The Low Sky: Understanding the Dutch

by Han van der Horst

Dutch society's behavioral eccentricities are unveiled in this insider's guide to Holland and its people. For business people and sightseers making a long or brief visit to Holland, Dutch society might be difficult to navigate without this examination of egalitarianism and utilitarianism, organization and trade, and honor and privacy. This eye-opening guide offers insight into why drugs may be sold without repercussion at the corner store while unsanctioned fences in one's garden beget condemnation, revealing the true old Dutch adage "Act normally, that's crazy enough!"

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Cheng Xu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost cried because I had to finish the final report in one day

[Astrid Morgan - de Haan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I found some facets of the book quite interesting and insightful (being Dutch myself), I could not wholeheartedly subscribe to all statements being made. I also found the poor (too literal) translation and multiple typos rather distracting.

[Sascha]

Lot's of very interesting information, especially about the period between the end of the Golden Age and today. The final outlook of the book has understandably been overtaken by recent events. Unfortunately, the author often has a narrative rather than systematic approach to his topics and is often very casual with dates. The chapters give a good structure, but their summary points are often only loosely followed and the general approach is simply taken over from a museum without further explanation. All in all, the base material is strong but it seems the author is much more interested in writing a novel than a non-fiction book.

[Marit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hoewel het onderwerp me wel interesseert - wat is nou typisch Nederlands - miste ik soms de vergelijking met andere culturen. Juist om het onderscheid meer te gaan zien. Inhoudelijk zag ik veel herkenbare sub-headers, maar ik heb het boek niet uit gekregen. Langdradig, plus veel geschiedkundige details, maakte het voor mij veel te moeilijk om doorheen te komen. Twee sterren dus: zou hem een ander niet afraden, als je interesse hier ligt kun je er zeker iets uit halen, maar niks voor mij. En ik vraag me af of een geïnteresseerde niet-Nederlander hier doorheen komt.

[La Strada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many years ago I lived in the Netherlands and I think that many descriptions in the book are very close to my experiences. You can read the book very easily in a few days, it hasn't an academic style. I recommend it to readers who are interested in Dutch history, politics and present-day society.

[Khingeeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to buy this book!

[Simba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful for some key insights into Dutch culture, especially in light of some key recent historic events. However, it is already quite dated.

[Biondy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Numpang baca di kafe. Buku bergambar tentang sebuah negeri yang langitnya "rendah".

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fascinating read about the Dutch, but what's most interesting is that it can tell you something about the US as well. Some real parallels in core values and post-colonial, posst-industrial world view. van der Horst has a great style that combines good history writing with cultural studies style argument.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated with culture and cultural differences and love reading books about this topic, but this one? I struggled immensely to make my way through it and eventually gave up about 65% in. There's no need for some of the elaborate off-topic descriptions and often times, opinions are presented as facts.

[Susetyo Priyojati · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good to know some social and political trends in the Netherlands, and I like the use of Dutch idioms. However, some parts seem more like narratives of personal opinion instead of being based on solid research.