Why The Dutch Are Different

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 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.

In the first book to consider the hidden history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, author Ben Coates explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is so fascinating and significant. It is a self-made country, the Dutch national character shaped by the ongoing battle to keep the water out, its love of dairy and beer, its attitude towards nature, and its famous tolerance. Ben Coates investigates what make the Dutch, 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 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. Ben Coates has worked at various times as a political advisor, corporate speechwriter, lobbyist and aid worker. Ben has written articles for numerous publications including the Guardian, Financial Times, and Huffington Post. He currently lives in Rotterdam with his Dutch wife and works as an advisor for The One Acre Fund, an international charity.

What are the most salient and sparking facts about the Netherlands? This updated edition of 'Discovering the Dutch'tackles the heart of the question of Dutch identity through a number of essential themes that span the culture, history and society of the Netherlands. Running the gamut from the Randstad to the Dutch Golden Age, from William of Orange to Anne Frank, this volume uses a series of vignettes written by academic experts in their fields to address historical and contemporary topics such as immigration, tolerance, and the struggle against water, as well as issues of culture - painting, literature, architecture, and design among them. All chapters are written by academic experts in their fields who have extensive experience in explaining the many features of Dutchness to a foreign audience. Each chapter comes to life in vignettes that illustrate characteristic historical figures or essential aspects in Dutch culture and society from William of Orange and Anne Frank to Dutch cheese and the inevitable coffeeshop.

From rowing the canals of Amsterdam to riding a cow through the Alps, via Cold War nuclear bunkers, raucous Gay Pride parades, tranquil Lake Constance and snowy mountain climbs, The Rhine blends travelogue and offbeat history to tell the fascinating story of how a great river helped shape a continent. SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of the Netherlands, through the industrial and political powerhouses of Germany and France, to the wealthy mountain fortresses of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. For five years, Ben Coates lived alongside a major channel of the river in Rotterdam, crossing it daily, swimming and sailing in its tributaries. In The Rhine, he sets out by bicycle from the Netherlands where it enters the North Sea, following it through Germany, France and Liechtenstein, to where its source in the icy Alps. He explores the impact that the Rhine has had on European culture and history and finds out how influences have flowed along and across the river, shaping the people who live alongside it.

Pulitzer Prize Finalist | New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed From Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, comes a powerful, richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are. At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures. Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

Do you know what the hardest thing for a Dutch learner is? Finding PROPER reading material that they can handle...which is precisely the reason we've written this book! Teachers love giving out tough, expert-level literature to their students. Books that present many new problems to the reader and force them to search for words in a dictionary every five minutes - it's not entertaining, useful or motivating for the student at all, and many soon give up on learning at all! In this book, we have compiled 20 easy-to-read, compelling and fun stories that will allow you to expand your vocabulary and give you the tools to improve your grasp of the beautiful Dutch tongue. How Dutch Short Stories for Beginners works: - Each story is exciting and entertaining with realistic dialogues and day-to-day situations. - The summaries follow a synopsis in Dutch and in English of what you just read, both to review the lesson and for you to see if you understood what the tale was about. - At the end of those summaries, you'll be provided with a list of the most relevant vocabulary involved in the lesson, as well as slang and sayings that you may not have understood at first glance! - Finally, you'll be provided with a set of tricky questions in Dutch, providing you with the chance to prove that you learned something in the story. Don't worry if you don't know the answer to any - we will provide them immediately after, but no cheating! We want you to feel comfortable while learning the tongue; after all, no language should be a barrier for you to travel around the world and expand your social circles! So look no further! Pick up your copy of Dutch Short Stories for Beginners and start learning Dutch right now!

Vijftig tijdperken, gebeurtenissen en personen die bepalend zijn geweest voor het beeld van de geschiedenis van Nederland vanaf de vroegste tijden tot heden.

Dutch is spoken by 23 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium, and is an official EU language. For English speakers, written Dutch can be fairly straightforward to pick up, although the pronunciation can be more of a challenge. This simple guidebook and its downloadable content cover Dutch grammar, pronunciation and everyday phrases, making this vibrant language more accessible to English speakers – whether you're just visiting or planning to stay on a long-term basis. Dutch For Dummies is the essential guide for everyone from students and holidaymakers, to those wanting to speak Dutch for business purposes. From numbers and vocabulary to greetings, popular expressions and proper etiquette, this clear, easy-to-follow guide will have you speaking Dutch like a native in no time. Dutch For Dummies includes: Downloadable content to assist learning Introductory grammar and vocabulary Meeting and getting to know people Dining out, shopping, leisure time and the workplace Dealing with emergencies Tips on how to pick up Dutch quickly Note: Downloadable files are available to download when buying the eBook version