Review: Why the Germans Do it Better: Notes from a Grown-Up Country

Why the Germans Do it Better: Notes from a Grown-Up Country by John Kampfner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The main thought that kept coming to mind while reading this is that someone really needs to write the equivalent of this book but for Taiwan. A country boasting the best Healthcare system in world, despite not being allowed in the WHO, the highest GDP per capita in East Asia, the first country in Asia to allow gay marriage, and one of the strongest stock markets in the world, not to mention home of the modern computer chip, and all this with China breathing down its neck. That’s a pretty impressive (or grown-up) country.

In fact, it seems to have much in common with Germany. A lack of patriotism, in the classic sense, and a continuous sense of ‘duty’, for lack of a better word, to do better.

Regardless, those are just my two cents.


This book itself is unfortunately outdated at this point, but still very interesting. The progression since the war to the Germany of Merkel certainly is an interesting one. I was always enthralled by how Germany, despite having just had 2 devastating wars, seemed like the stable country in the EU when I was growing up. However, my impression is that, since Merkel, this hasn’t necessarily been true. The trains in Italy are now more reliable than Germany’s, and after Switzerland set up its cross-Gotthard train, it is one of the only countries in western Europe without High-speed rail.


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Review: The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel

The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm extremely glad this book was written. 

First of all, I should mention that the author seems to be quite pro-Merkel, and every now and then she slips into 1st person asides (usally in the footnotes, but not always, although I pretty much always found them informative). 

However, there is no denying she is an extraordinary person and that, without her, not only Germany, but all of Europe (and perhaps the world) would be in a very different state. She has been the voice of moderation, while demagoguery has been popping up left and right (literally, as in with Russia, China, and the US). 

This book takes us from her East German upbringing and formation as a scientist, through her political career, and the author obviously has had plenty of access to Merkel and her inner circle (at least, as much as can be said for someone as private as Merkel is). 

Now I just need someone to write a similar book about Tsai Ying-Wen...

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