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What Every American Should Know About Europe: The Hot Spots, Hotshots, Political Muck-ups, Cross-Border Sniping, and Cultural Chaos of Our Transatlantic Cousins
From the bestselling What Every American Should Know … series, a look at the hot spots, hot shots, political muck ups, cross-border sniping and cultural brouhahas across the ocean
With the creation of the European Union and the introduction of the Euro, Europe has undergone a dizzying transformation recently—so much so that even Europeans are scratching their heads. Melissa Rossi brings US readers up to date on what has changed—and what makes each country tick.
* Which European nation most adores nuclear energy?
* Which country’s residents are by far the richest?
* Which prominent leader was once a taxi driver?
* Why are the typically calm Dutch getting twitchy?
* What happened to Czechoslovakia?
With her trademark investigative flair and wry humor, Rossi gives the inside scoop on every nation in the European Union, with vital facts about local culture, politics, tourist attractions and recent events. From Portugal to Poland, What Every American Should Know About Europe is a no holds barred, humorous and comprehensive guide for anyone interested in what our transatlantic cousins are up to these days.
With the creation of the European Union and the introduction of the Euro, Europe has undergone a dizzying transformation recently—so much so that even Europeans are scratching their heads. Melissa Rossi brings US readers up to date on what has changed—and what makes each country tick.
* Which European nation most adores nuclear energy?
* Which country’s residents are by far the richest?
* Which prominent leader was once a taxi driver?
* Why are the typically calm Dutch getting twitchy?
* What happened to Czechoslovakia?
With her trademark investigative flair and wry humor, Rossi gives the inside scoop on every nation in the European Union, with vital facts about local culture, politics, tourist attractions and recent events. From Portugal to Poland, What Every American Should Know About Europe is a no holds barred, humorous and comprehensive guide for anyone interested in what our transatlantic cousins are up to these days.
448 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2006
8 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 14, 2010
France: biggest food producer in Europe, largest Muslim populations in Europe, World's Top travel destination. Napoleon's younger brother married a woman from Maryland, USA. Their grandson later became US attorney general and founded the FBI.
-Apparently, Medicins Sans Frontieres (doctors without Borders) was founded in France in 1971, they won the Nobel Peace Price in 1999 and is now based in Brussels.
Germany:
-where the first religious conflict was taken place, Martin Luthur emerged in Germany first and initiated the 30 years war which killed millions.
-Back in the 1800s, two brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm had been fired after protesting about the king. They then decided to make money by collecting folktales, and eventually publishing stories such as Cinderella and Snow White.
UK:
-British National Party is recently gaining a lot of power in government. They are a group of whites who hate immigrants and many of them are neo-Nazi members. Although Britian has 99% literacy rate but the functional illiteracy rate is 24%.
-Most memorable monarchs:
King Arthur: the legendary Arthur and the knights of the round table, first mentioned in a Welsh poem in 596AD
King John: the king who was forced to sign the Magna Carta who gave rights to common men
James I: the heir to Elizabeth I, who first united Scotland and England and who wanted to change the protestant religion. Under his rule, many fled England and came to America as Pilgrims
-Back in 1785, many English noblemen had forced Scots to give up their lands by burning their houses and making sure there were no woods left to rebuild them. Now, it is considered a genocide.
-Cecil Rhodes: a son of a villager, he went to a South African farm and bought a gold mine, this mine made him very rich. He then started enslaving blacks in Africa and bought 3 countries(Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi). Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe just recently took the lands back and gave it to the blacks.
-The UK has many small parties but normally the prime minister seat goes to either the Conservative(Republican) or Labor (Democrats)
Italy:
-a design competition in 1402 for the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistry is viewed as the starting point of the Renaissance.
-Mussolini granted the Vatican independence in 1929, making it the world's smallest independent state.
-Apparently, Medicins Sans Frontieres (doctors without Borders) was founded in France in 1971, they won the Nobel Peace Price in 1999 and is now based in Brussels.
Germany:
-where the first religious conflict was taken place, Martin Luthur emerged in Germany first and initiated the 30 years war which killed millions.
-Back in the 1800s, two brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm had been fired after protesting about the king. They then decided to make money by collecting folktales, and eventually publishing stories such as Cinderella and Snow White.
UK:
-British National Party is recently gaining a lot of power in government. They are a group of whites who hate immigrants and many of them are neo-Nazi members. Although Britian has 99% literacy rate but the functional illiteracy rate is 24%.
-Most memorable monarchs:
King Arthur: the legendary Arthur and the knights of the round table, first mentioned in a Welsh poem in 596AD
King John: the king who was forced to sign the Magna Carta who gave rights to common men
James I: the heir to Elizabeth I, who first united Scotland and England and who wanted to change the protestant religion. Under his rule, many fled England and came to America as Pilgrims
-Back in 1785, many English noblemen had forced Scots to give up their lands by burning their houses and making sure there were no woods left to rebuild them. Now, it is considered a genocide.
-Cecil Rhodes: a son of a villager, he went to a South African farm and bought a gold mine, this mine made him very rich. He then started enslaving blacks in Africa and bought 3 countries(Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi). Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe just recently took the lands back and gave it to the blacks.
-The UK has many small parties but normally the prime minister seat goes to either the Conservative(Republican) or Labor (Democrats)
Italy:
-a design competition in 1402 for the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistry is viewed as the starting point of the Renaissance.
-Mussolini granted the Vatican independence in 1929, making it the world's smallest independent state.
October 16, 2007
This book gives a great description of each country in Europe. It talks about its history, economy, famous places and people, and what's hot (i.e. where to go!).
May 29, 2008
I read this before my trip to Capri and learned how not to look like an American tourist
July 29, 2008
Good read if one wants to learn about all the countries of Europe.
April 13, 2010
This book explains the difference between theocracies and democracies. Are Ameraicans dumber than I think?
December 27, 2010
Contains some very interesting information (that has to be weeded out) about common European countries.
June 3, 2022
Unfortunately, "What Every American" did not become a bestseller--because we the Americans should know more about Europe, not to mention the rest of the world. I read the book a couple of years after its publication date. It was still valid then, but now? I would say: if you can find a cheap copy, take a glance. After all, some situations are slow to change. Besides that, the book shows how the nations of Europe came to be the way they are by revealing much hidden or forgotten history.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews