Almost Nearly Perfect People

Product Description

The Christian Science Monitor's #1 Best Book of the Year

A witty, informative, and popular travelogue about the Scandinavian countries and how they may not be as happy or as perfect as we assume, “The Almost Nearly Perfect People offers up the ideal mixture of intriguing and revealing facts” (Laura Miller, Salon).

Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely book he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success, and, most intriguing of all, what they think of one another.

Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders as feral as they sometimes appear? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastic oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? In The Almost Nearly Perfect People Michael Booth explains who the Scandinavians are, how they differ and why, and what their quirks and foibles are, and he explores why these societies have become so successful and models for the world. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterized by suffocating parochialism, and populated by extremists of various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn’t easy being Scandinavian.

Features

• The Almost Nearly Perfect People Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia

Top Reviews

Tour of the Nordic Countries
by Andrew (4 out of 5 stars)
May 27, 2016

The Nordic countries make up five countries located in northern Europe: Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. As author Michael Booth posits, despite the fact that these countries often rank highest in the world in terms of quality of life (with Denmark almost always being rated the "happiest" country in the world), most people know little about them or what differentiates them. In his home of Denmark, for example, he says that people can discuss the affairs of other countries, but doubts anyone in the U.S. Congress could name the Danish Foreign Minister. Or he challenges the reader to name someone, anybody, from Finland. In this book, he travels around these five countries, exploring their cultural curiosities, and trying to learn a bit about what makes them tick.

One of the strongest points of this book is that he explores the different cultures of these countries through his own eyes and writes as such. Because of this, the writing can often be quite funny. Booth shares some lighthearted jokes the residents of one country have at the expense of others. Or his uncomfortable experience of visiting a Finnish sauna for the first time. But, aside from the humor, you get a sense of the pride many people take in their countries. One memorable example is the Constitution Day celebrations that take place on May 17 in Norway where people dress up in ways that invoke a romantic image of the past. Booth notes how immigrants to Norway, despite little to no connection to this history, heartily embrace it.

More serious matters are also of importance. Booth dedicates some time at looking at the horrific terrorist attack of the extreme-right wing Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik in 2011 and the effect it had on the country. Surprisingly, as terrible as the attack was, there was not a lot of permanent change. There was no new security put in place and life went on. Booth also explores some of the aspects of the Nordic countries' famous welfare states and how that works. I found the section on Sweden in this regard most interesting. In Sweden, Booth sees a system he refers to as "benign totalitarianism" where the Swedish government heavily intervenes in the lives of its citizens, even interfering in parenting. There is debate if this just creates too much dependency on the state and stifles the individual or if it releases the individual from worries allowing him or her to become truly individualistic.

One objective of this book, as the title implies, is looking past the utopian image these countries sometime have. They are not without problems. This was especially apparent in Iceland where years of economic mismanagement culminated in a severe financial crisis in the late 2000s. He also wonders whether the current system of welfare is sustainable in the long run without changes. Denmark and Sweden already have a tax system that most Americans, for example, would find absolutely preposterous. All of these countries also face the situation, as many other countries are also experiencing, of an aging population. In his own home of Denmark he also notes problems in education, healthcare, and an increasingly lazy workforce.

Though most of this book is pretty interesting, I do find that sometimes Booth's own opinion is presented too much as fact. Sure, this is fine when looking at the cultural aspects. He is not afraid to express his own opinion of what is great and what he finds is rather odious. However, it seems like he sometimes tries to poke holes in things he learned from interviews with experts. Many times in this book he talks with people associated with universities and other such professionals. Surely their ideas are worth something. He also throws in criticisms of things like right-wing political parties and people he just seems to disagree with.

Learning about the Nordic countries is especially prudent today. For example, in his campaign for President of the United States, Bernie Sanders has often espoused the so-called "Nordic Model" as something America should emulate. There are certainly interesting things to learn about what has worked and what has not from these countries. Still, besides the serious content, this is an entertaining look at five European countries and I would recommend this to those looking to learn a little bit about the world around them.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Great overview of the Nordic nations, positive and negative
by A_Customer (4 out of 5 stars)
August 30, 2018

I have a relative who is always blathering about the Nordic model of government, saying things like "In Norway they get free healthcare." My standard response is that nothing is free, in Norway they tax the middle class at 40% to pay for healthcare. if you want to talk about increasing taxes to pay for social services, I can discuss the topic. But nothing is free.

So my main motivation for reading this book was to understand a bit more of the reality of the Nordic nations, rather than the Utopian fantasy-fairy tales believed by some in the US. The author, Michael Booth, is an Englishman married to a Danish woman. This status seems to give him a bit of an insider-outsider perspective that enhances the book. He's spent a lot of time in Scandanavian nations and has an obvious fondness for many of the people and traditions. But as an outsider, he can see and analyze aspects of culture that might be invisible to a native.

The three main details that stuck in my mind as an American reader of the book were: (a) the absolutely astronomical taxes (up to 180% on new cars!); (b) the high levels of alcohol abuse; (c) and the secularized Lutheranism that seems to be the guiding philosophy of these nations (work hard, don't think too much of yourself or stand out from the crowd, trust authority to know what's best for you, etc). I was reminded of Roland Huntford's 1971 book The New Totalitarians about the Social Democrats who had ruled Sweden for decades and slowly increased government control over society. Booth shows that these sorts of socialist-leaning policies have been gradually rolled back in many Nordic nations, due to their negative side effects. Booth quotes someone who notes that anyone with personal ambition tends to leave for the US where they can take more risks -- but have more opportunities.

In short, a great introduction to these nations. Booth writes honestly about the positive and negative aspects of Scandinavia.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Informative but judgemental and negative...
by Vida V. (1 out of 5 stars)
August 16, 2018

(Positive) the book contains good historical background of each country...However, i can read this in normal history books or wikipedia if i want to. (Negative) author seems to be very biased even at the beginning to argue against the happiness status of all the countries. Though he writes very clearly and concisely, his tone is very bitter and he seems to have read a lot of books on these countries and did a conclusion from it like a college term paper. I was very disappointed with the book and the purchase, i did not even bother to finish it, only got thru 20% of the book, very biased presentation (and i'm not even scandinavian!)....
↭ 🍁 ↭
Fascinating and Funny
by Matthew Rafat (5 out of 5 stars)
June 22, 2017

Booth combines a sharp wit with personal anecdotes and tops it off with hilarious British self-deprecation. There are fascinating insights on almost every page, and too many for me to single out here. Booth shows that Scandinavian prosperity has corrupted societies in unpredictable ways. He is so thorough, he covers historical reasons why Norway is more prosperous than Sweden (spoiler: they out-negotiated Sweden post-war to get North Sea oil rights) and why the Finnish are less prosperous and more straightforward than their neighbors (short version: they bordered Russia during multiple wars). This is one my favorite books so far in 2017.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Informative, entertaining and insightful -- a great introduction to the region
by Montana Skyline (4 out of 5 stars)
March 19, 2016

I happily recommend Booth's book to anyone with an interest in contemporary Scandinavian or Nordic countries and their cultures. Booth is informative, entertaining and insightful - and often very funny. And, yes, there is something of Bill Bryson about his style, although Booth is not quite the curmudgeon that Bryson has become! Particularly for those planning to spend some time in region, I can't think of a better incentive or better introduction than this easy-reading exploration.

I noted some negative comments, evidently because at least a few readers consider Booth insufficiently sympathetic to either the "Nordic" economic/social model or to specific people. Well, Booth admittedly sets out to "redress the rose-tinted imbalance in the reporting on the Nordic region in Western media." But this is as far from a hatchet-job as can be imagined. On the contrary, he obviously likes and admires the peoples and cultures, and as he says, whatever the short-comings or frailties, "Scandinavia...is still the enviably rich, peaceful, harmonious and progressive place it has long been." He finds much that is exemplary and from which others could learn, particularly about equality of educational opportunity and social mobility. But, yes, he also explores very real limitations and trade-offs, including problematic conformity, creaking welfare states, and issues of integration of immigrants, as well as elements of "benign totalitarianism." None of these are a surprise to the inhabitants!

In short, Booth surely has opinions (more favorable than not, it should be said), but rarely insists upon them. His is an exploration, not a set of judgements or pronouncements. He explores social and cultural issues and debates through balanced interviews and discussions with Danes, Norwegians, Finns and Swedes of many differing views, and with sympathy and humor. And particularly to his credit, he recognizes the very diverse histories, cultures and behaviors of the nations involved, recognizing that while all may be modern, mixed economy states with large public sectors, and some shared values, each is very distinctive in its culture and practice.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Scandinavia: Five Shades of Grey
by Y. Zohar (5 out of 5 stars)
December 26, 2017

This is definitely a fun read. About three years ago my wife and I went to Finland and this was one of our more immemorable trips. The place was so, well, Finish. Everything was ok but nothing stood out. Color it grey.Even blase. This book really puts our visit in perspective for me. Although I have no intention of revisiting the Nordic countries anytime soon, I found that this book really helped me understand the Nordic experience.The book is very well researched and I enjoyed the author's style.Each Nordic country gets its turn on stage and the author compares and contrasts them. This book particularly provides some interesting insight on the Scandinavian welfare state. As I suspected- I think I'll pass on paradise.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Interesting but Misleading
by Bookman73 (2 out of 5 stars)
January 4, 2019

The writer has quite the positive bias towards Scandinavia since his wife is Danish and he himself is a leftist. What he described in Scandinavia is the absolute definition of a hopeless distopia in which I would never hope to live in. I would prefer to fight for my life in Detroit than spend my life in any part of Scandinavia. I no longer wonder why suicide rates are so high there, this book literally answered my questions, who in the world would want to live in state sanctioned equilibrium with no hope of ever breaking free? People want to be satisfied with their individual achievements even if they live worse instead of living without the hope of ever getting ahead. Socialism will always fail because it fails to acknowledge human nature no matter how sugar coated it is.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Clear political bias
by l. candry (2 out of 5 stars)
June 25, 2019

I quickly grew tired of the author's criticism of capitalism and praise for Nordic welfare state policies. Quote from book: "...the hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Scandinavia are challenging and revitalizing these societies, turning these sometimes monotonous monocultures into kaleidoscopic multiethnic models of diversity." These types of statements appear throughout the book, with little more than the author's own opinion to support them.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Behind the Quiet on the Northern Front
by Terri (4 out of 5 stars)
June 3, 2015

A wittily written comparison of culture, politics, economics and history in the 5 Nordic (Scandinavian?) countries. I found myself entranced by the way the author gives voice to famously taciturn peoples. By providing the couch and a few questions somehow not considered too bold, the author prompts an insightful and messily human self-psychoanalysis from his beloved subjects.

The book felt incomplete in ways, as the voices on women's lives seemed a bit more sparse than the men's, and the author did not dig much beneath the stereotypes of the marvels of Nordic gender equality. Recent statistics on the shockingly high rates of violence against women in the northern countries would seem to indicate that there is something rotten on the distaff side in Denmark. It would be fine if this talented author would care to take another crack at lifting the lid on the realities of the other half of Nordic society.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Provacative Read
by karen bradford (5 out of 5 stars)
August 10, 2019

It's a breezy and easy read and the author writes with humor. The reason I gave it a 5 is because in nearly every paragraph, or certainly a page, I learned something new and that's pretty good since I've been an avid reader of every subject imaginable for nearly 70 years! Always said I'd save the Scandinavian countries for traveling when I'm old since they're not the most difficult countries but after reading this I lost interest. My family grew up around this culture in Minnesota and Seattle has been infused with it since its' founding, i.e. Nordstrom and Gates The book put some cultural things into perspective and provoked me to further contemplate northwest culture and I enjoyed it for this reason, too.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

*If this is not the "Almost Nearly Perfect People" product you were looking for, you can check the other results by clicking this link.  Details were last updated on Aug 5, 2023 07:36 +08.