Ben Coates is the best-selling author of the books ‘Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands’ and ‘The Rhine: Following Europe’s Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps’. He was born in England in 1982 and has worked at various times as a political adviser in London, speechwriter, lobbyist and aid worker in Africa. He currently lives in a cottage in the Dutch countryside with his wife, daughter and dog. Ben also works freelance as a journalist for outlets including the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, BBC, NRC, AD, Scotsman and Irish Times; and occasionally on other writing and speechwriting projects.