Rating: 
Summary: Insights into the German-speaking World
Review: "The German Way"
Hyde Flippo
ISBN 0-8442-2513-4"The German Way" is quite an interesting little book. Having lived in Germany and traveled in Austria, and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland, there were numerous items of information in this book that were unknown to me. For example, although I have visited almost every province in Austria from the shore of the Bodensee in the west to Vienna in the east, I did not know that Austria was eighty-five percent Catholic. I was vaguely aware that Germans use eating implements differently than Americans do. I have occasionally eaten a sandwich with a knife and fork in a "Gasthaus". However, I did not realize the extent to which handling table implements is a differentiator between Germans and Americans. For example, my wife pointed out to me in discussing this part of the book that one of our German friends, who has lived in the U.S. for seven or eight years, uses a modified German style of handling silverware. It was also surprising to read that only fifteen percent of the movies Germans watch are from Germany. This may explain why many of the German movies available to be rented in the U.S., even from specialty houses, are usually older ones. It was a total surprise to me that the local office of vital statistics has to review the names given to babies in Germany to ensure that the name must not endanger the child and that it reflects the child's sex. The latter rule, maybe the first, would have made short shrift of "A Boy Named Sue". One point about the German language that Hyde Flippo appears to oversimplify somewhat is the idea that "Hoch Deutsch" originated from the way the language was spoken in the northern part of Germany. A recent article in a German language magazine I read stated that German, Austria, and Switzerland each has its own "Hoch Deutsch". One shortcoming I found in this book is that some of the information seems a little dated. For example, although Europeans have been transitioning to the euro for several years, marks and schillings are discussed as though they will be used indefinitely when, in fact, they have already gone out of circulation. Another example relates to a discussion of the Austrian Freedom Party of Jorg Haider being unable to form a coalition with another party at the national level. Well, unfortunately, the "Freiheit Partei Oesterreich" did form such a coalition some time ago. It led to international sanctions against Austria. On the whole, I found this book interesting and acquired some new insights about the German-speaking world from it. Business people or tourists planning to go to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland could well benefit from reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The German Way: Aspects of Behavior, ...
Review: Finally ... someone has acknowledged the differences among the German speaking countries.Very interesting to read and you will definitely learn a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good
Review: Great book. Very insightful. Great "ice-breaker" for conversations with Germans. If you visit Germany, compare what you learn in the book with what you experience for yourself while there. I hope the author updates the info and keeps this reference current (otherwise this would be a five star). Great book, really added to my trip to Germany.
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good
Review: Great book. Very insightful. Great "ice-breaker" for conversations with Germans. If you visit Germany, compare what you learn in the book with what you experience for yourself while there. I hope the author updates the info and keeps this reference current (otherwise this would be a five star). Great book, really added to my trip to Germany.
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good
Review: Great book. Very insightful. Great "ice-breaker" for conversations with Germans. If you visit Germany, compare what you learn in the book with what you experience for yourself while there. I hope the author updates the info and keeps this reference current (otherwise this would be a five star). Great book, really added to my trip to Germany.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a good travel companion.
Review: I found this book to be a concise and up-to-date discussion of German culture. This book travels well because it is organized by topic, or point, and each point is only one to three pages. This makes it easy to read for people who do not have large blocks of free time. The table of contents and index provides quick identification of points that readers may find of greatest interest. It also travels well because it would easily fit into any carry-on luggage or portfolio.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow and brief, but better than nothing
Review: I lived in Germany for over three years. My German acquaintances in general liked Americans; but they greatly disliked our cultural ignorance. I also did part-time work as a tour guide and a portion of "tour guiding" is to educate people on the culture, and saw the extent of this ignorance first-hand. While German/Austrian/Swiss society is in a "big picture" sense similar to American, (guilt vs shame-based culture, individuality vs collectivism) there are major differences in personal and business relationships. Anyone who really wants to know Germany or succeed in business dealings with Germans ignores these differences at their peril. This book does an outstanding job of clearly explaining all aspects of German society from Government through economy, consumerism, to social relationships. It also spells out the contrasts between German and American ways of thinking, and between German and Austrian/Swiss world-views. Bottom line is if you want a better vacation experience in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, a better business trip, or are just interested in other cultures, get this book.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for travelers and business people
Review: I lived in Germany for over three years. My German acquaintances in general liked Americans; but they greatly disliked our cultural ignorance. I also did part-time work as a tour guide and a portion of "tour guiding" is to educate people on the culture, and saw the extent of this ignorance first-hand. While German/Austrian/Swiss society is in a "big picture" sense similar to American, (guilt vs shame-based culture, individuality vs collectivism) there are major differences in personal and business relationships. Anyone who really wants to know Germany or succeed in business dealings with Germans ignores these differences at their peril. This book does an outstanding job of clearly explaining all aspects of German society from Government through economy, consumerism, to social relationships. It also spells out the contrasts between German and American ways of thinking, and between German and Austrian/Swiss world-views. Bottom line is if you want a better vacation experience in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, a better business trip, or are just interested in other cultures, get this book.
Rating:
Summary: The German Way is great!
Review: I love this book! I am taking a German language class just for the fun of it, and I have since become more interested in Germany and German culture. This book is very interesting and has quite a bit of factual material. It is organized well (alphabetically by subject), and each section is short enough to read a few at a time, or a section or two while waiting in line or on my lunch break. The material presented is fascinating and gives you a look at a culture that appears similar to our own on the outside, but on the inside has many differences, and just as many 'idiosyncrasies' as our American culture.
Rating:
Summary: The German Way is great!
Review: I love this book! I am taking a German language class just for the fun of it, and I have since become more interested in Germany and German culture. This book is very interesting and has quite a bit of factual material. It is organized well (alphabetically by subject), and each section is short enough to read a few at a time, or a section or two while waiting in line or on my lunch break. The material presented is fascinating and gives you a look at a culture that appears similar to our own on the outside, but on the inside has many differences, and just as many 'idiosyncrasies' as our American culture.
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