Guus Bosman

My parents sent me a very nice book by Maarten van Rossem, one of my favorite Dutch pundits. He is a historian and a frequent guest in many TV shows. He's a specialist on U.S. history and politics, but in his latest book he puts the Netherlands and world politics in the spotlight. It's titled De wereld volgens Maarten van Rossem, the world according to Maarten van Rossem, in his gently arrogant style.

I enjoyed his analysis of the current Dutch political climate and recent Dutch history. Maarten van Rossem is down-to-earth, no-nonsense historian and is a sharp analyst with an entertaining writing style.

I was less impressed by his accounts of books that he read in his childhood, or his short re-hash of Jared Diamond's overview of human history. I feel that van Rossem is at his best when he is talking about recent political affairs and adds the best insights in those subjects.

Over-all I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to read some of Van Rossem's books on the United States.