One gets used to anything, except a guy

Alles went behalve een vent ("One gets used to anything, except a guy") is a 1990 book by psychologist Yvonne Kroonenberg (ISBN 90-254-6780-6). The book, originally in Dutch, was translated into German as Man gewöhnt sich an alles, nur nicht an einen Mann (2001, ISBN 3-492-23257-4)

Far from being a dogmatic sexist discourse, the book is a collection of columns highlighting idiosyncrasies of all sorts of men - equally making fun of typical reactions of women to such male behaviour.

The book was a hit in the Netherlands and Flanders in the 1990s, for its unusual approach: Kroonenberg's blunt, funny depictions of typical male vs. female situations bridged the gender gap rather than exacerbated that divide.

The impact of the book in Dutch-speaking countries may be compared to that of John Gray's 1992 book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus in English-speaking countries, but that's where comparison between these books ends: Kroonenberg's book (and its sequels) has nothing of the systematic approach of Gray's Mars & Venus books.

Eventually "Alles went behalve een vent" ("went" rhyming with "vent") became a stock phrase in Dutch, indicating "typical" male negligence or chauvinism, a sort of equivalent, but much less offensive, of the expression male chauvinist pig in English.

External links

• Book review in English: http://www.josvisser.nl/bookcorner.html (see the section Two books from Yvonne Kroonenberg)