Greece's image has suffered greatly over the past year, since the country narrowly avoided bankruptcy. Now, in Germany, only mismanagement and corruption are being discussed, just as there was once admiration for the white-blue island splendor. Both are distorted images. No one knows this better than Eberhard Rondholz, who has been reporting on the advantages and disadvantages of Greece for decades. In this book, he writes about the monster that is Athens and its charming aspects, about the everyday life of modern Greeks and their fractured relationship with their ancient ancestors, about the ongoing conflict with Turkey and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, about the Greeks' penchant for striking, and finally about their ability to maintain a culture of hospitality even in times of the greatest economic crisis. A nuanced portrait of the country that...