The Almost Nearly Perfect People : Paperback Picador USA 9781250081568 1250081564 02 Feb 2016 "Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, growing increasingly frustrated with rose-tinted view of this part world offered up by Western media. In timely book he leaves his adopted home Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, secrets their success and, most intriguing all, what they think each other. Why are Danes so happy, despite having highest taxes? Do Finns really have best education system? Are Icelanders feral? How Norwegians spending fantastic oil wealth? And why do them hate Swedes? explains how differ why, quirks foibles, explores societies become successful models world. Along way nuanced, often darker picture emerges region plagued taboos, characterized suffocating parochialism populated extremists various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn't easy being Scandinavian. - For readers Bill Bryson, Sarah Lyall, Euny Hong"--