Rating: 
Summary: Excellent light reading
Review: I mean the following remark in a very positive sense: German Way is one of the best bathroom readers I have ever bought. While some of it is common sense or common knowledge to anyone who knows anything about German Europe, some was not, and all of it was presented in a lively way. Most important, because it is broken into short segments, it was easily digested over "spare moments". Sometimes I started somewhere and read straight through, sometimes I jumped around using the table of contents. My wife and teen-age son read it and enjoyed it the same way. I look forward to reading other books in this series as the occasion arises.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow and brief, but better than nothing
Review: I suppose that someone who knew absolutely NOTHING about German culture would find this book interesting and useful. But, if you already know a little bit and want to learn more (like me) you will likely be disappointed. Others have pointed out that each topic is covered briefly, and in my opinion, that's usually EXTREMELY briefly. I find the alphabetical organization of topics unhelpful, and would prefer to have similar subjects located together. I often had to guess several times to see which word the author would use to alphabetize a given topic. If you're looking for more than a quick-and-dirty introduction to German culture, skip this book and read "Culture Shock! Germany" instead.
Rating:
Summary: The German Way: Aspects of Behavior, ...
Review: This is an excellent book. We plan to recommend it to our international employees in Germany, and those considering a move to Germany.The optimum, however, especially if you are interested in brand-new, current information, is to use the outstanding companion Website (sorry, URL not allowed here, but simple to guess) in parallel with the book. I think the right combination of printed and electronic media is the future, and that has already become a reality here.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful, entertaining--but not completely reliable.
Review: This is an informative little book written in a very readable style, in which a "foreigner" can learn quite a bit about German behavior, attitudes and customs. Not surprisingly, the less you already know about life in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the more useful it is. One thing I don't much like is that the 77 brief articles are listed in alphabetical order by title, instead of by subjects or themes. Shouldn't "At the table" (6) and "Dining" (21) be grouped together instead of appearing 25 pages apart? And why not put something like "Greetings and common courtesies" (36) at the beginning of the book? Another problem is that some of the information has become dated. The introduction of the Euro has pretty much killed the discussion on currency, for example, and the abolition of customs and passport controls among the EU countries has advanced considerably since the book was published. The same is true for things like store opening hours and rules about having sales and giving discounts. These things are inevitable, of course, but they do affect the usefulness of the book. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining way to learn more about the people who live in the German-speaking countries of Europe, and it even boasts some humor. My favorite line is: "On a sweltering train the window remains closed because Germans seem to think that a draft will kill you quicker than heat prostration." How true!!
Rating:
Summary: Useful, entertaining--but not completely reliable.
Review: This is an informative little book written in a very readable style, in which a "foreigner" can learn quite a bit about German behavior, attitudes and customs. Not surprisingly, the less you already know about life in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the more useful it is. One thing I don't much like is that the 77 brief articles are listed in alphabetical order by title, instead of by subjects or themes. Shouldn't "At the table" (6) and "Dining" (21) be grouped together instead of appearing 25 pages apart? And why not put something like "Greetings and common courtesies" (36) at the beginning of the book? Another problem is that some of the information has become dated. The introduction of the Euro has pretty much killed the discussion on currency, for example, and the abolition of customs and passport controls among the EU countries has advanced considerably since the book was published. The same is true for things like store opening hours and rules about having sales and giving discounts. These things are inevitable, of course, but they do affect the usefulness of the book. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining way to learn more about the people who live in the German-speaking countries of Europe, and it even boasts some humor. My favorite line is: "On a sweltering train the window remains closed because Germans seem to think that a draft will kill you quicker than heat prostration." How true!!
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