Germany - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture

by Barry Tomalin

Book Overview

Despite superficial appearances, Germany is a country that operates very differently from the USA and Britain. German history is more than a thousand years old and the relatively new German... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1857333063
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Kuperard
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.5" x 4.4"

Customer Reviews

Some useful tips, but otherwise very basic

This is an easy to read book that covers some general details of the customs and cultural aspects of Germany. It does not go into enough detail on any given subject to be particularly useful, but it is an interesting read and you will probably learn something new.

Excellent - Not Too "Touristy"

Helpful, real-world information on the culture of Germany and the attitudes that are a part of that culture. Detailed pointers on the business world as well as more personal level. Not funky or silly - and not too serious either. Great preparation for visiting or living in Germany.

A Lot of Little Somethings

This is a great book, it has a little of everything on how things are over there. I would definitely recommend you get this book before planning a trip so you can brush up on their culture. It's easy to read and very helpful on a variety of subjects. It was just what I was looking for.

Very enjoyable and enlightening

I found this book very useful for it is pocket size and easy to carry around. It can also be used a reference book, skipping the sections that may not apply to you. I think, however, that this book provides a great all-around insight into the life and culture of Germany and each section is just as useful and interesting as the next. Tomalin starts with a map of Germany and an introduction, followed by a useful chart of key facts. It ends with an appendix of simple vocabulary as well as a list of further reading. One aspect of this book that I liked in particular were the shaded boxes or `bubbles'. These were areas throughout the book in which the author goes above and beyond to provide us with extra commentary, explanations, or suggestions. It was very informative and I felt that it gave an accurate depiction of German life and culture. The author's writing style is very easy to read and often humorous. He provides short real-life stories to make the reading more interesting, understandable and easy to relate to. I would give this book five starts and recommend it to anyone wanting to travel to any German country as well as those simply interested in learning about other countries and cultures.