Review of 'Almost Nearly Perfect People The Truth about the Nordic Miracle' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
A fun and unique tour through the five Nordic countries. It combines history, journalism, and a traveler's observations to give you a comprehensive understanding of each country and what makes them unique. Politics, economics, and culture are blended together for a style of writing I really enjoyed.
Counter to most popular Nordic books that analyze the positive and how to emulate it, Booth's British pessimism pushes him to look further into each country. He looks at strengths and weaknesses, with more emphasis on the latter. Is this the book to finally bring Meik Wiking down a peg and get him to stop being so damn happy all the time? I hope not, because I enjoy both authors and what they do. And I can see how this slight focus on negativity can be draining on the reader. Inequality, totalitarianism, exceptionalism, debt, eugenics, and declining satisfaction aren't common topics in the …
A fun and unique tour through the five Nordic countries. It combines history, journalism, and a traveler's observations to give you a comprehensive understanding of each country and what makes them unique. Politics, economics, and culture are blended together for a style of writing I really enjoyed.
Counter to most popular Nordic books that analyze the positive and how to emulate it, Booth's British pessimism pushes him to look further into each country. He looks at strengths and weaknesses, with more emphasis on the latter. Is this the book to finally bring Meik Wiking down a peg and get him to stop being so damn happy all the time? I hope not, because I enjoy both authors and what they do. And I can see how this slight focus on negativity can be draining on the reader. Inequality, totalitarianism, exceptionalism, debt, eugenics, and declining satisfaction aren't common topics in the Nordic non-fiction genre. But there's plenty of positivity too, since Booth shares a love and fascination with these countries, like his readers.
This is my 5th or 6th book on the Nordic region, and I was still learning new things the whole time. Iceland's geothermal industry, high-context cultures, what sets Finland apart from the rest, and the Danish show Borgen were some of my favorite topics discussed.
