The Nordic Theory of Everything - In Search of a Better Life

This book sits in an uncomfortable position. It is largely anecdote driven, which makes it hard to justify the lengthy page count. It is largely an explanation of how things work in Scandinavia with relatively superficial suggestions of how to transplant them to the US. To a certain extent that is okay: just having a better explanation of how other countries do things can open the eyes of Americans who, like all people everywhere, assume that their policies, choices, and way of live is universal.

I found it overly long. I kept saying to myself, "Yes, I got it, I got it. Can we move on from this point already?" The basic point, the Nordic Theory of Love, is clear but the chapters belabour it. Yet, the belabouring isn't done with the kind of rigor that popular research sometimes has. As an example, when discussing the Finnish baby box all she has to say is, "My friends in Finland praise the baby box [...] Many of them use the study box as the baby's first bed".

I can't help but feel that svelte manifesto of ~200 pages would have been a better editorial direction.

The book is an excellent comparison of the ideas behind Nordic governments and the current US government in terms of social services like education and healthcare. Partanen's main argument is that, though many US citizens think of Nordic nations as socialist countries and fear the loss of individual freedom from having government-sponsored social services, in fact citizens of these countries still have the option to choose their schools, doctors, etc, but because their public school and health clinics are highly regulated and very high-quality, the local option is often great and they don't feel as much need to search out the "best." She further argues that the Nordic governments makes these opportunities available because they prioritize individual freedom and would consider relying on parents for college tuition or spouses/employers for healthcare to be very limiting on their freedom. Finally Partanen discusses how these services are paid for, including the role of taxes (higher in Nordic countries than the US but ultimately cheaper for individuals because they do not also have to pay out of pocket for insurance, doctor's visits, school tuition or retirement) and the ability of the government to negotiate prices directly with the citizens (eg for minimum wage laws and unemployment benefits) and companies (eg, setting price caps for drugs with pharmacological companies).

The book is a great summary of policy in the two areas and illustrates the differences both with anecdotal stories and scientific evidence (the last 50 pages or so of the book are all citations). The scientific evidence is presented in a very readable way that's accessible to readers without much previous knowledge of public health/history/government policy. The book is mainly oriented toward the way things are done in the US and rarely compares Nordic government to other countries, but would still be interesting for non US-readers interested in how the current political climate in the US has come to be. If offers hope that the non-functional aspects of US policy such as the Affordable Care Act and struggling public schools can be fixed in a way that is both more affordable (appealing to more conservative views) and more equitable (appealing to more liberal views). My only (small) critique is that the book is entirely policy-oriented and doesn't offer ways that average readers who aren't also politicians can bring either their own lives or their communities to a more Nordic way of life, but if you go into it knowing it is more about policy than individual change it is a great and eye-opening read.

While sometimes the book seems it should be edited some more and I really wished she'd give some practical solutions to help move America forward, she opened my eyes to the possibilities that America can be. This is why I give it 5 stars. Spend some time and read this book if you want to imagine how life could be if we valued family over all else. If our priories in America can change to reflect this and we manage to let go of blame and shame--actually move forward and join the Nordic countries in what America actually began. Democracy.

I couldn't have been more excited about reading this book, since I am absolutely obsessed with Scandinavia and actually have Finish heritage myself. However, after the second chapter I started to get a feeling that I have made a mistake of moving into the US ...teen years ago and almost felt ashamed of myself for being so silly. Two chapters later I was really mad. I didn't know exactly at whom or what. I put away the book. I was hoping to get that hygge feeling that all things Scandi usually gives me but instead I felt confused. All I can say is: don't expect any uplifting or comfort from reading this because the author's only goal was to put down literally everything we have going on here and tell us how great her native Finland is and how awful America is. If you hate it here so much, why are you still here??

Ana Partanen simply does not convince me of anything beyond what I already knew about America and Nordic countries. This book was a tiresome, shallow, didactic experience of a Finnish woman lecturing me about America's problems, after less than a decade of living in this country. Partanen's perspective is privileged, unrelatable, and unsympathetic to most Americans who actually live here for a significant time, and under conditions that are actually oppressive and debilitating. (If your worst concession is that you'll have to move back to Finland to raise your children, you are not relatable on the subject of your book.) Reading this book was like a thin person pointing out to an overweight person that she is fat and ought to diet and exercise. Thanks! Didn't know! Problem solved!

I wanted this book to show me some interesting, balanced examples of how citizens living in Nordic countries both thrive and struggle in their style of government. Instead, Partanen merely brushes off any negative aspects about Nordic states, if she mentions them at all, and heavily criticizes those of America's, without investigating the very complex reasons of why this country has the problems it has. Her denial of a homogeneous culture in Scandinavia is laughable, and if she thinks that doesn't have any impact on the style of government and its ability to be flexible and adaptable, she's delusional. One or two anecdotes from your elitist friends do not prove your points. Merely mentioning the massive problems in Scandinavian countries without further investigation does not equate to fair-mindedness. One measly line mentioning the race issues in America is pathetically under-representing how powerless the most disenfranchised people in this system are, how merciless they are to the machinations of government and obstacles of society. Not once in this book will you find even a suggestion of how to implement such changes into the American system beyond, "You should do x like Finland!".

It won't be too soon if I never read the words "Nordic theory of love" again. The theme of individual self-sufficiency and independence is wonderful, but that is essentially parenting advice. I don't even disagree with this; I enthusiastically support this value. I just feel it is an inappropriate criticism that does not foster any substantive discussion on government's role in your life. She might have understood this if she had actually spoken to someone who wasn't an academic or in her Manhattan/Finland social circles. This simply is not a comprehensive and meaningful examination of how the most disaffected in our society feel about the government, and how the people in charge are the ones who benefit most. Of course we want free and equal education for all. Of course we want to mitigate health care costs for all and dismantle the repugnant health insurance/drug company industry. Of course we want to have long vacations and maternity leave and life-affirming, well-paying jobs. But Finland's demographic and its role on an international scale are so dramatically different from America's, that it is impossible and foolish to equate the two. She managed to cobble a dozen or so contributions that the Nordic countries have made to the world - shall we count America's? Taxes, health care, health insurance, education - these are complex issues that operate so far above the average American citizen's ability to change them, despite everyone's dissatisfaction with them. It's pretty rude to point out the obvious without even offering a solution. These issues deserve more due diligence.

Ultimately, this could be an illuminating book for a reader who knows absolutely nothing about the Nordic states. But do not let this author fool you into thinking that there are easy answers or easy problems in America, nor are there zero problems in Finland. There are a few interesting and positive things to take away from the book, particularly the perspective on marriage and the autonomy of children at home and in school. I also appreciate it for introducing me to the Law of Jante. But this book does not do thorough justice to the serious issues that it attempts to address, and thus undermines Partanen's endeavor to compare Finland/Nordic countries to America. It is a reductive powerpoint presentation for a social studies class.

Edit: Please remember that a few anecdotes from a book cannot demonstrate the reality of Finnish Health Care. Just one example:[...]

Really great framing for societal issues. Education and healthcare were the most interesting to me and I look to apply them in some policy work later in life. Anu Partanen does a great job of keeping what could be dry material light and relatable.

Fascinating book - it actually blew my mind! Reading this book, I was reminded of how I feel when I travel -- that there are entirely different ways of thinking about life, family, and society, than what we know here in America. I loved Anu's observations about Nordic ways of life, as compared to our American ways (which we tend to take for granted, rather than thinking critically about).

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. I thought Anu's strongest chapters were on parental leave, and how that influences gender equality. I love the idea of more paternity leave and time that fathers have to cherish with their newborns, and was blown away by the idea of 3 years (!!!) of job-protected leave. If that were the case in America, many more parents would be able to stay in the workforce.
2. Loved Anu's perspective on childhood, and how children should play rather than being forced to study too early. Very interesting point. I think fondly of my own days in Montessori, which were free-spirited and encouraged a love of learning through play and fun.

AGREE TO DISAGREE: My one criticism is that, at times, the author sees things as very black-and-white, when sometimes the reality is more complicated. For example, she says that health care costs are so high in the US, and where does the money go? Into the high salaries of hospital and insurance executives. The reality is that in the US, hospitals and insurance companies are huge, complex organizations that require skilled, experienced leadership. If these companies DIDN'T compensate executives on par with other large, complex organizations, no one would take those jobs, and hospitals and insurance companies would be poorly managed. So this is not as clear-cut as the author seems to imply.

The author also glosses over the fact that Finnish colleges pale in comparison to top American colleges. She says that if all American colleges (rather than just elite ones) were measured by certain metrics, they'd rank lower than Finnish ones. This glosses over some of the reality, that elite American colleges are the best in the world, have contributed ground-breaking research, and that this research (which she scoffs at) often involves undergraduate students who assist professors and then have many doors open to them as a result of such incredible opportunities. Not to mention, top American universities provide amazing opportunities for scholarship, delving into scholarly subjects of interest, and experiential learning.

I think the author's book is wonderful and eye-opening, but would be even better if she gracefully admitted some of the ways in which the American system is strong, and the Finnish system could use improvement. No society is 100% perfect, or 100% bad. Overall a worthwhile, excellent, and thought-provoking book from a very smart and thoughtful author.

Partanen does very well at displaying the real cultural differences between the current US and Nordic societies, taking her native Finland as the prime example, versus the right wing propaganda we hear so often. Where she fails, is to recognize that these attacks are sponsored by the Koch brothers and the like for political reasons: It’s not that “Americans” endorse pejorative and dishonest appellations like “big government” or “nanny state” (they have no problem excluding the military from “big government” or corporate and upper class welfare from the “nanny state”)

Most of us progressives do not buy into this propaganda, yet we can still be influenced by it if we do not get a reliable counter narrative. That is why her book is so important. A good companion book is “Viking Economics” by George Lakey, where he delves more deeply into the history, economics, and politics of the Nordic drive for equality.

Partanen’s theme is that the human rights recognized in practice, not just name, by Nordic governance, yield far more freedom with far less stress than in the US. That is, US “freedoms” work quite well for the affluent or privileged, thank you, but not for majority of us. She examines, child rearing, education, health care, aging, business, taxes -you name it. Even the notorious Nordic taxes, when you add them all up, are not much different than in the US.

Yet the Nordic countries get far more tax “bang for the buck”, not having to pay extravagant amounts out-of-pocket for health care or education or retirement, as do so many of us. For them, all these things are free, and with high quality to boot. Their system is simply far more efficient, though Partanen does not point out that the US also spends a huge amount on our military instead of single payer health care, free preschool, free college education, free assisted living in retirement, etc.

She asks us to follow the “smart government” examples of the Nordic countries. I would say “good government”, not “smart government”. That is because the right wing already wants “smart government” when it serves their narrow, short term financial interests. What it visceraly opposes is “good government” - government which focuses on the public interest, or the common good, for both the present and future generations.

The sad fact is that the goal of many on the right is to get rich however they can, even if means exploiting or scamming the rest of us. That’s why they want “de-regulation” – eliminating or not enforcing any regulation that stands in their way. For example, the Wall Street crash of 2008 was no accident, but the direct result of de-regulation. It was the dream of many a speculator – massive frauds yielding filthy riches but without jail time, since the taxpayers would be picking up the tab (researchers at the University of Kansas estimate the total tab at $29 trillion).

This Wild West, anything-goes attitude, is a stark contrast with the “Nordic Theory of Love”, as explained by Partanen: “Authentic love and friendship are possible only between individuals who are independent and equal” (p. 50). She describes this as an advanced form of individualism that is possible only when the state takes care of basic needs, so that we are “unencumbered by ulterior motives and needs” (p. 52)

This concept of individualism seemed strange at first since it is the opposite of the traditional American sink-or-swim “rugged individualism”. In fact, it is highly communitarian but not in the way anthropologists have observed in traditional tribal or village settings, where people help each other out directly, enforced by a powerful ethic of mutual obligation and sharing. In the Nordic countries, this obligation and sharing ethic is met through the state, by paying taxes to support the services we all need at times in our lives. Bravo!

Sometimes it takes an outsider (think de Tocqueville) to really figure out this crazy country. Maybe you have to be removed from the cultural, racial, class, regional and political biases and divisions that keep us fractured and distracted to see beyond the jingoistic, chest-thumping rhetoric and get a real sense of where we're at and where we could stand to improve.

This book is an excellent summation by a Finnish transplant of the needlessly precarious and stressful life of the average American in the 21st Century. As anyone who's travelled to Canada, Europe, Australia and other First World countries knows, life doesn't have to be as it is here, now. Travel to any of these areas, and you'll more likely find superior infrastructure, cleaner streets, smaller (or even nonexistent) homeless populations, and a kind of carefree enjoyment of life which is lacking in what's routinely called the richest country on earth.

From the precarious nature of work, with job protections largely absent, to our lack of a national healthcare program (and, no, a law mandating that each citizen purchase and maintain an expensive health insurance plan from a private, for-profit corporation does not count as a national healthcare program), the message, which the author pounds home, is that in America, unlike in her native Finland, you are truly on your own.

Yes, we Americans have settled for a raw deal, compared to the citizens of the nations from which the larger majority of us sprang, and it's been so from the founding of our nation, thanks to a perverted form of Christianity that took root early on and is closer in spirit to Creflo Dollar than Jesus Christ. Under this paganistic belief system which verges on the heresy of predestination, we're all responsible for ourselves, and we can "choose" to be rich or settle for being poor (and to those who "choose” poverty, no pity - or public benefits - for them!). And no, this pseudo-Christianity assures, you are definitely not your brother's keeper, as carnival-barker “preachers” twist the Scriptures to find spiritual justification for wealth, and for its twin, poverty. With so many of the most marginalized in our country clinging ever tighter to God, guns and - well, I guess Muslims are the new gays - and continuing to support the political party that is primarily responsible for empowering corporations to destroy the unions that fought to give them good pay and benefits, outsource jobs from their states, pollute their communities without consequence, renege on their pension promises to them, and operate profitable concerns without paying taxes (even getting public subsidies while doing so), the likelihood of bottom-up change is slim.

Sadly, the story with too many Americans – undereducated, stressed out, angry and distracted by one spectacle after another – is that you don't know what you don't know. People in other First World countries, with comfortable salaries and plenty of guaranteed vacation time, tend to travel a lot. Not so, your average American. The last I heard, something like 18% of Americans held a passport. So, they don’t even know what they’re missing out on, and Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, et al assure them that they’re living in “the best country in the world” without themselves having any basis of comparison.

But, yet, there is hope. There are those willing to stand against the direction in which we're headed, with strong movements against the testing mania in our schools, GMOs in our food supply, economic inequality, gentrification, police violence, fracking and oil pipelines, neonicotinoids, free-trade agreements, and our lack of a national healthcare system. And the fact that persons such as the author (who, touchingly, relates the feelings of intoxication that overcame her after she took the oath of citizenship) continue to come here to breathe new life into our nation assures that there will always be hope for us to live up to our greatest ideals and not be quite so "exceptional" in areas such as low-quality primary education, expensive higher education, unacceptably-high infant mortality rate, high average number of hours worked in a year, lack of mandatory vacation time and paid sick and parental leave, gun violence, etc.

Much of the above diagnosis of what ails us is mine, not the author’s. She, for instance, doesn’t mention the much larger role religion plays (at least nominally, if not always in practice) in America as compared to Europe, or the right-wing think-tanks and networks that spread misinformation and foster ignorance. Some other key differences between Europe and the US not mentioned in the book which further highlight the short shrift we get in terms of quality of life are our much poorer mainstream dietary options, less-stringent environmental regulations, weaker privacy protections, almost epidemic (and largely unaccountable) levels of corruption, lower union membership levels, obscene concentration of wealth at the top, ridiculous number of guns in civilian hands, higher rate of violent crimes, large number of mental-health problems, and high number of prescriptions for all sorts of drugs. Cause or effect (are these all outcomes of the precariousness, or does the precariousness cause them?), who can say? Give the author a few more years as an American, and maybe she’ll have the answer. Then, again, maybe she’ll have become a fat couch potato, watching “Keeping Up With the Kardashians: The Next Generation”, hoarding guns, and fearing everything.

All in all, the author has earned her citizenship by making us see life as it could – I’d argue, should – be in the USA. From the oft-repeated phrase throughout the book, you get the sense that the original title of the book was "The Nordic Theory of Love," but that some editor deemed that to be too potentially confusing and likely to see it be placed in the "Relationships" section of the bookstore. It would've been an accurate title, though, for what is ensuring that all citizens receive a superior education, access to medical care, a true living wage, and a healthy work-life balance if not love?

Things could be a lot better for Americans. Unfortunately, far too many (possibly a majority) Americans believe that the way we manage our society is the best in the world - notwithstanding our having the world's highest-cost healthcare and public schools, greatest illegal drug use, military costs and involvement, gun violence, a frozen government, the world's largest trade and federal deficits, a stagnant economy, creating the 'Great Recession' of 2008 and the Global War on Terror, etc. A major contributor to this misplaced enthusiasm is a widespread lack of knowledge about how other nations govern themselves. Author Partanen's 'The Nordic Theory of Everything' helps fill that need.

Finland consistently finishes in the top five global rankings on the quality of education, the way the economy works, the distribution of wealth, and opportunity. Per a 2010 Newsweek, Finland was the best nation for a person starting out life at the beginning of the 21st century - the U.S. ranked #11. The U.N.'s 2012 World Happiness Report rated Finland as the world's 2nd-happiest nation (despite its long, dark, freezing winters), with neighboring Denmark ranked #1 and Norway #3. On the downside, its children no longer are at the top of every education survey, though they still perform well.

Before deciding to move to America and marry her true love, author Partanen had worked 10+ years as a writer and editor, never had to pay extra for health insurance (medical treatment only cost her small amounts - if anything), was eligible for up to a year of paid sick leave with job security (along with more help after that if needed), eligible for ten months of paid parental leave for each child - without having to worry about losing her job while away, her children would then get inexpensive, high-quality data care, and could later attend some of the world's best schools - followed by also tuition-free college educations, She also took, like most Finns, 4-5 weeks of paid summer vacation. Learning to order at Starbucks in America was more complicated than doing her Finnish taxes. Finnish cell-phone companies rarely lock consumers into eg. two years of service. And she didn't have to be constantly anxious about complex and mysterious fine print forced upon her by Finnish corporations.

The U.S. tax system rewards married couples for pooling their incomes and filing their taxes as a joint unit; in Finland each individual is always taxed independently. A policy like America's would be considered government meddling in private morality.

New U.S. mothers employed at firms with less than 50 employees might have to quit their jobs to care for a newborn; larger firms only have to grant 3 months of unpaid maternity leave.

In America, jeopardizing one's relationship with one's employer carries personal risks (benefit coverage) extending far beyond the workplace, something unthinkable in Finland. People in Nordic countries are far less concerned that requests for time off will have negative repercussions for their careers.

Americans often dismiss Nordic countries as 'socialist nanny states,' yet our businesses are saddled with the nanny's job of taking care of their employees' health. The overarching ambition of Nordic societies during the 20th century and beyond has been to free the individual from all forms of dependency within the family and in society. Taxpayer-funded residence for the elderly are also provided in Finland.

As of the 2012 PISA tests, Finland ranked 3rd after Korea and Japan in combined reading, math, and science scores, and 6th in math alone. The U.S. rankings were 21st and 27th out of the OECD nations. No other country has so consistently had such little variation in outcomes between schools. Finnish children get very little homework, have a relatively short school day, and most attend neighborhood schools.

Emerging from years of war vs. the Soviet Union in the late 1940s, all Finnish children in middle school either went to common 'folk schools' or more academically-oriented private 'grammar schools' that mandated learning Finnish, Swedish, and one 'foreign language,' were required for college admission, charged tuition and often didn't even exist in small towns. Only about 25% went to grammar school.

After decades of debate about what Finland's education would require, by late 1970s universal high-quality education became nationwide. According to UNICEF (and others), a child is deemed poor if its household disposable income is less than half that of the nation. Finland has less than a 5% poverty rate, the U.S. about 25%. Most Nordic children attend daycare (75% in Finland), but education doesn't begin until age 6 or 7 (7 in Finland).

All prospective teachers must complete a 3-year undergraduate degree and a 2-year graduate degree. Elementary teachers must have a minor(s) in the subjects included in the primary school curriculum, while candidates for upper-grade teaching must major in the subject they will be teaching. Compared with other professionals in Finland with bachelor's or master's degrees, teachers' salaries are average, and considerably below that of lawyers and doctors.(Partanen claims U.S. teachers earn less than a typical college graduate - quite unlikely given the large numbers of teaching graduates and the proportion of college graduates employed in jobs that don't require college education.)

The Finnish government sets overall education goals, as well as the minimum hours for instruction in the major subject areas. Students who attend the academic high schools must, at the conclusion of their studies, pass the National Matriculation Exam to receive their high-school diplomas, as well as to qualify for entrance to a university. Students write essays or solve equations for hours on end, for several weeks. All students, boys and girls, must study carpentry, sewing, and cooking. All pupils are offered free hot meals, health care, psychological counselling, and individualized student guidance. No uniforms or strict codes of conduct are used. Most teachers send their students out for 15 minutes every 45 minutes, and a longer period after lunch.

Finnish schools have no sports teams. Local civic organizations provide those options.

A Finnish exchange student attending a Michigan high-school who was quoted in Amanda Ripley's 'The Smartest Kids in the World' stated that American high school felt like elementary school. (She had been a good, but not exceptional student in Finland. She noted that instead of learning to write long history lessons as in Finland, her U.S. history assignments consisted mostly of making posters.

As of 2010, there were 19 states in the U.S. with a smaller proportion of foreign-born residents than Finland. In 2011, only 4 other countries spent more/pupil for 6 - 15 year-olds than the U.S.

School principals continue to teach while serving as principals.

Students at Helsinki University have to pay $110/year for membership in a student association. Students also receive $600/month for rent and groceries.

Beveredge Healthcare Model (Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, along with U.K. Spain, and Italy with modified versions): Healthcare is provided/paid for by the government via taxes. Users pay nothing or small copays when seeing a doctor, many doctors are full-time salaried employees of national or local governments. Doctors can also be private providers paid directly by the government. Many private doctors, hospitals, and insurance policies to choose from - if willing to pay for oneself. Government has strong negotiating strength to keep costs down. Many Americans refer to this as 'socialized medicine.'

Bismark Health Model (Germany, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland): Providers and insurers are private, employers and employees share the cost of insurance, government pays for the unemployed. Services and fee-levels are regulated, and insurers are required to cover everyone.

National Health Insurance Model (Canada, and to some extent Australia): Providers are private, national or local government runs a single-payer system and negotiates prices.

'Poor' Model - no insurance, or government plan (Cambodia, India).

U.S. Model: Most Americans less than 65 live in a mercenary version of Germany's Bismarck. Employers negotiate health insurance for employers from private insurance companies, and employer/employee share the costs. Government doesn't regulate prices. COBRA provides interim coverage when switching jobs - full cost to employee. Medicaid for the very destitute is paid by federal and state governments, with eligibility and provisions varying state by state. Veterans have health care paid for and provided by the government at government facilities. For those over 65, the government runs its own health insurance program (Medicare) which pays most/all bills. In 2014, 55% off Americans were in employer-sponsored health insurance, 37% in some form of government healthcare, 15% paid for private insurance, and 10.4% had no insurance. The American system encourages dependency on employers and spouses. It is not designed to find one the best care. There are no 'death panel' committees in the U.S. or Nordic countries that pass judgment on whether a patient gets care, though some treatments and drugs are not covered because they're seen as ineffectual.

Maximum yearly copays etc. in Finland run $660, with help for the poor. Life-threatening conditions almost completely provided via public sector providers.

Waits for elective surgery can be long in Finland - eg. 90 days for cataracts, 116 for a hip replacement. Much shorter waits in the U.K. Patients in the Netherlands, Germany, and France wait less than those in the U.S. for these services. There are no 'death panel' committees in the U.S. or Nordic countries passing judgment on whether a patient gets care. Some treatments/drugs, however, are not covered in Nordic countries because of lack of effectiveness.

In 2013, the proportion of the Finnish population 'getting support for getting by' (welfare) was 7%, vs. 15% of Americans on food stamps. At the same time, a larger proportion of the working-age population were employed in Finland. Property taxes in Finland have a much smaller impact than in the U.S. In 1979, more than half of government benefits in the U.S. (54%) went to households in the bottom 20% of the income scale; by 2007 this was 34%. Many Americans are not aware of the government social programs that benefit them - eg. EIC. In 2014 U.S. federal debt was greater than our GDP, Finland at 70%, Denmark 60%, Sweden 50%, Norway 30%.

The author paid more taxes in NYC than she would have in Finland for the same income. The OECD compared average tax rates for single persons without children, including the employee's Social Security contribution. Denmark was at 38.4% (less than Germany and Belgium), Finland at 30.7%, Sweden 24.4%, U.S. 24.8%. Employers in Finland, Norway, Sweden contribute more to employee Social Security than in the U.S. U.S. taxes are less progressive. The effective tax rate for the 40 wealthiest U.S. taxpayers fell from about 30% in 1985 to 18.1% in 2008.

In the U.S., 40% of men born into the lowest income bracket stayed there, vs. 25% in Nordic nations.

America is awash with stale, superficial stereotypes of the Nordic Model. US politicians often reflexively make snide comments about Scandinavian socialism - but what actually makes the Nordic nations tick? What are the core values and could there be something that other countries might learn from? Now that Sweden and Finland are delivering stunning start-up success stories from Minecraft and Supercell to Klarna and iZettle, that question is more relevant than ever. Ms Partanen anchors her essays with revealing, provocative statistics and anecdotes. She is nuanced and never lectures - inviting readers into a dialogue rather than hectoring them. In the year of Trump and Sanders, this book is necessary. Americans are taking another look at how to run their country. "The Nordic Theory of Everything" needs to be a part of that process.

Anything you didn't know already. Shallow and taken from a very privileged view of America. Is not needing your family support a good thing? Maybe if I didn't already know about European social services it would have been at least informative.

Americans already know that they're being financially shafted in every way--in healthcare, expensive childcare, crummy public education, and outrageously expensive college. This books shows us how bad things REALLY are for Americans, and compares it to life in Nordic countries, which honestly sounds like paradise. While Americans fret about every doctor's bill and college loan payment, Fins are taking a year of fully paid maternity leave, followed by paid paternity leave. While Americans worry about dying in the gutter after retirement, Fins are enjoying their paid-for eldercare. Americans are prisoners/slave, while Fins experience as much freedom as people can expect. This is all due to the Nordic view of life, which is that cooperation beats competition, freedom from major economic worries equals true freedom, and that everyone in society should have equal access to good schools, child care, university, and healthcare. This book makes amply clear that my stressful American life is of a much lower quality (and probably quantity) than it would be if I lived in a Nordic country.

Superb. An exceptionally well-written call to arms for any Americans who are tired of working like dogs for an ever-shrinking piece of the pie. Partanen argues that our fear of "big government" has let our leadership off the hook from ensuring any of the basic human rights that the "smart governments" in the Nordic region provide -- high-quality, universal health care that is NOT tied to one's employment, affordable day care, excellent, free K-12 schools, tuition-free university, and subsidized eldercare. While America is supposed to be all about freedom, Partanen convincingly and responsibly argues that, in reality, we've lost our freedom to employers who we are chained to for health insurance, ever-increasing medical bills, expensive daycare, a patchy public education system, and college tuition that's approaching highway robbery. The tragic takeaway: by not investing in our children, we're not only robbing them of the opportunity to realize their full potential, but also falling behind in a 21st century economy that requires the contributions of all its citizens to stay competitive. Reminiscent of Michael Moore's "Where to Invade Next," which I also recommend.

An incredibly enlightening book about the cultural and policy differences between the United States and the Nordic nations (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland), The Nordic Theory of Everything is a must-read for anyone who's ever wondered if America truly offers its people the best quality of life in the world. I enjoyed this one greatly!

I read this book like a lonely orphan looking from the outside in at the window of a family eating Christmas dinner. Wonderfully written with personal observations mixed with plenty of supporting material from other sources, this book makes me feel like weeping for what's so attainable yet so out of reach for Americans.

In the book there are times of repetition of the main point at the end of every section that get a bit tiresome and it's not very balanced about speaking to the less ideal parts of Nordic life, but overall this is a very important, enjoyable (yet frustrating) argument to read.

Excellent book comparing the US culture and Nordic cultures. It shows how the Nordic countries have achieved the American dream better than the US has, through more intelligent public policy. A good "anthropological" study of two different "designs for living". My only critique is the author's overuse of her phrase "Nordic Theory of Love".

From the start, the author judges the Americans as over-anxious, and blames the anxiety on parents who micromanage their children’s lives. The anxious-parent micromanagement stresses the parents, and teaches the kids nothing about taking care of themselves. They’ll spend fortunes on tutors (and even do their kids’ homework) to get them into top colleges, stress themselves to pay for it, and four years later they have less money and some kids who can’t support themselves. But in Scandinavia, things are a wee bit different; college is free, kids are expected to move out at age 18, and the parents don’t stress.

The author quotes a US-educated Swedish academic named Lars Tradaigh on several issues. The first one is financial aid for college – which in the USA requires you to state your parents’ income – and that is alien to Scandinavia. In Sweden, your parents are no longer obligated to support you after age 18, so the idea of your parents’ income being an issue is ridiculous. The second issue is elder care, which looks bleak, since the average American can’t afford it. Look at it in terms of economics; parents today are supporting their grown children (the sandwich generation) so they can’t possibly support an aged relative as well. In Sweden, the state pays for the health care and nursing, and that’s it. The children are expected to take their elders for walks, talk to them, do stuff with them. Social workers can’t do that.

It’s the same thing with childcare in Finland. The government provides free maternity leave and daycare, so the parents are not stressed about taking care of the children. But this would be impossible here in the USA, for a million reasons. First, the USA has a teenage pregnancy problem, which Scandinavia does not. Not only that, but all over the country you find women with lots of kids by different men, and they’re on welfare their whole lives. Scandinavia has a low birthrate and no teen pregnancy, so they’re not swamped with the bills. Then there’s another great American problem to deal with; crack babies, and the kids with FAS. Few kids in Scandinavia are born addicted to drugs, so all those Nordic teachers aren’t struggling to retarded students. Lastly, the USA has a titanic defense budget, and that cuts into what we can spend on daycare. As for the government providing free housing so 18 year old kids can live on their own, forget it. You’d have nonstop partying and trips to the ER.

There is one Nordic practice that can work, and that’s a school curriculum involving hikes. In Sweden, the children are taken into the woods, given a compass, and told to find their way back. They’ll do this in all weathers, rain or shine, and their motto is “there is no bad weather, only inadequate clothing.” The kids learn to be self-reliant, solve problems on their own, and get along without their parents. Maybe the US problem is that we’re desperate for the kids to achieve what does not exist? Look at the schools, with their uniforms (the kids look sloppy anyway) and the dress codes (that lead to conflicts.) Do truckers have dress codes? What about cab drivers? Do electricians wear neckties? Do most NYC teachers wear neckties? The answer is usually no. So why make kids dress up for school? It’s part of the spectrum, of Americans forcing useless things on their kids, and it’s all because of paranoia.

Unfortunately, the majority of Scandinavia’s ways can’t work in the USA because…..well I guess everything here is different. Finland has a high number of percentage of women legislators, and we have few. Norway has a tiny defense budget, ours is astronomical. Denmark has no teenage pregnancy, but we certainly do, and it’s a drain on our nation. Scandinavia has an anything-goes attitude towards sexuality, no censorship, and they’re racially homogenous. True, they have free college, but it’s only for kids that qualify, and they do have vocational training (which most US schools have gotten rid of.) The reason they can afford to have free college is that you don’t attend if your grades are no good. Here in the USA, any idiot can go to community college, even if they can barely read.

I’d love to see the forest hikes in US schools. Maybe if we’re less paranoid about lawsuits, we might see it in this lifetime.

Brilliant! I wish all students had to read this in school. The Nordic emphasis on freedom in relationships is something we never talk about in the US. She is able to point out reasons why we are stressed out without stressing out the reader. She takes a philosophical and light hearted look at her own journey thru both nordic countries and the US pointing out things along the way that made me feel hopeful that perhaps the US will one day adopt some of these strategies and be happier and healthier for it.

Partanen explores the differences in culture that make Nordic countries the most free, equal societies in today's world. She shows how the US compares with what have been considered socialist societies and comes in a distant second in the categories of freedom, humanity, and equality in every category.

While reading this book I was constantly debating whether or not I want to move to a Nordic country. A key distinction she makes between smart government and big government would be useful for how many Americans view the debate of public vs. private.

I just bought this book — and returned it. I am very interested in the subject, and in what the author has to say. But the reader uses funny voices for different characters —as if we were six years old and my otherwise get mixed up. It is very distracting, and I couldn’t possibly listen to the whole thing. PLEASE.

Really enjoyed this book. Being of Nordic descent I found this very interesting, also having lived in Europe ( reverse of author ) I can relate to some of the difficulty of living in a new country with your family in tow.

Very well written and most enjoyable

Very good book, definitely gives a new perspective on American culture and values. I'd just add that there is not that much difference between the Nordic and Western and Central European systems, it seems like a very good branding of the Nordic nations.

The founding fathers of the USA were psychopaths who wanted manipulative psychopaths to be free to manipulate sheeple without being physically assaulted or killed by the sheeple. If you look at the USA from the outside you have to acknowledge that the USA was invented for the benefit of psychopaths. No one who actually thinks about the history of the USA would say that people in the USA are nice people. Most USA citizens who act like they are nice are just acting. Most of their smiles are fake, they smile for the purpose of manipulating people.

Freedom in the USA means that manipulative psychopaths have the freedom to manipulate people. This book misses that point but is otherwise a very good book.

I made it to chapter 3. Maybe the "theories" become more clear later in the book. I was really hoping for a more clear understanding of the culture. It was very vague and her opinions of America are based on living in New York only. A very biased opinion too. I was so bored. I did not purchase this book. I only borrowed it from the library. But I thought it was necessary to share a honest review before soneone makes a purchase. I'll be checking out another author.

This is a comparison of various aspects of quality of life, such as health care, child care, education, taxation and so on, in the U.S. vs. Scandinavian countries. The idea of comparing the more socialistic approaches of Scandinavian countries to these issues vs. the U.S. is an important one, particularly in this political season. The author is Finnish and moved to the U.S. to live with her American husband. The book is written in a conversational (and, I felt, pejorative) style. Unfortunately, the author took the easy way out and simply communicated her own personal experiences and biases, which are of limited interest or utility. A more useful approach would have been to provide a more systematic, scholarly exploration of these issues and their history.

Americans HATE taxes--we fought a war for independence over taxes; it's part of who we are as a nation.
I was interested in the "Nordic Theory of Love". I understand the author's description of it, but I prefer what I call, "The Catholic Theory of Love"--Catholic as in universal, not the religion--real love is the ability to love another of a different background, social class, disability, etc. I don't believe love must be based on equality between two people. Love--between friends or family or lovers--overcomes obstacles. Maybe I should call that the American Theory of Love. When I read the book, I thought it would be a humorous guide to understanding Scandinavians; instead it just contrasts Nordic society with American society and it seems the author finds Americans wanting.

Bitch and whine about everything. Go home! Couldn't read this crap. Thought it might be a cool cultural piece on a cool nation. Instead just a rant by a whiney, snow flake, twinkee, victim human. Waste of money, even though it only cost 99 cents. That's how well it's doing.