
*A SCOTSMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR* 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 & history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length & breadth of his adopted homeland & discovers why one of the world`s smallest countries is also so significant & 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 & beer to the attitude to nature & the famous tolerance. Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland & why the colour orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world`s tallest people & have the best carnival outside Brazil. He learns why Amsterdam`s brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, & 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. A personal portrait of a fascinating people, a sideways history & an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. & loved it.
