Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands

Provides selected historical background in a highly readable, interesting way.

4.5 stars. I started reading Why the Dutch are Different a while ago and have just finished it now. At first I wasn't sure whether it was memoir, history, social comment or what it was, but actually it's a mixture of all three. Ben Coates is a young Englishman who was formerly in the hectic political world of the UK. As a speech writer and lobbyist, I am sure he must have been used to viewing the world through a critical lens. This book is a reflection of his ability to stand back and look at the Netherlands without any rose-tinted glasses on, something I think I would find hard to do myself as I tend to want to focus on the positive aspects of life wherever I have lived it, and of course I've lived in the Netherlands for nearly seventeen years. First and foremost, let me say Ben Coates is an exceptionally good writer. His flexible use of English in his keen perceptions on the Dutch, their history and their customs is perfect and I often stopped reading simply to admire a sentence or phrase that seemed particularly apt or succinct. There were, however, quite large sections of the book I felt tempted to skim over. For those who don't know much European, and specifically Dutch, history, this book gives a kind of potted summary of many of the important periods in the country's past. For these people, it will probably be useful; for myself, I could have done without quite so much straying into the activities of the VOC (the East India Company), King William's exploits into England and the history of the Spanish and French domination of the Netherlands. This was all background I studied at school and university and unfortunately, it didn't really strike me as anything more than just reeling off the facts; nor did it seem to have much to do with why the Dutch are different now, other than setting the historical background for the country's great reputation as a trading nation that supported the arts in its Golden Age. On the plus side, I learnt a lot of fascinating little gems, such as why the city of Breda got its name (the breede Ee, meaning the wide river Ee) and other such titbits. I found myself frequently asking my Dutch partner 'Did you know this?' and often he didn't, so for all those interesting snippets, I was very grateful. Strangely enough, I enjoyed the section on the Dutch obsession with football. I'm not a football fan at all, but the fanatical devotion the Dutch have to soccer is a curious phenomenon in this country and I found the accounts he gave of the teams, the key players and managers and both the national adoration and criticism that the Dutch have for their footballers really entertaining. However, most of all, I enjoyed the later chapters where he writes about how the intrinsic Dutch culture of 'anything goes' has been tested in recent years by what opening borders and increased immigration have meant to the Netherlands. He writes lucidly and honestly about how this has affected the traditionally relaxed attitude Dutch have had to drug use, prostitution, homosexuality, euthanasia and immigration. All this quite intense discussion is set against the background of Ben Coates' own experience as he travelled around the Netherlands during his early years in the country and while he makes few personal judgements until quite close to the end of the book, he tells things like they are. I must say I quite often wondered if he even liked it at all; that was until I reached the final chapter, when I realised that he, like me, appreciates how much our easy, breezy self-confident and optimistic Dutch hosts have to offer. He also shows how fond we can become of these smiling, but direct people who fully espouse their 'philosophy of a flat country'. As I said at the beginning, this book is part memoir, part history lesson and part editorial. Overall, it is a really good read and I learnt a lot from it and I am now looking forward to reading his new book about the Rhine, which is apparently due out soon.

Had a lighthearted armchair trip to the Netherlands with Ben Coates during Covid Christmas 2020. His writing style suits me perfectly: witty, insightful, down-to-earth. There’s enough history and geography to help an American reader connect the dots (make sense of the scattered bits and pieces of Dutch facts and stereotypes we know about) without bogging down in excess detail. His Englishman’s observations about Dutch personality traits, values, and interactions with foreigners had me laughing out loud. Fascinating to learn of the similarities in the way immigration issues there resemble what we struggle with here. In both countries hate and tolerance vie for dominance, with hate nosing forward in disturbing ways. He’s an astute observer of Dutch life and is candid about how his own political views evolved over years, the result of living and traveling among the Dutch. He does so without taking sides in an offensive manner. I came away admiring the Dutch greatly for their creativity, innovation, and openness, while recognizing their oppressive colonial history. After reading Why the Dutch are Different, I am more determined than ever to spend an immersive vacation in the Netherlands as soon as it is again safe to travel.

I enjoyed this book. I read it after going to the Netherlands and this book makes me want to go back to see a few of the places the author mentions that I didn’t see the first trip. Worth the read!

It's a book that aims to provide an overview, not deep analysis, and it succeeds at that. Probably the most interesting chapter for me, because it is the subject that I knew the least about, was the description of the Dutch obsession with soccer/football.

The subject matter is interesting, and it was a good idea to weave history with travelogue. Glad to have read it; the experience ultimately led me to reference other books and google many topics in order to learn more about the Dutch. The less than perfect rating comes down to disliking Coates' writing style--there's nothing special about his use of the English language (ample repetition of certain words), there's an irreverence (or disdain? Or cynicism?) he seems to hold for humans that rears its head oftentimes without any charm, and his constant descriptions of women as "busty," "attractive," "skinny," etc. are distracting and lazy.

This book is very interedting. It makes to understand the other culture easy.

I initially picked this book up because I thought it sounded interesting. I have an interest in many European countries and their cultures, so it just seemed natural to read a book like this for me. Even thought history often is not my personal interest, I found that Ben Coates was able to describe Dutch culture and the history that led up to it in a way that I found both interesting and entertaining. The author has a rather enjoyable sense of humor, and I learned a lot about the Netherlands that I never would have expected. I've never been there before, but this book put the country at the top of my travel list. Great work!

Everything I want to know about Nederlands is here. I like it

I knew very little about the Netherlands except that it is rich, flat and wet. Ben Coates confirms this, with much more as well. This mix of personal experience, history and travelogue, I found easy to read and most enjoyable. I recommend this for anyone who wants to learn more about this small but important European country.

If you enjoy a certain distance between the author and the reader, this book is not for you. While the author provides much information to help us understand the contemporary Netherlands, the book is decidedly written from a personal perspective (and with real life experiences) and with a goal to entertain as well. This does not diminish the quality of the information but the informal tone might put of readers looking for an academic reading. I would recommend this book if you want to know more about the Netherlands without the desire of acquiring a solid theoretical background. Ideal before a visit or if you're considering moving there.

Excellent and funny book. I went to The Netherlands after reading it and was able to confront what the book describes and in 99% of the cases, it was all true! Very good reading.

War tatsächlich ein Wichtelgeschenk für eine Kollegin, die gerne in die Niederlande reist