Why The Dutch Are Different, Ben Coates
Why The Dutch Are Different, Ben Coates
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Why The Dutch Are Different
A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands

Author: Ben Coates

Narrator: Ciaran Saward

Unabridged: 11 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/21/2021

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

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.

Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland, and why the color 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.

About Ben Coates

Ben Coates was born in Britain in 1982, lives in Rotterdam with his Dutch wife, and now works for an international charity. During his career he has been a political advisor, corporate speechwriter, lobbyist, and aid worker. He has written articles for numerous publications, including the Guardian, Financial Times, and Huffington Post.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Scott on November 17, 2017

The Dutch are different. One Christmas my mother gave my Dutch grandfather a gift pack of expensive soap. He opened his lovingly wrapped present, looked up at my mother and asked, in all sincerity - 'Do you think I smell?'. This incident (brought up many times over the years since) didn't translate we......more

Goodreads review by Temi on November 27, 2019

[URL not allowed]-%d0%bf%d1%... Здравейте, книголюбители! Днес ще ви говоря за една красива, богата на култура и обичаи страна – Нидерландия – и книгата на Бен Коутс „Това е Нидерландия, или защо лалетата са различни“ (изд. Ера). Каква е първата ви асоциация като чуете Нидерландия? Моята е лал......more

Goodreads review by Adele on December 29, 2015

Humorous and informative account of the Dutch and the Netherlands (Rotterdam in particular) and its history, geography and politics with some personal anecdotes thrown in. Some really interesting facts and details that went beyond the standard red light district and coffee shop chat; the chapters on......more

Goodreads review by Marty on January 12, 2023

Really good, could also be a travel log. Lots of info regarding the Dutch and Dutch life. The only part I did not really read was the part on football.......more