Netherlands Books

When I was a young boy I read the Diary of Ann Frank and, much like other boys, did not really enjoy it. As an adult man I prefer technical reading material. So, I was not enthusiastic when the author, my mother-in-law Mandy Evans, asked me to read her book, and I did so only out of a sense of filial obligation. I was very much surprised by what I read. You will be, too.

In this her first book, Mandy has masterfully captured the sights, sounds, and emotions of her experiences as a 7-year old "enemy of the state" as she was shuffled from one hiding place to another in a seemingly endless swirl of intrigue and ever-present danger. Her story is told with simple narration and engaging dialog between the real people who risked their lives in a complex series of schemes to save Mandy and her family.

Moving from house to house, assuming a new identity with each "family," sometimes enjoying a lengthy stay in relative safety, at other times escaping Nazi pursuers by mere seconds, Mandyýs true story reveals the paradoxical depravity and heroism within human nature. A friendly neighborhood cop-on-the-beat who becomes a vicious anti-Semitic Nazi-sympathizer literally over night, a man who finds it easier to turn his Jewish wife into the Nazi occupiers rather than divorce her, a pretty young woman who takes her "daughter" to see her grandmother while concealing Dutch Resistance handguns in her travel bag, and the brazenly canny courage of a young Dutchman in the Resistance who saves countless lives only to lose his own life in a freak accident with an American truck shortly after Dutch liberation are all portrayed with affecting and remarkable detail. And in the midst of it all, Mandy finds safety, seclusion and a hero on a houseboat aptly named "The Swan".

In addition to the story of her own struggle to survive, Mandy tells the wider story of her family: a father whose pre-war fame as "Der Schwaze Teufel" (the Black Devil) on Germanyýs championship soccer team buys him one night of delay in which to save his family; a mother who reunites with her lice-ridden son by the innocent use of a kerchief; a brother whose courage and ingenuity engineer an escape from a train bound for Auschwitz that saves himself and his mother; and two sisters, one older and one younger, each of whom also must hide and deal with the realities of being hunted.

And, in the final unexpected twist to this remarkable tale, Mandyýs story ends in the Oval Office as she introduces an elderly Dutch woman to the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

I highly recommend this book, not because Mandy is my mother-in-law but because this story will leave you with the sure conviction that in the darkest of hours hope can inspire unyielding endurance, that ordinary human beings can rise to unthought-of heights of heroism, that in the face of worldwide destruction miracles still do happen, and that little girls with ribbons in their hair can defeat historyýs worst monsters.

"Lest We Forget" is a book you will read and remember.

As usual, Let's Go has written an excellent guide for the city you need. Especially, it is filled with $ saving tips and side trips -- no $200 a night hotels wasting half of the book.

Most importantly, though, Amsterdam is a special city. The governmental tolerance there (even if you do not choose to partake in the famous vices of this flowing canal metropolis) can be felt. For me, I was both happy and sad. Happy to be in a place where it is legal to do almost anything as long as you are not hurting anybody. Sad because part of me wonders how much my inner self has been diminished by growing up in a relatively fascist state.

Anyway, this guide leads to very inexpensive hotels, bars, "coffee shops," museums, and all that this wonderful place offers. It also includes some places with more bling if you want to splurge. Let's Go Amsterdam delivers a difficult and delicate city guide with professionalism, class, and the necessary cautions for a culture that resembles our own quite little.

Lakshmi Mittal is a pioneer and genius. You have to give credit to this man he redeveloped plants in the most hostile and torn countries ranging from kazahkistan, to algeria to montenegro, and at the same time making good $$$.

Speaking from the authority of someone who lived and traveled with Corrie ten Boom, Pamela Rosewell Moore dived into archived papers and her own dear memories of Tante Corrie to provide this new work. At the heart of the material is 'how is Corrie relevant to today's Christian?' and how can I as an author show that to my readers? The depth of Pamela's experience with Brother Andrew and with Corrie ten Boom makes her a cherished author for every Christian reader.

A great mystery, and in a wonderful setting! Set on the island of Ameland off the coast of Holland, Rikst and her best childhood friend Bas de Jong stumble upon what appears to be a woman who is the reincarnation of the witch Rixt, the island woman who is the subject of an old legend often told on the island. Their search to uncover the truth leads to a confrontation and battle of wits with malicious smugglers. Gripping and fascinating, this book also explores Rikst's emotions and feelings about her family and the boy she likes.

This book can be seen as a masterpiece. The story of Lille is not well-known, even if the sources are important and accessable, and that's why this study is of a great interest. As the title says, the book describes the economy and politics of the (now) french town of Lille, then one of the biggest towns of the Low-Countries. Robert S. Duplessis made very complete research and extended the use of the sources to their maximum. The result is astonishing, and very surprising. We can see the tension between catholics and calvinists, the difficulties of the relations between central power in Bruxelles or Malines and the "Magistrat" (the town's council), and the way money and birth regulate the power in town. If you are interested in politics, in the Reform, or in the way people made fortune in the Renaissance, this book will interest you.

To enter some of the most beautiful interiors of a city is a treat and this book has them all (?). City apartements, boats, gardens, country houses, museums... Photos are of best quality. A book to return to again and again to revel in the Dutch style, grand in a relaxed and human scale.
Later titles in the group "Living in..." do not focus on interiors like this one (and the equally great "Living in Venice" by E Vendrenne) which is a shame in my opinion, beacuse thats what makes them special. Instead you get a more ordinary set of tourist-pictures.

As an amateur World War II historian, I am always searching for the books that tells it like it was and I am so impressed with this book that I read it twice. Colonel Giskes was truly a professional soldier and expert counter-espionage agent. His book will set the record straight for all time regardless of whose version you read regarding SOE-MID covert operations in Northern France and Holland during the war from March 1942 thru October 1943. He was a class officer who performed his task with true professionialism. He did every thing in his power to secure the lives of the Dutch agents that fell into his trap. However the SIPO (State Police) had the final word and the agents were executed. If you call yourself a historian of World War II, you must read this book from cover to cover. Thank You

We stayed in Amsterdam for just two days en route back home to Canada, but without this guide, we'd have been lost. It's thin and light, but there's a small wealth of information crammed into it. Of course, if you're staying Amsterdam longer, invest in a more in-depth guide. But we're returning later this year, and it's definitely coming along for the ride - the fold-away maps are worth the price alone.

I recently took a trip to Amsterdam and used this book- it was phenonmenal! I only spent about four days there, and I took this little book everywhere with me. It provided the essential information, highlights, and sufficient background knowledge to sightsee. However, as the title suggests, it is a condensed version, so don't plan referring to this guidebook for every obscure detail. I am a fan of Lonely Planet, and this guidebook continues its reliable tradition.