myralane's review
3.0
This book does everything a book should do; expose you to a new worldview and challenge your current understanding. It attempts and I believe in the end ultimately reconciles the American way and the Nordic way of life.
murder_she_they's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I enjoy the content of the book. Reading this, as an American, is quite disheartening, but paradoxically, it also inspires hope. We can begin to imagine a better future, one which has been actualized elsewhere, making it feel all the more possible.
My gripes with the book are the cyclical nature of it. It could have been much much shorter and accomplished the same goal, to much better effect. We keep end up returning to the same sentences and ideas, over and over and over again, which becomes tiresome quickly.
My main complaint is that I feel there is not enough recognition given to the power imbalance that the ruling class has over the rest of America, and the government. There is seemingly a blind eye turned to the power lobbyist’s, pharmaceutical companies, and the ultra wealthy have on dictating policies/tax loopholes which are created strictly for their own benefit. We read and reread how everyone (not just the wealthy) in Nordic society benefits from their policies. Fundamentally, American society is not, and has not been, designed for the benefit of everyone, it is intentionally designed to benefit the few.
This is never directly acknowledged. Most of the suggestions feel moot, because of course people want to work less and spend more time with family. There just isn’t the same direct access to power. And the book does not even encourage unionization to bargain power back into the working class. I feel frustrated reading that we deserve better, without recognition of why we currently aren’t getting better.
Overall this book is worth the read and can be very eye opening!
My gripes with the book are the cyclical nature of it. It could have been much much shorter and accomplished the same goal, to much better effect. We keep end up returning to the same sentences and ideas, over and over and over again, which becomes tiresome quickly.
My main complaint is that I feel there is not enough recognition given to the power imbalance that the ruling class has over the rest of America, and the government. There is seemingly a blind eye turned to the power lobbyist’s, pharmaceutical companies, and the ultra wealthy have on dictating policies/tax loopholes which are created strictly for their own benefit. We read and reread how everyone (not just the wealthy) in Nordic society benefits from their policies. Fundamentally, American society is not, and has not been, designed for the benefit of everyone, it is intentionally designed to benefit the few.
This is never directly acknowledged. Most of the suggestions feel moot, because of course people want to work less and spend more time with family. There just isn’t the same direct access to power. And the book does not even encourage unionization to bargain power back into the working class. I feel frustrated reading that we deserve better, without recognition of why we currently aren’t getting better.
Overall this book is worth the read and can be very eye opening!
sonjaloviisa's review
2.0
As a dual citizen, I was so pumped to read this, thinking it would appeal to both the Finn and American inside me. Unfortunately, this was such a huge disappointment...
Being Finnish, but having spent a huge chunk of my life in the US and having been raised with the American mindset, but then still having returned to Finland later and deciding this is where I want to grow my roots, a lot of this obviously spoke to me. When being faced with the choice of Finland vs. the US, it feels incredibly stupid to choose the latter. The feeling of safety and the feeling of someone always having your back, that accompanies life in Finland, is indescribable and absolutely wonderful. Just like in comparison, the feeling of panic and desperation that exists with life in the US is soul-crushing.
That being said, I completely agree with everything Partanen had to say. I just think the way in which she said it was not that great. The book itself is way too long, feeling repetitive (if I hear the term "nordic theory of love" one more time, I think my head might explode) and desperately in need of editing. Her entire argument could have easily been condensed into a tightly packaged essay.
I also had a big issue with how she inserted herself into the narrative. I'm not trying to be a gatekeeper for who is American and who isn't (as a natural-born Finn, I'm definitely not cut out for the job), but it feels a bit presumptuous to think you understand Americans and American culture, simply because you've become an American citizen through marriage. This would have been an absolutely fantastic opportunity for collaboration, maybe with an American economist or politician, to give more insight into what it really means to be American and existing inside that specific context. Interviewing a few people around you, who you've come to know while living in America, doesn't quite cut it for me...
I think it's also a bit naive to think that America's issues can be solved through some quick and easy, nordic inspired policy changes. America's problem, at its core, is capitalism itself. Those who are gaining the most from this broken situation are the ones who are in control. Policy making that would tip the scales into the other direction just is not possible in this current system and also not enough to fix the entire issue of capitalism and the havoc it's wreaking on a global scale. So for someone like me who views America's situation through a very pessimistic lens, it was irritating to hear someone offer such an easy solution to the whole mess.
Being Finnish, but having spent a huge chunk of my life in the US and having been raised with the American mindset, but then still having returned to Finland later and deciding this is where I want to grow my roots, a lot of this obviously spoke to me. When being faced with the choice of Finland vs. the US, it feels incredibly stupid to choose the latter. The feeling of safety and the feeling of someone always having your back, that accompanies life in Finland, is indescribable and absolutely wonderful. Just like in comparison, the feeling of panic and desperation that exists with life in the US is soul-crushing.
That being said, I completely agree with everything Partanen had to say. I just think the way in which she said it was not that great. The book itself is way too long, feeling repetitive (if I hear the term "nordic theory of love" one more time, I think my head might explode) and desperately in need of editing. Her entire argument could have easily been condensed into a tightly packaged essay.
I also had a big issue with how she inserted herself into the narrative. I'm not trying to be a gatekeeper for who is American and who isn't (as a natural-born Finn, I'm definitely not cut out for the job), but it feels a bit presumptuous to think you understand Americans and American culture, simply because you've become an American citizen through marriage. This would have been an absolutely fantastic opportunity for collaboration, maybe with an American economist or politician, to give more insight into what it really means to be American and existing inside that specific context. Interviewing a few people around you, who you've come to know while living in America, doesn't quite cut it for me...
I think it's also a bit naive to think that America's issues can be solved through some quick and easy, nordic inspired policy changes. America's problem, at its core, is capitalism itself. Those who are gaining the most from this broken situation are the ones who are in control. Policy making that would tip the scales into the other direction just is not possible in this current system and also not enough to fix the entire issue of capitalism and the havoc it's wreaking on a global scale. So for someone like me who views America's situation through a very pessimistic lens, it was irritating to hear someone offer such an easy solution to the whole mess.
bak8382's review
4.0
When Finnish citizen Anu Partanen found herself moving to the United States to be with her American boyfriend she discovered that many of the basic things she took for granted in Finland were not available in the US. Namely tax supported healthcare, day care, and parental leave rights. She begins to wonder why a country that's known for so many freedoms seems to be denying its citizens of basic necessities that are needed in order to pursue your dreams. She looks at how things are run in Finland, including many studies showing that Finland and other Nordic countries are coming out on top in world surveys, to see just what those countries are doing right and what the US can learn from it.
The first time I heard about how great Finland's education system is was when I was reading [b:The Read-Aloud Handbook|11089|The Read-Aloud Handbook|Jim Trelease|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388191259s/11089.jpg|672847]. I've been intrigued ever since. The entire government system in Finland does seem to operate in a way that allows its citizens many freedoms that are really only illusions here. A fascinating read about life in other countries with lots of research and an extensive notes section to back up its claims.
The first time I heard about how great Finland's education system is was when I was reading [b:The Read-Aloud Handbook|11089|The Read-Aloud Handbook|Jim Trelease|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388191259s/11089.jpg|672847]. I've been intrigued ever since. The entire government system in Finland does seem to operate in a way that allows its citizens many freedoms that are really only illusions here. A fascinating read about life in other countries with lots of research and an extensive notes section to back up its claims.
ra_schmi's review against another edition
3.0
I liked learning about the social structures in Finland and how much safety and freedom they can give individuals - free universal daycare, free education, free universal healthcare, free eldercare, amazing maternity and paternity leave and vacation policies, all for not much more money than Americans pay in taxes. It does make one want to flee the United States or start a revolution. I think it's important to realize that a better world where everyone is taken care of is possible.
Having said that, it is super unclear why the author then goes ahead and gets US citizenship in the end? Why does she not move back to Finland with her husband, unless he cannot be bothered to be a little uncomfortable for a few years and learn Finnish and fit into another culture?
The thing that I hated the most about this book, and that significantly diminished its superficial commentary on American social structures and the barriers towards moving in Finland's direction - how on earth do you write a book like this without any kind of critical commentary on why racism is the biggest reason why Americans will never move towards this utopia? How can a country founded on genocide and slavery suddenly decide that the lives of poor people of color have the same value as that of wealthy whites, and then magically start moving towards a utopia where an entire underclass of people get access to opportunities to pull themselves out of poverty and becoming their equals? Whom does it benefit to keep the status quo exactly as it is?
It is completely absurd that this author apparently never bothered to educate herself about American history or read any work by POC on why we are where we are at now?
The author might also want to spend some time deconstructing her own ingrained racism, what with her numerous comparisons of the US with South Asian or African countries, to show how "backward" the US is.
I really expected that there would be a chapter on immigration and assimilation in the Nordic countries vs. the USA. Does the magical utopia continue if more and more people of color migrate there? Or do they then start to show the same issues as here?
Having said that, it is super unclear why the author then goes ahead and gets US citizenship in the end? Why does she not move back to Finland with her husband, unless he cannot be bothered to be a little uncomfortable for a few years and learn Finnish and fit into another culture?
The thing that I hated the most about this book, and that significantly diminished its superficial commentary on American social structures and the barriers towards moving in Finland's direction - how on earth do you write a book like this without any kind of critical commentary on why racism is the biggest reason why Americans will never move towards this utopia? How can a country founded on genocide and slavery suddenly decide that the lives of poor people of color have the same value as that of wealthy whites, and then magically start moving towards a utopia where an entire underclass of people get access to opportunities to pull themselves out of poverty and becoming their equals? Whom does it benefit to keep the status quo exactly as it is?
It is completely absurd that this author apparently never bothered to educate herself about American history or read any work by POC on why we are where we are at now?
The author might also want to spend some time deconstructing her own ingrained racism, what with her numerous comparisons of the US with South Asian or African countries, to show how "backward" the US is.
I really expected that there would be a chapter on immigration and assimilation in the Nordic countries vs. the USA. Does the magical utopia continue if more and more people of color migrate there? Or do they then start to show the same issues as here?
pbobrit's review
4.0
This was a very good book, although somewhat depressing. The author Finnish and after meeting an American and falling in love makes the decision to the US (because of his job mainly). The book is a reflection on navigating life in the US compared to life in the Nordic countries. Ms. Partanen takes a logical approach starting with the giving birth and comparing the systems set up to provide a decent start to life. She addresses education, healthcare, and the workplace. She is realistic and honest about life in the Nordic countries and doesn't shy away from pointing out its flaws. But it becomes clear, and this is the depressing part, that on any measure the average American is getting a raw deal. She makes great efforts to dispell the myth that the Nordic countries are "socialist" (pointing out that the Finns have lost more people fighting the Soviet Union since WWII than any other European country). One of her key thesis that while 'individuality, self-sufficiency and freedom are enshrined in American dogma, the way the system is set up does enable these things to happen. Americans are dependent on employers for their health, children are dependent on their parents for their ability to get a quality education, the elderly are dependent on their parents for care in later life. The Nordic system as she points out focuses on producing free and independent individuals (for example parents income is not a factor in school or university selection) and is more in line with the American myth. In the words of Ed Miliband, "If you want the American Dream, go to Finland".