Customer Reviews

The German Way : Aspects of Behavior, Attitudes, and Customs in the German-Speaking World

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I lived in Germany for over three years. My German acquaintances in general liked Americans; but they greatly disliked our cultural ignorance. I also did part-time work as a tour guide and a portion of "tour guiding" is to educate people on the culture, and saw the extent of this ignorance first-hand. While German/Austrian/Swiss society is in a "big picture" sense similar to American, (guilt vs shame-based culture, individuality vs collectivism) there are major differences in personal and business relationships. Anyone who really wants to know Germany or succeed in business dealings with Germans ignores these differences at their peril. This book does an outstanding job of clearly explaining all aspects of German society from Government through economy, consumerism, to social relationships. It also spells out the contrasts between German and American ways of thinking, and between German and Austrian/Swiss world-views. Bottom line is if you want a better vacation experience in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, a better business trip, or are just interested in other cultures, get this book.

"The German Way"
Hyde Flippo
ISBN 0-8442-2513-4

"The German Way" is quite an interesting little book. Having lived in Germany and traveled in Austria, and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland, there were numerous items of information in this book that were unknown to me. For example, although I have visited almost every province in Austria from the shore of the Bodensee in the west to Vienna in the east, I did not know that Austria was eighty-five percent Catholic.

I was vaguely aware that Germans use eating implements differently than Americans do. I have occasionally eaten a sandwich with a knife and fork in a "Gasthaus". However, I did not realize the extent to which handling table implements is a differentiator between Germans and Americans. For example, my wife pointed out to me in discussing this part of the book that one of our German friends, who has lived in the U.S. for seven or eight years, uses a modified German style of handling silverware.

It was also surprising to read that only fifteen percent of the movies Germans watch are from Germany. This may explain why many of the German movies available to be rented in the U.S., even from specialty houses, are usually older ones.

It was a total surprise to me that the local office of vital statistics has to review the names given to babies in Germany to ensure that the name must not endanger the child and that it reflects the child's sex. The latter rule, maybe the first, would have made short shrift of "A Boy Named Sue".

One point about the German language that Hyde Flippo appears to oversimplify somewhat is the idea that "Hoch Deutsch" originated from the way the language was spoken in the northern part of Germany. A recent article in a German language magazine I read stated that German, Austria, and Switzerland each has its own "Hoch Deutsch".

One shortcoming I found in this book is that some of the information seems a little dated. For example, although Europeans have been transitioning to the euro for several years, marks and schillings are discussed as though they will be used indefinitely when, in fact, they have already gone out of circulation. Another example relates to a discussion of the Austrian Freedom Party of Jorg Haider being unable to form a coalition with another party at the national level. Well, unfortunately, the "Freiheit Partei Oesterreich" did form such a coalition some time ago. It led to international sanctions against Austria.

On the whole, I found this book interesting and acquired some new insights about the German-speaking world from it. Business people or tourists planning to go to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland could well benefit from reading this book.

I suppose that someone who knew absolutely NOTHING about German culture would find this book interesting and useful. But, if you already know a little bit and want to learn more (like me) you will likely be disappointed. Others have pointed out that each topic is covered briefly, and in my opinion, that's usually EXTREMELY briefly. I find the alphabetical organization of topics unhelpful, and would prefer to have similar subjects located together. I often had to guess several times to see which word the author would use to alphabetize a given topic. If you're looking for more than a quick-and-dirty introduction to German culture, skip this book and read "Culture Shock! Germany" instead.

This is an informative little book written in a very readable style, in which a "foreigner" can learn quite a bit about German behavior, attitudes and customs. Not surprisingly, the less you already know about life in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the more useful it is.

One thing I don't much like is that the 77 brief articles are listed in alphabetical order by title, instead of by subjects or themes. Shouldn't "At the table" (6) and "Dining" (21) be grouped together instead of appearing 25 pages apart? And why not put something like "Greetings and common courtesies" (36) at the beginning of the book?

Another problem is that some of the information has become dated. The introduction of the Euro has pretty much killed the discussion on currency, for example, and the abolition of customs and passport controls among the EU countries has advanced considerably since the book was published. The same is true for things like store opening hours and rules about having sales and giving discounts. These things are inevitable, of course, but they do affect the usefulness of the book.

Nevertheless, this is an entertaining way to learn more about the people who live in the German-speaking countries of Europe, and it even boasts some humor. My favorite line is: "On a sweltering train the window remains closed because Germans seem to think that a draft will kill you quicker than heat prostration." How true!!

This is an excellent book. We plan to recommend it to our international employees in Germany, and those considering a move to Germany.

The optimum, however, especially if you are interested in brand-new, current information, is to use the outstanding companion Website (sorry, URL not allowed here, but simple to guess) in parallel with the book. I think the right combination of printed and electronic media is the future, and that has already become a reality here.

I mean the following remark in a very positive sense: German Way is one of the best bathroom readers I have ever bought. While some of it is common sense or common knowledge to anyone who knows anything about German Europe, some was not, and all of it was presented in a lively way. Most important, because it is broken into short segments, it was easily digested over "spare moments". Sometimes I started somewhere and read straight through, sometimes I jumped around using the table of contents. My wife and teen-age son read it and enjoyed it the same way. I look forward to reading other books in this series as the occasion arises.

This slim volume presents dozens of aspects of German culture. For example, why do Germans value privacy? Why do they always close windows when they feel a draft? I definitely learned a lot from this book. My only complaints is that it could have gone a little more in depth about the causes of German behavior. Also, this book is a little out of date. It was published in the 90's, so there is a lot of talk about Marks rather than Euros, and you read a lot about the reunification of Germany, which is not as hot a topic as it was in the 90's. Even with these weak points, I think you'll be able to learn a lot. I wish that the author would release a more up-to-date version, though.

I really enjoy this book. The average tourist may not get as much from it, if only passing through. I am an American, living in Germany. I found much of the book incredibly helpful. Yes, some sections are dated with the intro of the Euro, but it's true, stores close by 1800, some open til 2000. Nothing open on Sunday, except at the train station.

Highly recommended if you will be living or travelling for an extended time!

Great book. Very insightful. Great "ice-breaker" for conversations with Germans. If you visit Germany, compare what you learn in the book with what you experience for yourself while there.

I hope the author updates the info and keeps this reference current (otherwise this would be a five star).

Great book, really added to my trip to Germany.

I love this book! I am taking a German language class just for the fun of it, and I have since become more interested in Germany and German culture. This book is very interesting and has quite a bit of factual material. It is organized well (alphabetically by subject), and each section is short enough to read a few at a time, or a section or two while waiting in line or on my lunch break. The material presented is fascinating and gives you a look at a culture that appears similar to our own on the outside, but on the inside has many differences, and just as many 'idiosyncrasies' as our American culture.