Understanding Europeans [Paperback]

Stuart Miller (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The first edition of this work was titled Painted in Blood (LJ 2/15/87), and not much has changed in the new edition. Miller has added a new preface and afterword explaining that the original ideas still apply to post-Communist Europe and in many ways to the rest of the non-American world. Miller contrasts American and European outlooks and behavior, offering anecdotal evidence from his studies and travels, his knowledge of European languages, and his marriage to a Belgian as a foundation for generalizing about the European character. He argues that European thought has been dominated by various concepts of hierarchy, class, gender, family, and so on, while America has been more flexible. Europeans are also more conscious of the value of materials than Americans, who pursue and waste goods more than they value them. The American and European cultures are becoming more similar over time, and the challenge is "to adopt the other's good and leave behind as much of the bad as possible." Recommended for European, American studies, and psychology collections that do not own the first edition.
William R. Smith, Johns Hopkins Univ. Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Millions of Americans travel to Europe every year for business and pleasure. Many are perplexed by the way Europeans think and behave. Europeans often seem rude and distant, or they seem offended by the outgoing, friendly nature of Americans. In Understanding Europeans, Stuart Miller attempts to untangle the mystery of the modern European. He offers a brief, insightful course in European history, showing how events of the distant as well as the recent past have shaped European thinking and behavior. Importantly, in his observations on European differences, Miller also sheds light on the roots of American behavior. Miller lived in Europe for many years, studying European culture and ultimately marrying a European. Understanding Europeans is an essential book for travelers, business people, students, and anyone who wishes to understand the Europeans they will encounter. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Pub; 2 Sub edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562612948
• ISBN-13: 978-1562612948
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,542,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not recommended for tourists!, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Europeans (Paperback)

I have a book that has been an eye opener for me. It may be helpful to those Americans who begin to sense that they are not "insync" with the Europeans with whom they live and work. The sense that there is an indescribable defensiveness, a manipulative art of "non"communication that baffles the American sensitivities. That feeling of being "held at bay", regardless if with Germans or Brits, French or Italians. A feeling there is a collective European attitude passed on through generations born out of institutionalized horror, surviving war and poverty, concealment and distrust.

It is NOT tourists, those who only experience sights and foods. It is for those American expats - or those living and working in Europe more than 6 months - who have gotten beyond romanticizing about those quaint tourist traps in which they settled.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Expats & Business, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Europeans (Paperback)

I have read a number of books on European culture and this is the best of the lot for providing a good understanding of the underlaying cultural dynamics. I strongly recommend this book for anyone from the USA who will be living or working in Europe. Europeans should also find this book useful for understanding the USA.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, February 22, 2003

By 

Glen Engel Cox (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding Europeans (Paperback)

"Tell them you're a writer." That is a chapter title in this book, and it illustrates one of the differences between Europeans and Americans. For me, this chapter struck home. I have been working towards a career in writing recently, first by applying to graduate school where I hope to complete a Masters of Fine Arts degree. But when people ask me what I plan to do with that degree, I can not tell them the truth: that I want to write. Instead, I have to say that I plan to teach or take an editing position along with writing (which is true--I am not so naive as to believe in a magical diploma that opens up the world of publishing--but it is akin to someone who is studying to be a surgeon to say that they plan to work as an intern). In some ways, I feel like St. Peter denying Jesus; I cannot admit to my true purpose because of what people might think. And that is because writing is not viewed as a proper occupation by the majority of Americans, whereas in Europe, that answer would be sufficient.

This is indicative of my feeling for this book of Miller's, which is supposedly about those folk across the water, but ends up helping describe my neighbor and myself much more. Although we are mostly aware of the Puritan and commercial streaks in our national character, to have it compared and contrasted to the Europeans makes it much easier to understand. There are some basic differences between our world views that Miller is able to pinpoint with some accuracy.

Understanding Europeans benefits from Miller's use of his own marriage to a French woman as examples, but there are not enough of them to overcome some of the drudgery of his psychoanalytical approach to his subject. While slow at times, perseverance was rewarded by a comprehensive overview of the European state of mind.

Although global communication is helping to homogenize the world (not a totally positive thing in my opinion), culture differences are still strong and go much deeper than the simple talk and entertainment that we might share. Nationalism, something Americans only understand to a small extent, once again is making itself known in Europe, and we would be wise to be aware of its past impact in history. Miller helps explain the psychology of Europeans, from the lingering effects of feudalism to the most recent trauma of a war that affected the entire family rather than just able-bodied men.