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A review by festive_fossil
The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.25
I think we've all heard in recent years that Norway or Denmark or Sweden were some of the best places on earth to live. It has nothing to do with the weather, which in the winter is probably undesirable to most, but due to the high quality of education, healthcare, and overall happiness of the populations. You may notice these are all Nordic countries, but why??
As an American with only the foggiest of understandings of how Nordic nations operate, I found Partanen's book to be extremely informative. Inspired her own discoveries after moving to New York from Finland, Partanen has constructed a fascinating narrative illuminating the differences between the US and Nordic countries when it comes to everything from childcare to retirement - and frankly the US has quite a bit of catching up to do if it wants to offer every citizen a high quality of life.
The book was repetitive in places, and there were points where my interest flagged, though I was listening to an audiobook and that is more common for me in that format. Overall I found this to be very engaging even when addressing topics that normally put me to sleep (taxes I am looking at you). I would highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about how Nordic countries operate, the answers may surprise you.
As an American with only the foggiest of understandings of how Nordic nations operate, I found Partanen's book to be extremely informative. Inspired her own discoveries after moving to New York from Finland, Partanen has constructed a fascinating narrative illuminating the differences between the US and Nordic countries when it comes to everything from childcare to retirement - and frankly the US has quite a bit of catching up to do if it wants to offer every citizen a high quality of life.
The book was repetitive in places, and there were points where my interest flagged, though I was listening to an audiobook and that is more common for me in that format. Overall I found this to be very engaging even when addressing topics that normally put me to sleep (taxes I am looking at you). I would highly recommend if you are interested in learning more about how Nordic countries operate, the answers may surprise you.