Painted in Blood: Understanding Europeans

Library Journal

Books which purport to explain the character of an entire group of millions of people inevitably excite skepticism. Is it possible to usefully generalize about all Europeans? If so, how does Miller do? Surprisingly enough, Miller is convincing as he posits a coherent world view that influences Europeans' behavior so as to make it very different from that of Americans, and often not understandable to us. Using personal anecdotal evidence, Miller shows how Europe's continuous experience of war and its static hierarchical past account for Europeans' behavior and outlook. He contends that this leads to desirable and undesirable traits which Americans can learn from and must learn to live with. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Pat Ensor, Indiana State Univ. Lib., Terre Haute