey: Nice interesting book, you get History plus what the writer, is doing and seeing, at the same time.

United Kingdom on Aug 02, 2023

F. Moyer: This book was written by a 20-something English man who had spent the last 5 years living and working in The Netherlands. When the author could find some time to travel within The Netherlands, he would describe the places he visited, provide information on the local history of the region and philosophize about the attitudes of the people living there. He also watched (and sometimes participated in) some of the local festivities as well as some of the national Dutch holidays. So the book was written from an outsider’s viewpoint of the Dutch people, though also certainly from a sympathetic viewpoint,

“Why the Dutch are Different” is a catchy title. But for the people of any region, the basic influences that tend to define them as a class of people are [1] the geography they find themselves inhabiting, [2] the long history of their region, [3] the cultural experiences they were exposed to while growing up and [4] the typical daily interactions that occur between friends, neighbors & casual acquaintances. And that, of course, is what the author actually wrote about.

The book has 7 chapters plus an epilogue. The chapters (and their primary focus) are:
[1]...

United States on Jun 05, 2023

Mark: Always interested to see what the non-Dutch have to say about the Netherlands, I quite enjoyed Ben Coates' take on my home country. He writes well, and did his homework, which is to say I think he did a great job with alternating between personal observations and providing historical explanations. And yes, I learned a few things about Dutch history as well.

I don't understand the complaints in some reviews about his supposedly negative take on the Netherlands when he speaks so highly of it in general. The few points of criticism he levies at the Dutch are his opinion based on actual facts. Disagree with him all you want, but that doesn't make the factual basis for his opinion incorrect. I certainly do not understand the "racism" & "racist" claims in some other reviews. Just because he describes phenomenon that are simply factual and admits to being annoyed himself by certain aspects of mass immigration to the Netherlands does not make it racist. In fact, one could argue it is exactly such baseless accusations that have made debating these issues in the Netherlands so hard.

So I enjoyed it very much.

United States on Feb 07, 2023

Redhenry: I have to admit that I am biased. I love the Netherlands and have settled on that country as my favourite (and most convenient) destination for foreign holidays. This book is the result of Ben’s residence there since settling down with his partner. There’s a lot of history, all of which I found very interesting, and quite a bit of politics, but what I like best are Ben’s reactions to aspects of Dutch life - the food, the beer, people’s manners, the language (which sounds like ‘someone gargling soup’), the landscape, the culture. These are often very funny. I would have given the book five stars were it not for a very long chapter about football, which I am afraid I had to skim very quickly!

United Kingdom on Feb 18, 2022

Wiz: The Netherlands, in my own mind it will always be (though I know it is not correct) - Holland to me. The word Holland sounds such a warm, friendly place compared to the sound of the words The Netherlands - to those I offend, forgive me, I apologise.

The Netherlands was my very first destination abroad. In 1973 I was a very young for my age 17 year old, and I suppose similar to your first kiss, you never forget your first trip away. With a group of travel agents I visited Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maastricht and Valkenburg. It was a whirlwind of sights, sounds and feelings to me then but that visit sowed the seeds that have kept me returning many times during my career as a travel agent, artist and occasional travel courier,

Ben Coates' book was a joy for me. In lockdown in the UK and unable to travel anywhere, it was wonderful to travel the roads and canals and rivers again, through the eyes of Ben Coates. He describes the sights and sounds so well I felt I was once again sailing that river, or riding that road, chatting to the hospitable and welcoming people I have had the pleasure to encounter over almost five decades of travel.

Thank you Ben, a real treat. If I...

United Kingdom on Feb 28, 2021

Vmp: 4.5 stars. I started reading Why the Dutch are Different a while ago and have just finished it now. At first I wasn't sure whether it was memoir, history, social comment or what it was, but actually it's a mixture of all three.

Ben Coates is a young Englishman who was formerly in the hectic political world of the UK. As a speech writer and lobbyist, I am sure he must have been used to viewing the world through a critical lens. This book is a reflection of his ability to stand back and look at the Netherlands without any rose-tinted glasses on, something I think I would find hard to do myself as I tend to want to focus on the positive aspects of life wherever I have lived it, and of course I've lived in the Netherlands for nearly seventeen years.

First and foremost, let me say Ben Coates is an exceptionally good writer. His flexible use of English in his keen perceptions on the Dutch, their history and their customs is perfect and I often stopped reading simply to admire a sentence or phrase that seemed particularly apt or succinct. There were, however, quite large sections of the book I felt tempted to skim over. For those who don't know much European, and...

United States on Nov 20, 2017

Martinned: While the Dutch are Different is a thoroughly entertaining read. While the answers given aren't always novel, or even correct, you'll have fun reading them.

Part travelogue, part history book, part speculation on everything inbetween, each chapter is organised around a trip designed to illuminate an aspect of contemporary Netherlands:

Chapter 1: Dordrecht - Rotterdam (by water), discussing the struggle against the sea, the building of dikes, windmills, and polders, and the impact that history has on life in the Netherlands today, both because many of these things require collaboration and because they create a very particular type of landscape.

Chapter 2: Maastricht - Eindhoven - Breda, discussing Carnival, religious conflict, the 80 years war, and verzuiling, which are alleged to have a particular impact on how the Netherlands deals with minority rights.

Chapter 3: the Rijksmuseum on museumnight, discussing the Golden Age, the VOC, international trade, slavery, with all the usual conclusions being drawn. (But with a quite appropriate "correction" by discussion how the Dutch dealt with slaves and their colonial subjects past and present.)

Chapter...

United Kingdom on Feb 13, 2016