Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Picador, 2015.
Pages
viii; 388
Description
"Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, growing 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 each other. Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders really feral? 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, their quirks and foibles, and 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. - For readers of Bill Bryson, Sarah Lyall, and Euny Hong"--… (more)
Media reviews
"When Booth is not taking the Scandinavians to task, he is being charmed by them, and when he is not doing that he is generalizing from their history. "
"The indulgence of half-baked theories is a minor offense, though. Booth’s project is essentially observational; it aspires to a comic genre
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that might be called Euro-exotica." Show Less
Awards
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Nonfiction — 2015)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
viii, 388 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
9781250061966
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member AlisonY
Nordic culture seems to have infiltrated our homes in a steady way over the past 10-15 years in particular (well, for the UK anyway). Scandi style interiors are everywhere, and I'm not just talking about Ikea and the twilight world of giving up 3 hours of your life to walk around every inch of a
So my interest in those intriguing people of the north was already piqued. Geographically they're relatively close neighbours to us, yet we don't generally holiday there in the numbers we do to, say, Italy or France, so there's a certain mystique to them. And then there's my newfound crush on Karl Ove Knausgaard. You get the idea.
Michael Booth is a Brit living in Denmark (married to a Dane), who has travelled extensively around all 5 Nordic countries. In this fascinating book he attempts to look under the rug of each country, so to speak, challenging each country's view of itself and their views of each other, all with a massive dollop of humour. It is laugh out loud hilarious in places. Commenting on the irony of Alfred Nobel setting up a peace prize after inventing dynamite which slaughtered of millions of people, he comments "...it is akin to King Herod sponsoring a beautiful baby competition".
In a nutshell (and I apologise to anyone Nordic reading this summary), I've learnt that Swedes are obsessed with following rules and being modern; Norwegians like dressing up in bizarre national dress, are well off and are quite happy to live far away from their nearest neighbour; Finns like alcohol, saunas, and aren't big on small talk; Icelanders are slightly feral and believe in elves; Danes are excessively into joining clubs and socialising and hate boasters.
All in all a funny, interesting read. I drop half a star or so as the section on Sweden got a little more political and a little less humorous, but generally I was glued to the page and this will definitely serve to further enhance my next Knausgaard read.
4 stars - humorous and informative.
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store that you only went into for a storage box. Nordic crime noir and woolly jumpers are ubiquitous (and for some reason seem to go hand-in-hand). And then there are the jollies that my kids teachers go on every year to learn from an education system that's supposedly head and shoulders above the rest of the world's. So my interest in those intriguing people of the north was already piqued. Geographically they're relatively close neighbours to us, yet we don't generally holiday there in the numbers we do to, say, Italy or France, so there's a certain mystique to them. And then there's my newfound crush on Karl Ove Knausgaard. You get the idea.
Michael Booth is a Brit living in Denmark (married to a Dane), who has travelled extensively around all 5 Nordic countries. In this fascinating book he attempts to look under the rug of each country, so to speak, challenging each country's view of itself and their views of each other, all with a massive dollop of humour. It is laugh out loud hilarious in places. Commenting on the irony of Alfred Nobel setting up a peace prize after inventing dynamite which slaughtered of millions of people, he comments "...it is akin to King Herod sponsoring a beautiful baby competition".
In a nutshell (and I apologise to anyone Nordic reading this summary), I've learnt that Swedes are obsessed with following rules and being modern; Norwegians like dressing up in bizarre national dress, are well off and are quite happy to live far away from their nearest neighbour; Finns like alcohol, saunas, and aren't big on small talk; Icelanders are slightly feral and believe in elves; Danes are excessively into joining clubs and socialising and hate boasters.
All in all a funny, interesting read. I drop half a star or so as the section on Sweden got a little more political and a little less humorous, but generally I was glued to the page and this will definitely serve to further enhance my next Knausgaard read.
4 stars - humorous and informative.
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LibraryThing member mimal
bookshelves: radio-4, winter-20132014, lifestyles-deathstyles, history, nonfiction, emperor-s-new-clothes, fradio, published-2014, sweden, norway, iceland, finland, denmark
Read from February 07 to 14, 2014
BOTW
BBC description: Journalist, Michael Booth's timely new book sees the author embark on a
Across the week, five post-cards from each of the countries which challenge the often rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. Along the way, a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of the region - it isn't always easy being Nordic.
First up the Danes - consistently rated as the happiest people on earth and yet they pay the highest taxes.
Reader: Gunnar Cauthery
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
1. Denmark: The Danes are consistently rated as the happiest people on earth but pay the highest taxes. In the year that sees a major new exhibition on Vikings at the British Museum our fascination with all things Scandinavian shows no sign of abating.
2. Iceland and the part the Viking spirit played in the country's response to the 2008 financial crash.
3. Norway - a country taking stock post-Breivik and the impact of the nation's colossal oil wealth on the Nordic psyche.
4. Enigmatic Finland - a visit to what lies at the heart of the country's social and political life - the sauna.
5. Sweden - a country held up as a beacon of perfection by the Western world and yet disliked by its neighbours.
The format is pure ACME Hack Methodical Zenophobia
1. some snigger
2. some stats that can be made to mean anything you want
3. some history
4. some smug swagger
This has all been done before in the Xenophobes Guide series. And really, this could be seen as a skit on Mrs. Mortimer's Bad-Tempered Guide to the Victorian World where the title should be: The Clumsiest People in Scandinavia: Mr Booth's Bad Tempered Guide to the Perfect-ish World.
The Local runs these cheap country comparisons and national psyche prods as column fillers as a matter of daily routine.
Michael Booth has whipped up interest in the book in following manner: 'The grim truth behind the Scandinavian miracle' – the nations respond
So move along, nothing to see here - go spend your hard-earned book money on something worthwhile.
Read from February 07 to 14, 2014
BOTW
BBC description: Journalist, Michael Booth's timely new book sees the author embark on a
Show More
revealing and humorous journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover the secrets of their success.Across the week, five post-cards from each of the countries which challenge the often rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. Along the way, a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of the region - it isn't always easy being Nordic.
First up the Danes - consistently rated as the happiest people on earth and yet they pay the highest taxes.
Reader: Gunnar Cauthery
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
1. Denmark: The Danes are consistently rated as the happiest people on earth but pay the highest taxes. In the year that sees a major new exhibition on Vikings at the British Museum our fascination with all things Scandinavian shows no sign of abating.
2. Iceland and the part the Viking spirit played in the country's response to the 2008 financial crash.
3. Norway - a country taking stock post-Breivik and the impact of the nation's colossal oil wealth on the Nordic psyche.
4. Enigmatic Finland - a visit to what lies at the heart of the country's social and political life - the sauna.
5. Sweden - a country held up as a beacon of perfection by the Western world and yet disliked by its neighbours.
The format is pure ACME Hack Methodical Zenophobia
1. some snigger
2. some stats that can be made to mean anything you want
3. some history
4. some smug swagger
This has all been done before in the Xenophobes Guide series. And really, this could be seen as a skit on Mrs. Mortimer's Bad-Tempered Guide to the Victorian World where the title should be: The Clumsiest People in Scandinavia: Mr Booth's Bad Tempered Guide to the Perfect-ish World.
The Local runs these cheap country comparisons and national psyche prods as column fillers as a matter of daily routine.
Michael Booth has whipped up interest in the book in following manner: 'The grim truth behind the Scandinavian miracle' – the nations respond
So move along, nothing to see here - go spend your hard-earned book money on something worthwhile.
Show Less
LibraryThing member datrappert
Interesting, but overlong, journey through the 5 countries of the Nordic region, highlighting their similarities and, more importantly, their differences. It already seems a bit outdated, but it does go a long way toward making these societies more comprehensible to an American who doesn't have any
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Nordic ancestry. The author isn't quite as funny as he thinks he is, but without the humor, this long series of observations and interviews would get pretty tedious. In the end, his best conclusion is that equal access to education is the secret to creating the egalitarian societies that make these countries stand out from the dog-eat-dog world of the United States. There is a lot we can learn here. Show Less
LibraryThing member remikit
Highly entertaining. Like a cross between Bill Bryson and any of the books about expatriots moving to Italy. Eyeopening ride about a part of the world, I'd barely thought of or knew much about beyond Nokia, Maersk and IKEA. "Finns are Fantastic".
LibraryThing member janeajones
Since all 8 of my great-grandparents were born in Sweden (and emigrated to the US in the late 19th c), I felt somewhat obliged to explore what has happened in the last century to those who stayed behind in Scandinavia.
Booth is a British journalist who married a Dane and now lives in Copenhagen. He
He found himself somewhat baffled by the world-wide acclaim of the Scandinavians "happiest" and best educated people on earth: "One thing in particular about this new-found love of all things Scandinavian -- be it their free-form schools, whitewashed interior design, consensus-driven political systems or chunky jumpers -- which struck me as particularly odd: considering all this positive PR, and with awareness of the so-called Nordic miracle at all-time high, why wasn't everyone flocking to live here?... For all the crime literature and TV shows, why was our knowledge of Scandinavia so abysmally lacking?" So Booth set out to fill in some of the gaps by visiting each of the countries several times talking to "historians, anthopologists, jounalists, novelist, artists, politicians,philosophers, scientist, elf-watchers and Santa Claus."
If you are interested in how the Nordic peoples are different from each other, what values help to account for their successes and failures, and how "downright weird," they actually are, this is the book for you.
And in answer to why so few are moving to the North, one expert answered: "If you want to live in Norway there are a couple of things you need to make peace with: one is the cold and the darkness. If you can't cope with it, then go somewhere else. And the other is the equality of the genders."
Booth is a British journalist who married a Dane and now lives in Copenhagen. He
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has a love/hate/ -- admire/satirize relationship with the Nordic peoples of Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden. His book is often very funny and sometimes insightful. He found himself somewhat baffled by the world-wide acclaim of the Scandinavians "happiest" and best educated people on earth: "One thing in particular about this new-found love of all things Scandinavian -- be it their free-form schools, whitewashed interior design, consensus-driven political systems or chunky jumpers -- which struck me as particularly odd: considering all this positive PR, and with awareness of the so-called Nordic miracle at all-time high, why wasn't everyone flocking to live here?... For all the crime literature and TV shows, why was our knowledge of Scandinavia so abysmally lacking?" So Booth set out to fill in some of the gaps by visiting each of the countries several times talking to "historians, anthopologists, jounalists, novelist, artists, politicians,philosophers, scientist, elf-watchers and Santa Claus."
If you are interested in how the Nordic peoples are different from each other, what values help to account for their successes and failures, and how "downright weird," they actually are, this is the book for you.
And in answer to why so few are moving to the North, one expert answered: "If you want to live in Norway there are a couple of things you need to make peace with: one is the cold and the darkness. If you can't cope with it, then go somewhere else. And the other is the equality of the genders."
Show Less
LibraryThing member bness2
Excellent. I learned a lot about Scandinavia, and although the author tries to find all the faults with the purported happiness of Scandinavians, he actually ends up highlighting the reasons for their happiness. He has not dimmed my longing to move to Norway.
LibraryThing member smilez4u1390
This was a very informative, funny, and quick read about the Scandinavian countries. It explores the similarities and differences among the cultures of Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden. This book explores each country's history, geography, politics, and culture in a fun way, and delves
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into the reasons for certain stereotypes concerning these societies. Excellent read! Show Less
LibraryThing member Moniica
Synopsis: With the hype of the successful Scandinavian countries in recent years, I was intrigued to read this book to gain an insight into what makes them so successful.
The book is divided into 5 sections based on the 5 Nordic countries:
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Norway
- Finland
- Sweden
Denmark:
- There
- We are introduced to the terms 'hygge' and 'folkelig' (the former wood meaning a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment, which has become a defining characteristic of Danish culture over the years; the latter literally meaning 'of the people' and has described culture or traditions belonging to the common person, as opposed finer things belonging to the stratum of royalty or nobility.)
- Some of my favourite quotes from the Denmark section:
p. 63: "...in Denmark, even if you work in the private sector, you work for the state until at least Thursday morning"
p. 92 "The hairdresser's was called, baldly, 'Hair'. The pub was called 'The Pub.' The shop that sold clothes and shoes ventures to grab the attention of passers-by with the razzle-dazzle name 'Clothes and Shoes'.
Iceland:
- We learn that the country was founded by people who wanted to get away from Scandinavia, and therefore perhaps should not be included in the book.
- Booth goes on an adventure and describes the beauty of its natural resources.
Norway:
- They are the richest people on Earth.
- Booth is there on Syttende Mai - 17 May, Norwegian Constitution Day, when the constitution declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark–Norway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars.
- There is discussion on the 32 year-old Oslo an, the racist extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who single-handedly doubled Norway's average annual homicide rate in one afternoon, killing a total of 77 people, and how it shook the peaceful nation, who struggled to believe such an atrocious act could come from one of their own.
- Booth talks about how embarrassed the wealthy nation felt after running out of butter in 2011.
Finland:
- Finnish nouns have no gender, and commonly just refer to 'it' for everything.
- The laws and regulations to become a teacher are as strict as some other prestigious careers.
- They are known for their notorious drinking habits.
Sweden:
- My favourite chapter in the whole book is Chapter 3 in the 'Sweden' section of the book, where Booth actively seeks to go against Swedish mannerisms and culture (e.g. getting in a lift with someone else, crossing the road when the light is still red) to assess the locals' reactions.
My Opinion: I have never been to Scandinavia, although it is on my list of places to see in my lifetime, therefore my review is from someone with no personal relation or knowledge to the countries.
What was I expecting? Perhaps a more detailed analysis into the general assumption of the Nordic world and more thorough history lesson to what makes them who they are today. What did I get? A high level summary of the four countries with a couple of key moments or facts.
While I learnt a lot, and there were some lighter moments, I felt that Booth was trying to convey so much that some components were disjointed, and I had to use Google search to fill in my non-existent prior knowledge (such as Norwegian Constitution Day, and some of the terminology used).
That being said, did it increase my thirst to visit the countries? Absolutely!
The book is divided into 5 sections based on the 5 Nordic countries:
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Norway
- Finland
- Sweden
Denmark:
- There
Show More
is significant discussion on Jante Law (the social norms one should apparently be aware of if moving to the North), e.g. 'You shall not believe that you are someone.'- We are introduced to the terms 'hygge' and 'folkelig' (the former wood meaning a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment, which has become a defining characteristic of Danish culture over the years; the latter literally meaning 'of the people' and has described culture or traditions belonging to the common person, as opposed finer things belonging to the stratum of royalty or nobility.)
- Some of my favourite quotes from the Denmark section:
p. 63: "...in Denmark, even if you work in the private sector, you work for the state until at least Thursday morning"
p. 92 "The hairdresser's was called, baldly, 'Hair'. The pub was called 'The Pub.' The shop that sold clothes and shoes ventures to grab the attention of passers-by with the razzle-dazzle name 'Clothes and Shoes'.
Iceland:
- We learn that the country was founded by people who wanted to get away from Scandinavia, and therefore perhaps should not be included in the book.
- Booth goes on an adventure and describes the beauty of its natural resources.
Norway:
- They are the richest people on Earth.
- Booth is there on Syttende Mai - 17 May, Norwegian Constitution Day, when the constitution declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark–Norway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars.
- There is discussion on the 32 year-old Oslo an, the racist extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who single-handedly doubled Norway's average annual homicide rate in one afternoon, killing a total of 77 people, and how it shook the peaceful nation, who struggled to believe such an atrocious act could come from one of their own.
- Booth talks about how embarrassed the wealthy nation felt after running out of butter in 2011.
Finland:
- Finnish nouns have no gender, and commonly just refer to 'it' for everything.
- The laws and regulations to become a teacher are as strict as some other prestigious careers.
- They are known for their notorious drinking habits.
Sweden:
- My favourite chapter in the whole book is Chapter 3 in the 'Sweden' section of the book, where Booth actively seeks to go against Swedish mannerisms and culture (e.g. getting in a lift with someone else, crossing the road when the light is still red) to assess the locals' reactions.
My Opinion: I have never been to Scandinavia, although it is on my list of places to see in my lifetime, therefore my review is from someone with no personal relation or knowledge to the countries.
What was I expecting? Perhaps a more detailed analysis into the general assumption of the Nordic world and more thorough history lesson to what makes them who they are today. What did I get? A high level summary of the four countries with a couple of key moments or facts.
While I learnt a lot, and there were some lighter moments, I felt that Booth was trying to convey so much that some components were disjointed, and I had to use Google search to fill in my non-existent prior knowledge (such as Norwegian Constitution Day, and some of the terminology used).
That being said, did it increase my thirst to visit the countries? Absolutely!
Show Less
LibraryThing member libraryhead
An enjoyable, quick read, with lots of insights in Scandinavian cultures and the differences between them. Denmark FTW!
LibraryThing member amylee39
After almost nearly 400 pages of witty snark, I could have done without the wimpy epilogue which felt like either an afterthought or a 'wow, I've just insulted five entire countries so now I should apologize' realization. (I think that if you're going to take on an entire world region: own it).
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Either way, I thought that it detracted from this laugh-out-loud view of Scandinavia and the idea that it's the happiest region on earth. For many reasons, these countries are not perfect (because they are inhabited by, well, you know... people) and Booth travels to each one to report the good and the bad. I learned a lot (i.e. did you know that Finnish schools are some of the best in the world? Of course not. They don't brag about anything!) and enjoyed the entire trip. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
This quick tour of five Scandinavian countries, by a Brit now living in Copenhagen, is an amusing and very informative overview of the Nordics. Booth's focus is twofold. First, he challenges an assumption that Scandinavian society is a Nordic paradise without problems. This seems a rather weak
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target, particularly here in the United States, where "Swedish" can used almost as contemptuously as "French", but if we talk just about US lefties it may be a fair target. Second, he challenges the assumption that all of these countries are pretty much alike, inhabited by tall blonde people with tall tax rates. Starting with Denmark, and proceeding to Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, he discusses the characteristics that differentiate societies, and the different economic problems they face. At the end of the tour, one concludes that even if Scandinavia isn't perfection, it has achieved some admirable social arrangements. Show Less
LibraryThing member ritaer
Interesting look at the Utopian ideas projected on these nations by the rest of the world. Author is an Englishman who lives in Denmark. The nations are not the same; each has a history, a set of resources and politics of their own. Sweden is known for its cradle to grave security and openness to
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immigrants, Norway for new oil wealth, Finland for hard drinking and good educations. But the entire picture is more complex--surprise. Sweden owes prosperity to neutrality in WWII, Norway may have taken advantage of Denmark in mapping ocean floor for oil, etc. Interesting--I think it is clear that the US could not adopt Scandinavian system wholesale. It simply doesn't match our history and national character. But it could be a guide for steps to more equality. Show Less
LibraryThing member Beth3511
The author is kind of cranky. His reporting seems a bit slanted too; a good number of the people whose remarks he includes are expats living in Scandinavian countries, or Scandinavians now living outside of Scandinavia. While this book might get listed as a "travel" book, there aren't a lot of
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descriptions of places he's visited, or accounts of encounters with people on the street. There's a reliance on reports and interviews of experts. I liked the chapters on Norway and Finland the most; I felt I learned the most. I had forgotten the "in-between" status Finland had in the Cold War, and would like to read more about its relationship with Russia/Soviet Union. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheQuickFlickCritic
I am of Scandinavian heritage. Norwegian, specifically. As such, I was predisposed to be engaged by Michael Booth's book, "The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind The Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia".
First of all, it's not a myth, Mike. At least among us Norske it's not. And secondly, we actually
Oh, and the recounting of the Finnish sauna "experience" is absolutely laugh out loud, crazy, RIDICULOUS funny. Uff-da!
First of all, it's not a myth, Mike. At least among us Norske it's not. And secondly, we actually
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all DO hate the Swedes! Oh, and the recounting of the Finnish sauna "experience" is absolutely laugh out loud, crazy, RIDICULOUS funny. Uff-da!
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LibraryThing member stevesbookstuff
A mix of social commentary, travelogue and history, this is a fun read and worthwhile introduction to the people of the Nordic countries.
LibraryThing member squealermusic
Trying to decide whether to move to Scandinavia or not. This is helpful as an intro to the cultures of the different countries, but it also makes me question whether they are the right option as an American. That's my problem, of course
LibraryThing member CassandraT
Read a good portion of this. Pretty enjoyable if you love to hear all the silly stereotypes people come up with.
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
This was fun, and the epilogue pulled it together nicely.