A review by pbobrit
The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life by Anu Partanen

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".