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020 $a9781250061966 (hbk.)
020 $a1250061962 (hbk.)
020 $z9781250061973 (e-book)
020 $a9781250081568 (pbk.) :$cUSD17.00$
035 $a868777
040 $aTWTNM$beng$cTWTNM
043 $aev-----
050 14$aDL41$b.B66 2016
082 04$a948.071$223
100 1 $aBooth, Michael.
245 14$aThe almost nearly perfect people :$bbehind the myth of the Scandinavian utopia /$cMichael Booth.
246 30$aBehind the myth of the Scandinavian utopia
250 $a1st Picador pbk. ed.
260 $aNew York :$bPicador,$c2016.
300 $aviii, 388 p. :$bmap ;$c21 cm.
500 $aReprint. Originally published: London : Jonathan Cape, 2014.
500 $aIncludes index.
505 0 $aDenmark -- Iceland -- Norway -- Finland -- Sweden.
505 0 $aIntroduction -- Denmark -- Iceland -- Norway -- Finland -- Sweden -- Epilogue.
520 $aThe whole world wants to learn the secrets of Nordic exceptionalism: why are the Danes the happiest people in the world, despite having the highest taxes? If the Finns really have the best education system, how come they still think all Swedish men are gay? Are the Icelanders really feral? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastical oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? British author Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians, on and off, for over ten years, perplexed by their many strange paradoxes and character traits and equally bemused by the unquestioning enthusiasm for all things Nordic that has engulfed the rest of the world, whether it be for their food, television, social systems or chunky knitwear. Booth leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success and, most intriguing of all, what they think of each other. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterised by suffocating parochialism and populated by extremists of various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn't easy being Scandinavian.
586 $aChristian Science Monitor Best Books of the Year.
600 10$aBooth, Michael$xTravel$zScandinavia.
650 0$aScandinavians.
651 0$aScandinavia$xCivilization 21st century.
651 0$aScandinavia$xSocial conditions 21st century.
651 0$aScandinavia$xSocial life and customs 21st century.