Hill, Richard "We Europeans" - 1992
The book is subtitled "An alternate history of Europe". It starts with "Once upon a time... there was a cozy little continent crammed with alien cultures, each of them strange, even sinister, to its neighbours, most of them recently emerged from a series of devastating wars."
Very interesting book about the different nations of Europe, their likes and dislikes, their similarities and their differences. Sometimes these books get a little overwhelming at times, a little too stereotypical, but Richard Hill managed to give a neutral view, as much as that is possible. I have lived in several European countries and can honestly say that I know at least a few people of every nation and I found a lot of the author's findings quiet accurate.
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the humour in it. And there are quite a few little stories about the differences of the people some of which I hadn't heard before.
I also enjoyed all the quotes the author gave at the beginning of every chapter. My favourite: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayaa
From the back cover:
"The united Europe is all about people - people who differ in their tastes and habits but share the same values and ideals. This book describes these people, then attacks stereotypes of them, ending with a witty analysis of each of the cultures making up the Continent. Hill enlarges his theme with a comparative study analysis of value systems and lifestyles, how people communicate, relate to one another and do business. The final chapter examines recent events and offers thoughts on where we go from here."
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