This is a great collection of essays discussing a variety of topics on Dutch politics, economy, history, culture, and society. Virtually everything. The breadth and depth are just enough so that readers are not overwhelmed by the amount of new information, but still their old notions about a liberal, tolerant, highly progressive nation are strongly challenged.
I myself attended a talk by Emmeline Besamusca. She is also a great speaker and she made Dutch culture so crystal clear. If you plan to stay in the Netherlands for a long time, you'd better read this book and another book of her called [b:Foreign eyes|16013011|Foreign eyes|Emmeline Besamusca|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360191221s/16013011.jpg|21780486].