In this article we suggest a list of books about Scandinavia and the Nordics, all excellent books that we have very much appreciated. These texts are valid introductions to the culture of the Nordic countries, but at the same time each book delves deeply into their social, economic and political characteristics.
‘The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country‘ by Helen Russell
When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn’t Disneyland, but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries. What is the secret to their success? Are happy Danes born, or made? Helen decides there is only one way to find out: she will give herself a year, trying to uncover the formula for Danish happiness. From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD, taxes, sexism and an unfortunate predilection for burning witches, ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ is a funny, poignant record of a journey that shows us where the Danes get it right, where they get it wrong, and how we might just benefit from living a little more Danishly ourselves. Buy this book on Bookshop.org
‘Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way’ by Lars Mytting
“You don’t need to have a wood-burning stove or fireplace to be captivated by the craft and lore surrounding a Stone Age method of creating heat.” ―Boston Globe
The latest Scandinavian publishing phenomenon is not a Stieg Larsson thriller, and it’s not the comfort of Danish Hygge. It’s Lars Mytting’s Norwegian Wood, a full-color practical book about the art and craft of handling wood for heating that has become an international bestseller, selling over 200,000 copies in Norway and Sweden. Norwegian Wood provides useful advice on the rustic hows and whys of taking care of your heating needs, but it’s also a thoughtful attempt to understand man’s age-old predilection for stacking wood and passion for open fires. The author, Lars Mytting, writes, “The factual material in this book represents the distilled wisdom of encounters with people who are passionate about wood, enthusiasts as well as professional researchers. I have benefitted greatly from my conversations with experts in the fields of combustion and silviculture. . . . Along the way I’ve tried out most of the techniques I’ve been introduced to. I’ve dried finely chopped oak in our kitchen oven, struggled to build a beehive woodpile, miscalculated the trajectory of a felled pine. And I’ve been on a quest to discover the soul of the wood fire.” With his help, you’ll begin your quest to discover the joys of wood and wood fire. An intriguing window into the exoticism of Scandinavian culture, the book also features enough inherently interesting facts and anecdotes and inspired prose to make it universally appealing. The US edition is a fully updated version of the Norwegian original and includes an appendix of US-based resources and contacts. Buy this book on Bookshop.org
‘The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia’ by Michael Booth
A witty, informative, and popular travelogue about the Scandinavian countries and how they may not be as happy or as perfect as we assume, “The Almost Nearly Perfect People offers up the ideal mixture of intriguing and revealing facts” (Laura Miller, Salon)
Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely book he 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 one another. Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders as feral as they sometimes appear? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastic oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? In ‘The Almost Nearly Perfect People’ Michael Booth explains who the Scandinavians are, how they differ and why, and what their quirks and foibles are, and he explores why these societies have become so successful and models for the world. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterized 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. Buy this book on Bookshop.org
‘Scandinavians: In Search of the Soul of the North’ by Robert Ferguson
Scandinavia is the epitome of cool: we fill our homes with Nordic furniture; we envy their humane social welfare system and their healthy outdoor lifestyle; we glut ourselves on their crime fiction; even their strangely attractive melancholia seems to express a stoic, commonsensical acceptance of life’s vicissitudes. But how valid is this outsider’s view of Scandinavia, and how accurate is our picture of life in Scandinavia today? Scandinavians follows a chronological progression across the Northern centuries: the Vendel era of Swedish prehistory; the age of the Vikings; the Christian conversions of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland; the unified Scandinavian state of the late Middle Ages; the sea-change of the Reformation; the kingdom of Denmark-Norway; King Gustav Adolphus and the age of Sweden’s greatness; the cultural golden age of Ibsen, Strindberg and Munch; the impact of the Second World War; Scandinavia’s postwar social democratic nirvana; and the terror attacks of Anders Behring Breivik. Scandinavians is also a personal investigation, with award-winning author Robert Ferguson as the ideal companion as he explores wide-ranging topics such as the power and mystique of Scandinavian women, from the Valkyries to the Vikings; from Nora and Hedda to Garbo and Bergman. This digressive technique is familiar from the writings of W. G. Sebald, and in Ferguson’s hands it is deployed with particular felicity, accessibility, and deftness, richly illuminating our understanding of modern Scandinavia, its society, politics, culture, and temperament. Buy this book on Bookshop.org
‘Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World’ by Eliza Reid
“Secrets of the Sprakkar is a fascinating window into what a more gender-equal world could look like, and why it’s worth striving for. Iceland is doing a lot to level the playing field: paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and broad support for gender equality as a core value. Reid takes us on an exploration not only around this fascinating island, but also through the triumphs and stumbles of a country as it journeys towards gender equality.” –Hillary Rodham Clinton
Iceland is the best place on earth to be a woman–but why? For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries closing the gap in equality between men and women. What is it about Iceland that makes many women’s experiences there so positive? Why has their society made such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world’s first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home? And how can we learn from what Icelanders have already discovered about women’s powerful place in society and how increased fairness benefits everyone? Eliza Reid, the First Lady of Iceland, examines her adopted homeland’s attitude toward women–the deep-seated cultural sense of fairness, the influence of current and historical role models, and, crucially, the areas where Iceland still has room for improvement. Reid’s own experience as an immigrant from small-town Canada who never expected to become a first lady is expertly interwoven with interviews with dozens of sprakkar (“extraordinary women”) to form the backbone of an illuminating discussion of what it means to move through the world as a woman, and how the rules of society play more of a role in who we view as “equal” than we may understand. ‘Secrets of the Sprakkar’ is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all. Buy this book on Bookshop.org
‘The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life’ by Anu Partanen
“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
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 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. Buy this book on Bookshop.org
The books suggested in this article are linked to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore whose mission is to financially support local, independent bookstores in the US and UK: we at ATN believe that indie bookstores are essential to a healthy culture. When you buy through these links, a small percentage of the price goes into our meagre pockets, helping us to keep All Things Nordic free for all users.
