The Almost Nearly Perfect People
Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
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The Almost Nearly Perfect People
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Narrated by:
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Ralph Lister
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Written by:
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Michael Booth
About this listen
Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than 10 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 audiobook, 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.
©2014 Michael Booth (P)2015 TantorWhat the critics say
What listeners say about The Almost Nearly Perfect People
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JJ
- 2017-10-18
Excellent
This is one of the better books I have listened to in the past couple of years. I would rank it in the top 5-10 out of over 200.
This book is an excellent overview of how Scandinavian society operations in the modern era. The author provided an in-depth critical examination each of the 5 countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland) and does a great job at highlighting the faults of each. After reading the summary on Audible I expected the author to paint the countries in a bad light. While he does highlight many of the issues, I ended the book with an even more favorable impression of the Nordic countries than before I started. Well worth the listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John Le Blanc
- 2021-09-05
Very Much Worth the Trip!
This is a fascinating survey of the 5 Nordic countries, what they have in common and how they are different. So much to admire and learn from, but not without their problems. Michael Booth presents an admiring eye and a fair critical look. The tone of the book is light, entertaining, and often funny. Audiobook narrator Ralph Lister did such a good job it was truly hard to believe he is not the author. Excellent book!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cody Renz
- 2018-09-19
A great perspective
I found this book interesting to listen to as it gave a different perspective than all the hype of Nordic life.
The reader had a good rhythm and fit the snark of the book well.
#Audible1
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