To new readers, velkommen! For the past three years, Nordiska has hosted its own book club for fellow Nordic reading enthusiasts to connect and be in community with one another virtually. We invite you to expand your Nordic reading repertoire and discuss a variety of written works with us.
Thank you to all those who were able to join us last month for our fantastic discussion on the historical fiction novel The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen. To start out the summer, we will be taking a closer, more critical look at the seemingly idyllic Nordic countries via Michael Booth’s non-fiction work Almost Nearly Perfect People.
Nearly Perfect Nordic Experience
After living in Scandinavia for over a decade, British journalist Michael Booth decided to investigate the reality behind the utopia vision of the Nordic countries that is broadcast to the rest of the world. It is true that states such as Finland and Denmark top the global charts for education and the happiness index among other things. However, no society is perfect and it is important to learn from the successes as well as the pitfalls.
From his adopted home in Denmark, Booth travels across Scandinavia to investigate:
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 (Goodreads).
Since living in Norway for an extended amount of time I came to understand why my fellow Americans tend to praise the Nordic countries. Being a student and not having to worry about paying university tuition or healthcare costs were big pluses. I also felt safer as a woman traveling on my own and experiencing the nightlife in the North. However, it did not take long to realize Norway is less than perfect either.
Even though Norway likes to prop itself up as being a champion of human rights and social progress it’s society suffers from the same ills as ours in North America. For instance, racism and sexism are not absent but take different forms. Norway takes in refugees from around the world, but integration into local communities is extremely difficult. There are more legal protections for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, but there is still a lot of work to be done for promoting social equality in institutions like the university. My research focused on Sámi rights in Norway and how the country’s leaders have signed on to international law conventions for Indigenous rights, but how they have not been fully implemented on the state and local levels.
I am excited to read this investigative book with you all and to discuss your insights and perhaps shifting views on the Nordic countries. In her review of Booth’s Almost Nearly Perfect People, Mariella Frostrup states,
This amble through Scandiland may be light on any profound conclusion, but it’s a lively and endearing portrait of our friends in the north, venerated globally for their perfectly balanced societies but, it turns out, as flawed as the rest of us – or at least only almost perfect (The Guardian).
I think it’s important to not just be overly skeptical, but to have a more well-rounded perspective on these societies that tend to be idealized. If our societies are similarly flawed then perhaps we can play off each other’s unique strengths to build a better future for all.
No pressure though haha! I hope it will be an enjoyable read and the two months should give us adequate time to digest this piece together. I look forward to our discussion!
Virtual Book Club Meeting Information
We will be meeting to discuss this work via Zoom on Thursday June 27th at 6:00pm PST. You can find the Zoom invitation link here to register for the meeting ahead of time and/or keep a look out on our social media sites for an invitation. The passcode to join zoom is “nordiska“.
Usually we meet every last Thursday of the month, but since summer schedules tend to be busier I wanted to make sure we had adequate time to read this slightly longer book and enjoy our discussion.
Get Your Copy of Almost Nearly Perfect People
You can purchase your copy of Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth on Nordiska’s website by following the above links, or come and visit us in historic downtown Poulsbo. We would love to see you in person as well!
As a thank you for purchasing your book with us, Nordiska is offering a 15% discount on the book club pick of the month by using the code: bookclub22. Happy reading!
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