The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life - A Journalist's Comparison of Life in the U. S. and Scandinavia

by Anu Partanen Narrated by Abby Craden

Overview

A Finnish journalist, now a naturalized American citizen, asks Americans to draw on elements of the Nordic way of life to nurture a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society for themselves and their children.

Moving to America in 2008, Finnish journalist Anu Partanen quickly went from confident, successful professional to wary, self-doubting mess. She found that navigating the basics of everyday life-from buying a cell phone and filing taxes to education and childcare-was much more complicated and stressful than anything she encountered in her homeland. At first, she attributed her crippling anxiety to the difficulty of adapting to a freewheeling new culture. But as she got to know Americans better, she discovered they shared her deep apprehension. To understand why life is so different in the U.S. and Finland, Partanen began to look closely at both.

In The Nordic Theory of Everything, Partanen compares and contrasts life in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships-parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens. She debunks criticism that Nordic countries are socialist “nanny states,” revealing instead that it is we Americans who are far more enmeshed in unhealthy dependencies than we realize. As Partanen explains step by step, the Nordic approach allows citizens to enjoy more individual freedom and independence than we do.

Partanen wants to open Americans' eyes to how much better things can be-to show her beloved new country what it can learn from her homeland to reinvigorate and fulfill the promise of the American dream-to provide the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, economically secure, upwardly mobile life for everyone. Offering insights, advice, and solutions, The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild our society, rekindle our optimism, and restore true freedom to our relationships and lives.

This book falls under the categories of nonfiction, political books, psychology, sociology, economics, philosophy, and political philosophy.

It offers insights, advice, and solutions on how to rebuild society and restore true freedom to our relationships and lives.

The Nordic Theory of Everything compares and contrasts life in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships-parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens.

HarperCollins 2024

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2016 - AudioFile

Partanen, a new American from Finland, argues that achieving the American dream of freedom and upward mobility is now more likely in Scandinavia than in the U.S. Narrator Abby Craden proves an energetic and compelling guide as the author explodes myths of the high-tax and socialist north, using research and personal stories. Partanen argues that government supports freedom rather than compromising it. Average Scandinavian and American citizens pay a similar proportion of income taxes, but Scandinavians receive health care, affordable child care, parental leave, and excellent public education, thus reducing dependence on families, employers, and government. While some of the voices Craden employs fall wide of the mark—a minor quibble—she successfully distinguishes direct quotations by deepening her voice or adopting an accent. A.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Michelle Dean

…there is no avoiding that the state of America—at least when viewed through the eyes of someone who comes from a functioning social democracy—is lamentable, and Partanen is good at blending the individual stories of her friends into the cold, hard facts of national statistics…Partanen is a careful, judicious writer and she makes a careful, judicious case.

Seattle Times>/i>

…meticulously researched. [Partanen] offers a clear, informative, fact-filled survey of the differences between American and Nordic child care, health care, education, eldercare and taxation arrangements. It could be a game-changer in national conversations about the roles that governments should play in their citizens’ lives.

ROBERT REICH

This is a wonderful, hopeful book about what American society could be-not by adopting Nordic ‘socialism’ but by embracing the values that have allowed Nordic citizens to enjoy more freedom and equality than in present-day America. The American dream was once an inspiration to the world. Anu Partanen shows us how to rediscover it.

Gizmodo

A Book You Desperately Need to Add to Your ‘To-Read’ Pile This Summer

Judith Shulevitz

If Americans really understood how bad we have it-how unjust and wrongheaded our child care, education, and public health policies are-we’d take to the streets. Anu Partanen rips up the stale stereotypes about Nordic welfare states and shows us all the kinds of human flourishing we’re missing out on.This is a dangerous book. Don’t let it fall into the wrong hands.

Bustle

A Best Nonfiction Book of Summer 2016

the Oprah Magazine O

An engaging fusion of reportage and memoir.

Seattle Times

…meticulously researched. [Partanen] offers a clear, informative, fact-filled survey of the differences between American and Nordic child care, health care, education, eldercare and taxation arrangements. It could be a game-changer in national conversations about the roles that governments should play in their citizens’ lives.

Booklist

Partanen’s pride in her homeland and genuine concern for the struggles of middle-class Americans infuse her book with candor and charm, and her perceptions about American struggles feel spot-on.

New York Post

A Must-Read, Summer 2016

Robert B. Reich

This is a wonderful, hopeful book about what American society could be—not by adopting Nordic ‘socialism,’ but by embracing the values that have allowed Nordic citizens to enjoy more freedom and equality than in present-day America. The American Dream was once an inspiration to the world. Anu Partanen shows us how to rediscover it.

New York Post

A Must-Read, Summer 2016

New York Times Book Review

…Partanen is good at blending the individual stories of her friends in the cold, hard facts of national statistics… Partanen is a careful, judicious writer and she makes a careful, judicious case.

Foreign Affairs

In this election year, Partanen’s sensible book should be required reading for those who wonder why so many Americans feel resentful and alienated.

Booklist

Partanen’s pride in her homeland and genuine concern for the struggles of middle-class Americans infuse her book with candor and charm, and her perceptions about American struggles feel spot-on.

From the Publisher

…meticulously researched. [Partanen] offers a clear, informative, fact-filled survey of the differences between American and Nordic child care, health care, education, eldercare and taxation arrangements. It could be a game-changer in national conversations about the roles that governments should play in their citizens’ lives.” — Seattle Times

“An engaging fusion of reportage and memoir.” — O, the Oprah Magazine

“…Partanen is good at blending the individual stories of her friends in the cold, hard facts of national statistics… Partanen is a careful, judicious writer and she makes a careful, judicious case.” — New York Times Book Review

A Best Nonfiction Book of Summer 2016 — Bustle

A Book You Desperately Need to Add to Your ‘To-Read’ Pile This Summer — Gizmodo

“Partanen’s pride in her homeland and genuine concern for the struggles of middle-class Americans infuse her book with candor and charm, and her perceptions about American struggles feel spot-on.” — Booklist

“A passionate and intelligent argument.” — Publishers Weekly

“This highly readable and entertaining work is timely, as the conversation about inequality and the role of social services in this country has never been more relevant.” — Library Journal

A Best Book of Summer 2016 — O, the Oprah Magazine

“If Americans really understood how bad we have it-how unjust and wrongheaded our child care, education, and public health policies are-we’d take to the streets. Anu Partanen rips up the stale stereotypes about Nordic welfare states and shows us all the kinds of human flourishing we’re missing out on.This is a dangerous book. Don’t let it fall into the wrong hands.” — Judith Shulevitz, author of The Sabbath World

“In her careful, evenhanded series of thoughtful essays, Partanen, who just became an American citizen, parses the recipe for Nordic success that even the self-congratulatory ‘exceptional’ American may want to ponder and adapt. . . . An earnest, well-written work worth heeding, especially in our current toxic political climate.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This is a wonderful, hopeful book about what American society could be—not by adopting Nordic ‘socialism,’ but by embracing the values that have allowed Nordic citizens to enjoy more freedom and equality than in present-day America. The American Dream was once an inspiration to the world. Anu Partanen shows us how to rediscover it.” — Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley, and former U.S. Secretary of Labor

“In this election year, Partanen’s sensible book should be required reading for those who wonder why so many Americans feel resentful and alienated.” — Foreign Affairs

A Must-Read, Summer 2016 — New York Post

AUGUST 2016 - AudioFile

Partanen, a new American from Finland, argues that achieving the American dream of freedom and upward mobility is now more likely in Scandinavia than in the U.S. Narrator Abby Craden proves an energetic and compelling guide as the author explodes myths of the high-tax and socialist north, using research and personal stories. Partanen argues that government supports freedom rather than compromising it. Average Scandinavian and American citizens pay a similar proportion of income taxes, but Scandinavians receive health care, affordable child care, parental leave, and excellent public education, thus reducing dependence on families, employers, and government. While some of the voices Craden employs fall wide of the mark—a minor quibble—she successfully distinguishes direct quotations by deepening her voice or adopting an accent. A.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2016-04-07
A Finnish journalist offers a surprising theory of why Americans are neither currently upwardly mobile nor free. Partanen, who came to New York in 2008, married an American writer/teacher, and lives in Brooklyn, enlists her Nordic sensibility to delineate what has gone wrong with the so-called American dream. In recent years, Finland has been featured as the poster country for the most livable, best educated (especially in early education and math), and even happiest society (alongside neighbors Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and even Iceland). In her careful, evenhanded series of thoughtful essays, Partanen, who just became an American citizen, parses the recipe for Nordic success that even the self-congratulatory "exceptional" American may want to ponder and adapt. Having arrived in the U.S. full of excitement to embrace American "optimism, gumption, ingenuity, and knack for magically transforming challenging circumstances into profitable advantage," she found herself mystified and frustrated by the hindrances of living—e.g., getting credit cards or cable TV and understanding the hidden fees; buying affordable health insurance, thus forcing her to depend on her new husband's plan, which in turn forced him to find a suitable full-time job; the bewildering, utterly inequitable tax code; paying for higher education and, eventually, day care for the children they wanted. In short, Partanen was appalled by how the anxiety for affording the basics of life rendered Americans completely dependent on spouses, family, employers, and government, unable to restore themselves on vacations they feared to take (lest they lose their jobs) and so chronically insecure about their children's chances of having a better life than they did (which has resulted in the "helicopter parent" phenomenon). Step by step, the author sifts through the Nordic system of universal health care, early education, and equitable taxes, a system that frees citizens to be autonomous and creative without stress—a "well-being state" rather than a "welfare state." An earnest, well-written work worth heeding, especially in our current toxic political climate.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173782083
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/28/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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