
Why the Dutch Are Different
A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands
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Narrated by:
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Ciaran Saward
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By:
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Ben Coates
About this listen
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 and history of the Netherlands from a modern perspective, the author explores the length and breadth of his adopted homeland and discovers why one of the world's smallest countries is also so significant and so fascinating.
Ben Coates investigates what makes the Dutch the Dutch, why the Netherlands is much more than Holland, and why the color orange is so important. Along the way he reveals why they are the world's tallest people and have the best carnival outside Brazil. He learns why Amsterdam's brothels are going out of business, who really killed Anne Frank, and 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, and an entertaining travelogue, Why the Dutch Are Different is the story of an Englishman who went Dutch. And loved it.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2015 Ben Coates (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Based on select writings from a collection of more than two thousand Dutch diaries written during World War II in order to record this unparalleled time, and maintained by devoted archivists, The Diary Keepers illuminates a part of history we haven’t seen in quite this way before, from the stories of a Nazi sympathizing police officer to a Jewish journalist who documented daily activities at a transport camp.
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Superior work!
- By Anonymous User on 02-24-23
By: Nina Siegal
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The Island at the Center of the World
- The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Russell Shorto
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In a landmark work of history, Russell Shorto presents astonishing information on the founding of our nation and reveals in riveting detail the crucial role of the Dutch in making America what it is today.
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Incomplete history, but fun. Performance is poor.
- By Matthew on 11-27-18
By: Russell Shorto
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Dutch Short Stories for Beginners
- 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Dutch & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! (Easy Dutch Stories)
- By: Lingo Mastery
- Narrated by: Boukeline Arnold
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Do you know what the hardest thing for a Dutch learner is? Finding proper or listening material that they can handle, which is precisely the reason we’ve designed this audiobook! Teachers love giving out tough, expert-level literature to their students. Books that present many new problems to the reader and force them to search for words in a dictionary every five minutes. It’s not entertaining, useful, or motivating for the student, at all, and many soon give up on learning!
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It's amazing
- By Pat on 10-23-20
By: Lingo Mastery
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The Rhine
- Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps
- By: Ben Coates
- Narrated by: Ciaran Saward
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of the Netherlands, through the industrial and political powerhouses of Germany and France, to the wealthy mountain fortresses of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
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Picky listener loved this book.
- By William on 03-08-22
By: Ben Coates
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The Upside-Down World
- Meetings with the Dutch Masters
- By: Benjamin Moser
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Beyond the sainted Rembrandt—who harbored a startling darkness—and the mysterious Vermeer, whose true subject, it turned out, was lurking in plain sight, Moser got to know a whole galaxy of geniuses: the doomed virtuoso Carel Fabritius, the anguished wunderkind Jan Lievens, the deaf prodigy Hendrik Avercamp. Year after year, as he tried to make a life for himself in the Netherlands, Moser found friends among these centuries-dead artists. And he found that they, too, were struggling with the same questions that he was.
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Great Book
- By PaulB on 02-29-24
By: Benjamin Moser
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2000 Most Common Dutch Words in Context: Get Fluent & Increase Your Dutch Vocabulary with 2000 Dutch Phrases
- Dutch Language Lessons
- By: Lingo Mastery
- Narrated by: Boukeline Arnold
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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We’ve compiled the 2000 Most Common Words in Dutch, a list of terms that will expand your vocabulary to levels previously unseen. Did you know that — according to an important study — learning the top 2000 most frequently used words will enable you to understand up to 84 percent of all nonfiction and 86.1 percent of fiction literature and 92.7 percent of oral speech? Those are amazing stats, and this book will take you even further than those numbers!
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Missing content
- By Timur on 01-05-24
By: Lingo Mastery
What listeners say about Why the Dutch Are Different
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-03-24
Ah, the Netherlands
Vivid story telling about this country and it’s history. A good overview from a contemporary perspective.
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- Barkis_is_willin
- 08-20-24
A fun and informative read
I enjoyed the several chapters about the Dutch and how their country is distinct. I enjoyed the quick history and geography information.
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- Deniz Koyuncu
- 08-21-24
Oh mate!
Great story and narration. The author really takes you to through the places he visits.
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- BeckySew
- 04-01-23
Well worth the listen!
Historical background intertwined with modern Netherlands. It was an excellent book to listen to in preparation for my upcoming trip to the Netherlands.
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- Deborah Kadlick
- 04-02-23
Excellent preparation for upcoming trip!
This book is just the right mix of history, anecdote and personal story which allows for a wonderful introduction to the country.
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- Anke WinklerPrins
- 07-26-22
Insightful and informative
The book draws from both historical and personal experiences of the next bat living in Rotterdam. The story is a clever intertwining of contemporary experiences and historical context, presenting a full explanation of “why the Dutch are different“. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
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- Tracy McKnight
- 08-08-23
Great preparation for my upcoming trip!
Combo travelogue and history of the Netherlands, highly recommend if you are planning a visit!
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- Karen
- 05-11-22
A Short and Enjoyable Tour of the Netherlands Past and Present
In case you had been wondering how the famous liberal social experiment of the Netherlands was faring, you need to look no further than Ben Coates’ book, which gives an excellent snapshot of what’s happening in the Netherlands today. In addition, the book provides a good potted history of the Netherlands, its fight for freedom from the Hapsburgs, the golden age and the harrowing years of WWII and the great starvation. If you want to get an insight into the Dutch, how they think and who they are, you could do no better. A very enjoyable read.
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- Simon Chow
- 02-07-22
go for it
a good read, informative, entertaining, light minded but should be taken seriously. I certainly recommended
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- Lisa Belle
- 03-12-25
Excellent narrator and entertaining prose
Highly informative and super interesting read a few months before planned a trip.
Travel non-fiction fun!
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