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Murder In Amsterdam
The Death Of Theo Van Gogh And The Limits Of Tolerance
by Ian Buruma
In a book expanded from a New Yorker article, Buruma investigates the 2004 murder of controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic extremist.
Penguin Press, 288 pages
09/07/2006
$24.95
ISBN: 1594201080
Nonfiction
Current Events & Politics
True Crime
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
Salon Matt Steinglass
A better book about the contemporary Netherlands has not been written.
San Francisco Chronicle Peter Lewis
A work of philosophical and narrative tension, strikingly sharp and brooding, frank and openly curious.
The Economist
The horrific killing of Van Gogh is the centrepiece of Ian Buruma's splendid new book.
The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Claire Berlinski
Murder in Amsterdam is an exceptionally articulate discussion of this question; it is a beautifully written portrait not just of a man, but of a whole country that has no idea where it belongs. But by the end of the book, it seems clear that however lucidly he describes the problem, Buruma, like the rest of us, can think of no good solutions. [9 Sep 2006]
The New York Times William Grimes
There is no single answer, [Buruma] discovers, as he sits down with social workers, historians, politicians and writers, some Dutch, others immigrants or the children of immigrants. There are, however, promising avenues to explore, and this he does, economically and suggestively.
The New York Times Book Review Christopher Caldwell
Ian Buruma addresses questions of political philosophy, moral accountability and mass psychology in the most rigorous possible way: journalistically.
The Observer Geraldine Bedell
While Murder in Amsterdam is nothing if not subtle and preoccupied with ambiguities, it helped me to think about the issue much more clearly.
Boston Globe Bruce Bawer
An elegantly written, absorbing, and unquestionably important document of our times.
Chicago Tribune Donald Weber
Buruma's personal account of his homeland under siege powerfully conveys the looming challenge of integration facing the Netherlands, and Western Europe in general. [10 Sep 2006, p.3]
Daily Telegraph Michael Burleigh
Bleakly brilliant book.
Booklist Ray Olson
An ideal, absorbing companion to Bruce Bawer's excoriating "While Europe Slept." [1 July 2006, p.23]
Kirkus Reviews
A troubling description and analysis of what can happen when cultures collide. [1 June 2006, p.554]
Publishers Weekly
There is a strong sense of journalistic immediacy to Buruma's cultural inquiry, and if the result is a slim volume, that's because his dense, thoughtful prose doesn't waste a single word. [29 May 2006, p.46]
Los Angeles Times Stéphanie Giry
Studying marginal people is one way to explore the limits of tolerance, as the subtitle of the book promises, but not to understand its core features, which is probably more important. You wouldn't want to turn the rare and the extreme into the emblematic. [1 Oct 2006]
Wall Street Journal Leon De Winter
Always engaging, despite the shortcomings of its analysis.
Washington Post Peter Beinart
For better and worse, Murder in Amsterdam still reads like a New Yorker article. At book length, its lack of a clear structure is problematic.
LA Weekly Brendan Bernhard
Though full of learning and skilled if tepid reporting, Buruma's book often feels muddled, ungenerous and confusing. There is plenty of scholarship on display, but no compelling point of view.
 The average user rating for this book is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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