This book confirmed to me that Germans are efficient and conscientious as compared to the British who tend to be lazy and confrontational as well as class conscious.Germany is a more equitable society. Germany has a capital - Berlin - but other cities there share equal responsibilities in cultural and sporting events whereas in England London is the centre for everything. The Federal system simply works better than the English broken system. A real democracy.

If you wanted to know why the Germans are so good at doing what they do, or what makes the Germans tick, reading this book is a good example, okay yes, it is slightly biased, in that it is the opinions of the author, who had the opportunity to live and work among them(as an observer) for a period of time, but apart from all that, I found the book a fascinating record of what he thought of them as a population, and as a result of interacting with them. I enjoyed reading the book, as the author gave examples of what Germany has been able to achieve after the ends of World Wars 1 and 2, bearing in mind the fact that Germany has had to bear the weight of history regarding its actions in both Wars. I recommend this book.

Very readable, incisive, well researched and personal analysis of modern Germany. It extended my knowledge and understanding of a country I know quite well. I assumed it was written predominantly for an English audience but as JK developed his narrative later in the book I started to discuss it with my lifelong German friend, realising it crossed all sorts of boundaries. I posted him a paperback copy which never reached him. We decided our postal services were in equal states of disarray. Germany's successes have faded in the last decade. Sadly they are still in a better state than the UK but great dangers lurk in the shadows for us both. Brilliant book.

I found this a very interesting book. I had never really thought it depth about what it must have been like for the generation that followed WW2 in Germany. Wondering how much your parents or your grandparents had been directly involved in the dreadful things that the Nazis did. How it has shaped many of Germany's policies since that time. It is an informative book also about Germany being a country of thousands of small businesses, and why this has helped it to be such a strong economy. There is much much more in this book, and if you are interested in knowing more about Germany I thoroughly recommend it.

Appeared to have very good reviews, I was sadly disappointed.