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Finland Books
Feb. 13th, 2026 09:36 amIn my quest to read books from all the countries, ideally for each country I'd find a good general book, at least one good book on a narrow issue, and at least one fun book, plus learn a bit about the country. I feel like I have succeeded with Finland.
Before starting, I knew that Finland was one of the Scandinavian countries. That's actually wrong (only Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are considered Scandinavian), but it is one of the Nordic countries (along with Iceland and the Scandinavian countries).
Finnish Lessons
Several years ago I read Pasi Sahlberg's Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? (2011). Finland found that its students weren't doing well compared to those of other western nations, so they looked up research on good teaching methods. Most of what they found was in the US, but unlike US teachers, they tried out the ideas in schools. Then they continued the research themselves. And they decided their teachers should also be researchers. So now teachers are well-paid and they have post-doctorate (research) degrees and they have ways to mentor each other and otherwise share ideas.
I don't remember the actual changes to teaching except they went with a lot more learning-by-doing and lot less learning by reading or listening and a lot less memorization.
Cold Victory
The Book Girls recommend Karl Marlantes's Cold Victory (2024). This book features two diplomats (one a Finnish-American, one a Russian) and their wives, posted in Finland. It turns out the two diplomats had met when they were soldiers near the end of World War II (when the US finally sent the USSR the help they'd promised) and they still considered themselves good friends. Their wives get to know each other and eventually also become friends.
Then a bunch of stressful, exciting, tragic stuff happens because of saving face, too much alcohol, and supreme naivete.
This is not the ideal book on Finland because few of the characters were Finnish, but that says a little something in itself about how Finland has to deal with bigger powers.
I never knew Findland's sad WWII history. First Finland was invaded by the USSR, which was an ally of Germany. Germany turned on USSR in 1941, so the Finns joined them to take back the territory they'd lost. They continued to Leningrad. 'Leningrad never fell, and Stalin never forgot.' The US allied with the USSR to fight Germany and drove the Finns back. Afterwards, reparations of 60% of Finland's prewar GDP were imposed (payable in 'hard currency and dismantled industrial plant being shipped to Russia'), but they were still free. (I'd thought people had learned their lesson about reparations after WWI, but I guess not?)
I was intrigued about one character's description of politics: It's all about preventing war. Yes, countries are still jostling for power, but 'You, above all, should know that no matter how dirty politics gets, it's never as dirty as war.'
On dictatorships: The Germans 'weren't all Nazis. … That's the point. Dictatorships need just a few ardent supporters. Democracies need everyone. That's harder to do.' And 'Punishing an innocent man is as effective as punishing a guilty one when the goal is scaring people to keep them in line.'
The Moomins
Tove Jansson's Moomins series was recommended by an ambassador: “The Moomin books were originally written as fairy tales for children. Their philosophic nature is universal and makes the books enjoyable for people of all ages and from all backgrounds. The carefree and friendly Moomins provide a warm-hearted reading experience, and are also an essential part of the childhood of every Finnish kid."
I checked the Central library branch, and they only had Moominvalley in November (The Moomins #8) (1970), the last book in the series.
In this volume, various people who know the Moomins converge on their house as fall sets in, with its rain, wind, and cold. The Moomins are not in, but they make themselves at home. The Moomins' presence is still felt; the characters find comfort here, even with the Moomins gone.
The characters are all different sizes and shapes, and they have different hobbies: cooking and cleaning, playing the harmonica, organizing people, wandering, hiding, imagining things into existence. They don't always get along perfectly, but they try. Often characters fear that the others don't like them or are angry with them. Some have downright suicidal fantasies. And yet sometimes other characters know their secrets and still accept them. And they never try to change each other, except in an effort to respect that other people shouldn't have to change.
' "So this is how it feels," he thought. "This is what sailing is like. The world turns upside down and you hang on for dear life to the edge of the yawning abyss, you freeze and feel ashamed and when it's too late you wish you'd never come. Let's hope and pray he doesn't notice how scared I am." '
It's in the fantasy genre, not my favorite, and the characters have silly, sometimes dangerous adventures, also not really my thing.
A lot of reviewers were disappointed in the book because there were no Moomins and they found it depressing. It turned out the author's mother had recently died, and that spilled over into the book. It feels to me like she was trying to teach us and herself how to go on without someone we love and how we can still benefit from the parts of them that we love.
Still, it turned out the first book in the series was at my local branch, so I read that one, too, Comet in Moominland (Moomins #1) (1946). Two friends go on an adventure and then run home to prepare for an upcoming disaster. Along the way, they meet and help other interesting characters.
A lot of irrational stuff drove me nutso, so that will be my last Moomin book. It's too bad: the author is also the illustrator and I just love her line drawings. I like holding the paperbacks in my hands and looking at the pictures. But they are not for me.
After the first full-length book was published, a theatrical version followed. There is a related comic strip. And TV series with puppets. And an animated series (Japan). And a museum exhibit. And a theme park. And a song collection. And décor for the Finnair planes. And a Finnish coin. It got popular throughout Europe, but not the US.
Finland
I wasn't able to find a book in my favorite children's series on different countries, but I did find Alicia Z. Klepeis's Finland (Country Profiles) (2023) for a younger audience.
I learned that Finland is "the land of a thousand lakes," though really they have around 188,000. And wolverines scavenge in the Arctic Circle. And reindeer graze on lichen and berries in the tundra (how do they find enough food?).
Finns are big coffee drinkers (20 lbs/year/person; 2 coffee breaks/day are required for workers). They have many kinds of porridge. Most city dwellers live in apartments; houses in the country are usually wooden. Many homes and even some employers have saunas. Finns invented saunas as well as ice skates, the rescue toboggan, the first wireless heart rate monitor, and "Angry Birds."
Rare Exports
I should also mention that a friend showed a bunch of us the movie "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale" (2010). I barely remember it now; it's a suspense horror movie where something horrible has been unearthed, and the one to figure out the problem first is a kid who must get the adults to understand.
Before starting, I knew that Finland was one of the Scandinavian countries. That's actually wrong (only Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are considered Scandinavian), but it is one of the Nordic countries (along with Iceland and the Scandinavian countries).
Finnish Lessons
Several years ago I read Pasi Sahlberg's Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? (2011). Finland found that its students weren't doing well compared to those of other western nations, so they looked up research on good teaching methods. Most of what they found was in the US, but unlike US teachers, they tried out the ideas in schools. Then they continued the research themselves. And they decided their teachers should also be researchers. So now teachers are well-paid and they have post-doctorate (research) degrees and they have ways to mentor each other and otherwise share ideas.
I don't remember the actual changes to teaching except they went with a lot more learning-by-doing and lot less learning by reading or listening and a lot less memorization.
Cold Victory
The Book Girls recommend Karl Marlantes's Cold Victory (2024). This book features two diplomats (one a Finnish-American, one a Russian) and their wives, posted in Finland. It turns out the two diplomats had met when they were soldiers near the end of World War II (when the US finally sent the USSR the help they'd promised) and they still considered themselves good friends. Their wives get to know each other and eventually also become friends.
Then a bunch of stressful, exciting, tragic stuff happens because of saving face, too much alcohol, and supreme naivete.
This is not the ideal book on Finland because few of the characters were Finnish, but that says a little something in itself about how Finland has to deal with bigger powers.
I never knew Findland's sad WWII history. First Finland was invaded by the USSR, which was an ally of Germany. Germany turned on USSR in 1941, so the Finns joined them to take back the territory they'd lost. They continued to Leningrad. 'Leningrad never fell, and Stalin never forgot.' The US allied with the USSR to fight Germany and drove the Finns back. Afterwards, reparations of 60% of Finland's prewar GDP were imposed (payable in 'hard currency and dismantled industrial plant being shipped to Russia'), but they were still free. (I'd thought people had learned their lesson about reparations after WWI, but I guess not?)
I was intrigued about one character's description of politics: It's all about preventing war. Yes, countries are still jostling for power, but 'You, above all, should know that no matter how dirty politics gets, it's never as dirty as war.'
On dictatorships: The Germans 'weren't all Nazis. … That's the point. Dictatorships need just a few ardent supporters. Democracies need everyone. That's harder to do.' And 'Punishing an innocent man is as effective as punishing a guilty one when the goal is scaring people to keep them in line.'
The Moomins
Tove Jansson's Moomins series was recommended by an ambassador: “The Moomin books were originally written as fairy tales for children. Their philosophic nature is universal and makes the books enjoyable for people of all ages and from all backgrounds. The carefree and friendly Moomins provide a warm-hearted reading experience, and are also an essential part of the childhood of every Finnish kid."
I checked the Central library branch, and they only had Moominvalley in November (The Moomins #8) (1970), the last book in the series.
In this volume, various people who know the Moomins converge on their house as fall sets in, with its rain, wind, and cold. The Moomins are not in, but they make themselves at home. The Moomins' presence is still felt; the characters find comfort here, even with the Moomins gone.
The characters are all different sizes and shapes, and they have different hobbies: cooking and cleaning, playing the harmonica, organizing people, wandering, hiding, imagining things into existence. They don't always get along perfectly, but they try. Often characters fear that the others don't like them or are angry with them. Some have downright suicidal fantasies. And yet sometimes other characters know their secrets and still accept them. And they never try to change each other, except in an effort to respect that other people shouldn't have to change.
' "So this is how it feels," he thought. "This is what sailing is like. The world turns upside down and you hang on for dear life to the edge of the yawning abyss, you freeze and feel ashamed and when it's too late you wish you'd never come. Let's hope and pray he doesn't notice how scared I am." '
It's in the fantasy genre, not my favorite, and the characters have silly, sometimes dangerous adventures, also not really my thing.
A lot of reviewers were disappointed in the book because there were no Moomins and they found it depressing. It turned out the author's mother had recently died, and that spilled over into the book. It feels to me like she was trying to teach us and herself how to go on without someone we love and how we can still benefit from the parts of them that we love.
Still, it turned out the first book in the series was at my local branch, so I read that one, too, Comet in Moominland (Moomins #1) (1946). Two friends go on an adventure and then run home to prepare for an upcoming disaster. Along the way, they meet and help other interesting characters.
A lot of irrational stuff drove me nutso, so that will be my last Moomin book. It's too bad: the author is also the illustrator and I just love her line drawings. I like holding the paperbacks in my hands and looking at the pictures. But they are not for me.
After the first full-length book was published, a theatrical version followed. There is a related comic strip. And TV series with puppets. And an animated series (Japan). And a museum exhibit. And a theme park. And a song collection. And décor for the Finnair planes. And a Finnish coin. It got popular throughout Europe, but not the US.
Finland
I wasn't able to find a book in my favorite children's series on different countries, but I did find Alicia Z. Klepeis's Finland (Country Profiles) (2023) for a younger audience.
I learned that Finland is "the land of a thousand lakes," though really they have around 188,000. And wolverines scavenge in the Arctic Circle. And reindeer graze on lichen and berries in the tundra (how do they find enough food?).
Finns are big coffee drinkers (20 lbs/year/person; 2 coffee breaks/day are required for workers). They have many kinds of porridge. Most city dwellers live in apartments; houses in the country are usually wooden. Many homes and even some employers have saunas. Finns invented saunas as well as ice skates, the rescue toboggan, the first wireless heart rate monitor, and "Angry Birds."
Rare Exports
I should also mention that a friend showed a bunch of us the movie "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale" (2010). I barely remember it now; it's a suspense horror movie where something horrible has been unearthed, and the one to figure out the problem first is a kid who must get the adults to understand.