Culture Shock! Netherlands (Culture Shock)

Rating:
Summary: this book was great
Review: excellen

Rating:
Summary: A good reference
Review: I have a native dutch bf. As I want to know more about the culture in Netherlands, I bought this book. The author didn't have any bias descriptions. What he wrote are more or less the same as the real situations. I think he really did a good job.

Rating:
Summary: A good reference
Review: I have a native dutch bf. As I want to know more about the culture in Netherlands, I bought this book. The author didn't have any bias descriptions. What he wrote are more or less the same as the real situations. I think he really did a good job.

Rating:
Summary: brief, informative, comprehensive, practical
Review: I have lived in The Netherlands for only four months. I have looked at several sources of information about the country: its culture, customs, language, history, climate, geography, tourist attractions etc.. I found Mr. Janin's brief (167pp) volume to have been very well-done. I believe his 25 years as a U.S. diplomat (but not in The Netherlands) have taught him what an outsider needs, to begin to understand a culture. He combines the personal experience of others--in this case, his Dutch wife, her family and many of their friends and acquaintances--with pofessional writings. He even includes an 18-item english-language reading list. The range of topics covered is broad--geography, climate, history, language, customs, principal attractions, even a "culture-quiz" to help the reader understand what s/he has learned about the culture at the end of the book. The coverage is also balanced: he includes both pluses (egs.respect for others, language ability) and minuses (egs.drug use, immigrants and asylum seekers). He readily recognizes that, however helpful it might be to understanding the society, the Dutch view of themselves--which he capsulizes--is not likely to be objective. I wish he had included information on regional differences in the Dutch language, customs and attitudes. But, that minor quibble aside, I think Mr. Janin's goal in writing this small book ("to help [the reader] become [a] well-briefed foreigner." (p.10)) has been achieved in an admirable fashion. I think it is an informative, easy-to-read--even entertaining--book that is well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Very basic overview
Review: I'm moving to the Netherlands next month. I bought this book as I had one from this series when I moved to Kuala Lumpur - that book was invaluable. This one hasn't the same kind of info I had hoped for. The information presented here is interesting and helpful, but not what I was looking for. I've ordered "The Holland Handbook" in hopes of finding the info I need.



Rating:
Summary: smart buy
Review: Of all the travel books about The Netherlands that I used in the 10 years of living there, this was the best. It was up-to-date, concise and informative. It makes a great gift for anyone planning a trip to the Netherlands and has useful information for locals and travellers alike. The size of the book makes for easy carring around.

Rating:
Summary: most informative read
Review: This book is clear and concise.The format makes it very easy to read from cover to cover or to select a couple of chapters. I have lived in the Netherlands for 10yrs and enjoyed it immensely. I have also sent the book to my relatives in the UK and they found it an enlightening read. I highly recommend it to anyone planning a stay in the Netherlands.