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67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful, but to be taken with a grain of salt, March 18, 2005
I am a German who was given the book by an American and read it out of curiosity. It is a helpful book, and I even agree with most of its not-so-flattering observations and statements about my country. However, it should be taken with a grain of salt: It was clearly written by someone who worked in the business world of Frankfurt, Germany's center of banking and corporate finance, and had rather stiff, conservative suburban upper middle class, suit-wearing business people as his German acquaintances and friends. What he describes as cultural "compartmentalization" between public and private lives applies to conservative business culture (certainly to banks), not so much, for example, to academics, artists, freelancers etc.
What's more, Lord's observations apply chiefly to the wealthy, more conservative Southwestern part of Germany between Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich, less so to East Germany or Northern Germany. For example, his advice that "upon entering a small shop, one should always intone a robust Guten Morgen, Guten Tag or Guten Abend" should be followed only in small towns and villages, and South Western Germany with its more provincial culture, but surely would raise eyebrows or amusement in Hamburg or Berlin. Same is true for his advice to greet all neighbors or co-workers in a house "in the following manner: 'Guten Tag, Frau Schmidt; Guten Abend, Frau Müller". I had to laugh out cordially when I read that, but, well, it's true to the extent that this is the politeness code if you work in a bank or live in a Western German neighborhood of chiefly conservative senior citizens.
Another detail: His remarks about "Hausordnung" (house order) and cleaning the stairs in front of one's apartment again applies to Southwest Germany only, in fact Northern Germans often make fun of this aspect and cite this is as one reason why they never would move South.
Or, to take with a grain of salt, too: "Any invitation for Saturday or Sunday afternoon around three or four o'clock always entails a duty to serve coffee and cake". I can only repeat myself and pity the author for having lived in an environment of _extremely_ conservative, possibly old people. In such passages, the book is actually counterproductive as it creates potentially false images and expectations for Americans visiting Germany.
Or the rule of always giving an odd number of flowers to hosts - I admit I have never heard of this in my life, having lived in Germany for more than 35 years... Or the rule that it is considered extremely rude to leave the toilet door open after one has used it.
Well, I could go on and on with such examples. They actually taught me something, too - etiquette I have never heard of and I probably should know if I ever worked in an upscale corporate environment between Frankfurt and Munich.
So this book is roughly equivalent to a guide to the USA which extrapolates from a corporate work experience in, say, Atlanta to all American culture.
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87 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps Too Many Axes to Grind?, October 9, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Culture Shock! Germany (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)
Richard Lord warns the reader in his introduction that he may have a few axes to grind in this book, and he isn't kidding! This book does deliver on its promise in that it is full of interesting and useful facts and anecdotes about German culture, but the underlying and pervasive tone of the book is negative. It is clear that Mr. Lord is harboring some deep dislikes/distrust of Germans and German culture and after reading 80 percent of the book I find myself feeling rather depressed at the prospect of even visiting Germany, let alone living there. Poor Mr. Lord who has had stay in such an unpleasant place as he describes for 15 years--due to being married to a German! His book dedication states plainly that he certainly wouldn't stay there if it weren't for her. How miserable he must be, if his tone in this book is an indication! Not all of what Lord says about Germans and German culture is negative, but the positive points are mentioned almost as an afterthought, whereas the negative points get center stage. Imagine a book written about the U.S.A. for foreigners (and I know there are plenty of this type out there) that takes a truism here (violent crime), a stereotype there (loud, obnoxious, back-slapping American--admittedly there are a few of these) and mixes them together into a strong concentration with a dash of personal frustration (the author stings from an incident that happened to him/her that might not routinely happen to the majority of people) and you would get an unbalanced view of the U.S. as a dangerous, loud, and unfriendly place. I'm writing this to warn readers that this book is laced with (mostly negative) opinions and is not (and really doesn't pretend to be) a balanced, journalistic discussion of German culture. I think I would have been happier with a book that simply told me the facts, leaving myself to make up my own mind what I think about the cultural differences after I've experienced them myself.
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Book for those Planning to Live in Germany, April 21, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Culture Shock! Germany (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette) (Paperback)
I have recently returned from living and working in Germany for one year. I read this book upon my return to the States and found Mr. Lord's perspective unbelievably accurate of the culture that I experienced. Germany is a wonderful place, but as with any country, the culture can be confusing at times. Mr. Lord, an American who is married to a German and has spent 15 years living there, gives a very raw, accurate, and insightful perspective on the German culture. He informs the reader about Germany's history, current customs, traditions, daily life, and how Germany's culture is evolving today. Many reviewers believe that Mr. Lord's perspective is a tad bitter. I believe brutally honest is a better description. He delivers a very accurate perspective for foreigners who plan to be immersed in the German culture for a long period of time. I highly recommend this book to anyone planning to live in Germany. I would not however recommend this book to people planning a small vacation there. It is not a light and happy-go-lucky travel brochure. If you are looking for the charming cultural differences in Germany, check out a travel guidebook.
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