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The Almost Nearly Perfect People
- Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
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Publisher's summary
Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than 10 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 audiobook, 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.
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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In the wake of the September 11 attacks and the US-led invasion of Iraq, Suzy Hansen, who grew up in an insular conservative town in New Jersey, was enjoying early success as a journalist for a high-profile New York newspaper. Increasingly, though, the disconnect between the chaos of world events and the response at home took on pressing urgency for her. Seeking to understand the Muslim world that had been reduced to scaremongering headlines, she moved to Istanbul.
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A MUST-READ for all Truth-Seeking American wh
- By Parveen Mehdi-Newton on 12-08-17
By: Suzy Hansen
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Age of Ambition
- Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
- By: Evan Osnos
- Narrated by: Evan Osnos, George Backman
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.
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Come back when you have a warrant!
- By Neuron on 11-06-15
By: Evan Osnos
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Three Tigers, One Mountain
- A Journey Through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea, and Japan
- By: Michael Booth
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain." However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other. In his latest entertaining and thought-provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, the enmity is between these three "tiger" nations and what prevents them from making peace.
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Not much new here if you are already familiar
- By Anonymous User on 07-13-20
By: Michael Booth
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The Future Is History
- How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia
- By: Masha Gessen
- Narrated by: Masha Gessen
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Award-winning journalist Masha Gessen's understanding of the events and forces that have wracked Russia in recent times is unparalleled. In The Future Is History, Gessen follows the lives of four people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy. Each of them came of age with unprecedented expectations, some as the children and grandchildren of the very architects of the new Russia, each with newfound aspirations of their own - as entrepreneurs, activists, thinkers, and writers, sexual and social beings.
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The author is an international treasure
- By ThreeGems on 10-16-17
By: Masha Gessen
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China Road
- A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power
- By: Rob Gifford
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
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Performance
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National Public Radio's Beijing correspondent Rob Gifford recounts his travels along Route 312, the Chinese Mother Road, the longest route in the world's most populous nation. Based on his successful NPR radio series, China Road draws on Gifford's 20 years of observing first-hand this rapidly transforming country, as he travels east to west, from Shanghai to China's border with Kazakhstan. As he takes listeners on this journey, he also takes them through China's past and present while he tries to make sense of this complex nation's potential future.
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An Outstanding Book on China
- By Sarda on 08-13-07
By: Rob Gifford
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See You Again in Pyongyang
- By: Travis Jeppesen
- Narrated by: Will Collyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
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From terrifying missile tests, its unmissable Olympic cheering squad, and the war of words between President Trump and Kim Jong Un - not to mention stranger-than-fiction stories of purges and assassinations - news from North Korea has dominated global headlines. But what is life there actually like? In See You Again in Pyongyang, Travis Jeppesen, the first American to complete a university program in North Korea, culls from his experiences living, traveling, and studying in the country to create a multifaceted portrait of the country and its idiosyncratic capital city.
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Save me from the hippie millennials with a PhD
- By Verified purchaser on 06-21-18
By: Travis Jeppesen
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Thrive
- Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way
- By: Dan Buettner
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
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In the first book to identify demographically proven happiness hotspots worldwide, researcher and explorer Dan Buettner documents the happiest people on earth and reveals how we can create our own happy zones. Detailing extraordinary new discoveries and meticulous research on four continents, Buettner observes happiness in unlikely places and gleans surprising insight into what generates contentment and what it means to thrive.
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Around the world with circular reasoning
- By Andy on 05-17-11
By: Dan Buettner
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Disintegration
- The Splintering of Black America
- By: Eugene Robinson
- Narrated by: Alan Bomar Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
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Overall
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The African American population in the United States has always been seen as a single entity: a "Black America" with unified interests and needs. In his groundbreaking book Disintegration, longtime Washington Post journalist Eugene Robinson argues that, through decades of desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration, the concept of Black America has shattered.
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Written for Popular Consumption
- By Catherine S. Read on 06-03-11
By: Eugene Robinson
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Ask a North Korean
- Defectors Talk About Their Lives Inside the World's Most Secretive Nation
- By: Daniel Tudor, Andrei Lankov - foreword
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan, Greta Jung
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The weekly column Ask a North Korean, published by NK News, invites readers from around the world to pose questions to North Korean defectors. By way of these fascinating interviews, the North Koreans themselves provide authentic firsthand testimonies about what is happening inside the "Hermit Kingdom." This book sheds critical light on all aspects of North Korean politics and society and shows that even in the world's most authoritarian regime, life goes on in ways that are very different from what you may think.
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Brilliant Narration on the unknown perspective
- By New Jaa Yeong on 09-01-18
By: Daniel Tudor, and others
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Oracle Bones
- A Journey Through Time in China
- By: Peter Hessler
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today, the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people.
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Great Book, except for the narration.
- By Daniel on 11-09-10
By: Peter Hessler
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The International Bank of Bob
- Connecting Our World One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time
- By: Bob Harris
- Narrated by: Bob Harris
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Hired by ForbesTraveler.com to review some of the most luxurious accommodations on Earth, and then inspired by a chance encounter in Dubai with the impoverished workers whose backbreaking jobs create such opulence, Bob Harris had an epiphany: He would turn his own good fortune into an effort to make lives like theirs better.
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Wonderfully entertaining and accessible book
- By Tim on 01-15-14
By: Bob Harris
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Korea
- The Impossible Country
- By: Daniel Tudor
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Long overshadowed by Japan and China, South Korea is a small country that happens to be one of the great national success stories of the postwar period. From a failed state with no democratic tradition, ruined and partitioned by war, and sapped by a half-century of colonial rule, South Korea transformed itself in just 50 years into an economic powerhouse and a democracy that serves as a model for other countries. With no natural resources and a tradition of authoritarian rule, Korea managed to accomplish a second Asian miracle.
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Amazing book
- By Antoine on 12-14-18
By: Daniel Tudor
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50% virtue signaling / 10% personal story / 24% filler / 1% SISU?
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The Little Book of Hygge
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Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is hygge. Loosely translated, hygge - pronounced hoo-ga - is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe."
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BUY THE REAL BOOK
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The Finnish Way
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Forget hygge - it's time to blow out the candles and get out into the world! Journalist Katja Pantzar did just that, taking the huge leap to move to the remote Nordic country of Finland. What she discovered there transformed her body, mind, and spirit. In this engaging and practical guide, she shows listeners how to embrace the "keep it simple and sensible" daily practices that make Finns one of the happiest populations in the world, year after year. The Finns have a word for that, and this empowering book shows us how to achieve it.
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Meh
- By Suzette on 12-08-18
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The Art of Making Memories
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Memories are the cornerstones of our identity, shaping who we are, how we act, and how we feel. In his work as a happiness researcher, Meik Wiking has learned that people are happier if they hold a positive, nostalgic view of the past. But how do we make and keep the memories that bring us lasting joy? The Art of Making Memories examines how mental images are made, stored, and recalled in our brains, as well as the "art of letting go" - why we tend to forget certain moments to make room for deeper, more meaningful ones.
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Not art
- By Ched97 on 12-20-22
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There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather
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Bringing Up Bébé meets Last Child in the Woods in this lively, insightful memoir about a mother who sets out to discover if the nature-centric parenting philosophy of her native Scandinavia holds the key to healthier, happier lives for her American children.
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Great concept, interesting writing.
- By Kate on 11-03-17
What listeners say about The Almost Nearly Perfect People
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- Erik
- 09-07-20
Obsessed with bad politics
The narration and writing were excellent but Booth views are In desperate need of some nuance. He thinks if you’re not left you must be far right. He is hyper concerned with Nazis and paints anyone with issues regarding immigration as toying with race based nationalism. Despite presenting facts that show globalism as a mixed bag, Booth calls everyone that isn’t into as much immigration as possible a racist, beliefs that conservatives are an extreme minority despite polls and can’t parcel out the center-right and the far-right. On several occasions he references how things are in America and completely gets them wrong. The book has a number of good stories and interesting facts but it’s marred by being hyper focused on attacking opposing political views. Would have been great without the propaganda.
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33 people found this helpful
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- Andrej J. Bevec
- 10-24-16
Half Genius
First of all the reading is absolutely great, the perfect match to the source material.
The book itself I would split into two halves: the incredible travelogue half, which masterfully describes the cultures and is full of hilarious stories, and the lefty political half which is just muddled and naive (especially given the current climate in Europe). If you have any interest in Scandinavia please do listen to this audiobook, the practical stories and observations here are incredible. It's all just a little weighed down by the authors' politics.
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22 people found this helpful
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- Jay Friedman
- 09-30-15
Amazing! Anthropological, historical, entertaining
This is a deep dive into the Nordic/Scandinavian societies of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. It goes through each country, compares, contrasts, and is all written by a cynical Brit who is surprised to hear that these countries are consistently ranked among the happiest in the world.
It weaves in enough data and information to be meaningful, but keeps it in the form of a story enough that you're entertained.
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19 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Arsenio Paez
- 05-01-15
Interesting topic but very opinionated author
Scandinavia and the Nordic countries are fascinating. The author unfortunately is rather opinionated and very biased. There is a lot of British bias which makes it seem as if he is eager to criticize or find fault. It is strongly biased enough that it sometimes makes it frustrating to listen to, even though it is often also enjoyable. In particular the chapters about Iceland are judgmental and biased to the point of being unfair. Hi travel very frequently in the Nordic world and was excited to see a book about the politics and culture of this area. It was just too pedantic and judgmental. Enjoyable only because of the topic but frustrating at times because of the authors delight in fault finding even if it means purposely ignoring evidence and facts.
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19 people found this helpful
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- David
- 08-29-15
Delightful Treck Through The North!
I recommend this work as good primer on all things "Nordic". Good humored, well observed and analyzed there is plenty enough to interest just about every curiosity. Some of the later chapters are even a bit intellectual; though perhaps the author might plead inebriation in mitigation.
Further, I do not find the author prejudiced, simply at times irreverent. For instance, he is oddly insistent against all constitutional monarchies. As a Yank I rather enjoy the authors own "House of Windsor" royal family and do not begrudge the various Scandinavian crowned heads.
In summary: A book well done and well read.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Carol Palmer
- 06-20-17
The +/- of the Scandinavians
The author of this book is an Englishman married to a Dane living in Denmark. He writes about all the Scandinavian countries and the idiosyncrasies of each. It made me laugh out loud and appreciate Scandinavians even more - warts and all.
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8 people found this helpful
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- William Michael Brauer
- 08-09-17
Entertaining but of little use.
The author does a wonderful job of telling a story and has a lovely wit. I enjoyed the book as an introduction to a part of the world I knew relatively little about.
The narrator does an excellent job. it's hard to believe that the narrator is not the author as he clearly understands and expresses every nuance perfectly. The narration is probably the strongest aspect of the audiobook.
I read nonfiction to clarify my view of the world and my understanding of human nature as well as to refine my own view of how things should be politically. This book was of no help in that regard as the author shows upsides and downsides to every aspect of life in each of the Nordic countries. Too often, he contradicts himself by playing devil's advocate a bit too enthusiastically.
Finally, like the book, The Spirit Level, which the author frequently references, he draws far too many inferences from correlation, rather than extending the argument to actual evidence of causation.
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6 people found this helpful
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- KJB
- 02-16-16
A fabulous tour
What a fabulous tour of Scandanavia and the Nordic peoples, places, prospects, and problems. We join Booth as he glances at the nations and regions from both below and above, enabling us to put into context the admiration and opprobrium cast from afar and lodged from within and among the residents of these states. I'll let it simmer for a couple of weeks and then listen again!
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6 people found this helpful
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- l.zielke
- 05-04-15
the stuff you find 😊
in looking for information on my family's Norwegian blood line, I came across this book. From the "sample" I was hooked, thru Audible I was able to share with my family great humor and person-to-person conversation-like writing that Mr. Booth accomplishes in this book. thank you 👍
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- Rob S.
- 07-02-16
Funny and fair
Would you listen to The Almost Nearly Perfect People again? Why?
Loved this book. The author stays within the authority he has to back his opinions, and is thoughtful while keeping it light. He gets to all the things you wonder about but doesn't overdo it or get too analytical.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I really enjoyed the narration throughout. The performance seemed to perfectly capture the author's tone and humour.
Any additional comments?
I went to Sweden for the first time shortly after I read the book, and while I didn't necessarily see everything the way the author did, having listened to the book before I went definitely increased my enjoyment of the trip.
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5 people found this helpful