The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth

The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia by Michael Booth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book on the recommendation of an acquaintance. I was not impressed. There are some interesting insights and hypotheses on why the Nordic countries and citizens are like they are, but overall it seemed very negative and also poorly researched.

Except for Denmark and Sweden, it seems like he hadn't spent much time in the Nordic countries. His method seemed to be to arrive, chat with a handful of "experts" -- professors and the like -- and then make a lot of sweeping generalizations based on geography, long-ago history, and one or two current events.

The author is apparently married to a Dane and gives scathing descriptions of Danes and Danish culture. I suppose he figures that they can "take it," but it was still enough to make me put the book down for a couple of weeks.

He loves the Finns (as do I!), so that section was more flattering, but it seemed like he hadn't spent very much time there. He judged Helsinki after visiting in July, and he should have known better: July is vacation month in the Nordics and the cities are almost empty.

The one positive effect of the book, however, is to prompt me to schedule a few visits to my other Nordic neighbors. My Swedish and Danish colleagues are charming; I hope they better represent their own people.


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