Customer Reviews

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Germans (Xenophobe's Guides - Oval Books)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I lived in Germany for over 3 years, and was a tour guide part-time, explaining aspects of German society to Americans. I saw first-hand a lot of the material in this book, written by transplanted Germans. While one may think the book generalizes too much, I can say my experience was the passion for Ordnung, Bildung, and Kultur are exactly as this book describes, and there is really is no concept of "small-talk" in German. Excellent for anyone who lives there or plans to visit.

I'm a German working from time to time abroad (often in the UK). The book is written by two Germans working now for decades in the UK and explains the culture difference from a british point of view. I think it is a great insight on the attitudes, implicit policies and main motivations of Germans. Furthermore, it is very funny (I had to read it in one session and was laughing out loud most of the time). A must read if you plan to go to Germany!

I have read a few of the Xenophobe's Guides, and this so far is the best and the funniest. Maybe because I have lived here for the last two years, and experienced all the wonderful quirks and traits of the locals that I could relate to this book, but really, it is for everyone who plans to visit or live here, and of cause for the Germans themselves.

Natually, I didn't agree with all of it, especially the working atmosphere... It's really not as formal as written in the book, at least not these days, but much of the rest runs true.

A bit expensive for only 64 pages, but worth it for the laugh.

I am an American who has lived 22 years in Germany and can testify: this book may be funny, but it is TRUTH! It is an excellent cross-cultural guide. Enjoy a chuckle as you focus on the endearing foibles and frustrating traits of one of the most interesting peoples in the world! Must reading for any >>Anglo-Saxons<< contemplating studying, living or working in Deutschland!

If only this book were longer. When it arrived I was rather taken aback - just 60 pages? Surely not! What can I learn about the Germans in 60 pages?

Quite a lot, as it turns out. This book launches straight in with a very amusing look at the Germans, giving a brief discussion of their history and how the German nation came to be and then detailing many of the quirks and habits of this fascinating nation. The authors give a few ideas how the Germans have been so successful, particularly in terms of literature and music (Goethe, Bach, Kant) but also show some of the angst and problems that the German nature can cause for the people.

The authors are both German although I wouldn't know that from their writing which is excellent, funny and seems to understand the Brits very well. They are also very able to poke fun at their own country (although they say this isn't something at which Germans are very adept).

With such a short book you can only really get a very brief introduction to German people but it's a very amusing overview and certainly made me think a number of times. We tend to think of the Germans as probably the closest to Brits in terms of personality and nature than other Europeans - this book shows that we might well be wrong in that opinion and it might just help us to understand them more when we visit.

Oh, and if you want a view of the Brits (and a much larger book) I can heartily recommend Kate Fox's "Watching the English".

You *must* read this book, if you want to learn more about the strange nature of the germans, because you will find most of it in no other book. The book is full of prejudices - but they are all true (I can assure you, because I AM one of these strange people).

There are comments to nearly everything which is different in Germany, e.g.: Polishing cars, drinking beer, order & discipline, "everything is forbidden unless it is explicitly allowed", why you don't have a german word for "small talk", ...

Some germans will NOT like this book, because they don't like that somebody laughs about them. But I think, everyone who reads this book will understand their (sometimes strange) behaviour better.

I bought this book for a laugh, and while I did laugh - quite a lot - I also finally had a confirmation from others of what I have experienced as an American living in Germany. Indeed, dogs are allowed most places in Germany -- restaurants, bars, shops, buses, trains, etc. (probably because they are quiet and far less smelly than children). Walking my dogs every day and taking them with me most places has helped me be accepted into this tiny German village quickly. This book also helped me illustrate for my German husband exactly why people from the USA and people from some other more "open" countries struggle here socially; he now does, at last, introduce me when we encounter a group of people he knows, specifically because the book said Germans don't do this and he finally realized how hard that makes it for an outsider. This is a must read if you are going to live in Germany for a while or do business with Germans. It's a book written with much humor, genuine affection, and great accuracy.

I am a German living in the USA and can really recommend this book. It is funny but true to very small details! And to have most fun, read it along with the one for your own country!

I am part German and was a little surpirsed at how much of the book rang true. It is as revealing and as much fun as an excellent horoscope or a fun-house mirror, and offers better insight than all the other information about doing business in Germany.

It is concise, funny and true for the most part. I can recommend it to foreigners as well as to my own people. A visitor/tourist can use it as a valuable supplement along with a regular travel guide. For someone knowing Germany and Germans well enough some examples seem to be out of date, inaccurate and do not reflect the current situation.