'Helen has a way to take big ideas and convey them with warmth and wisdom' Dr Rangan Chatterjee
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What do Vikings know about raising children? Turns out, quite a lot…
After a decade of living in Denmark and raising a family there, Helen Russell noticed that Nordic children are different. They eat differently. They learn differently. They run, jump and climb out in nature for hours a day, even though the weather is terrible and it's dark October to March. And then they grow up to be some of the happiest adults on the planet. Her question was: how?
In How to Raise a Viking, Russell takes a deep dive into the parenting culture of Denmark and the other Nordic nations, from parental leave policies to school structure, screen time, and the surprising customs that lead to happy, well-adjusted humans. This fascinating peek behind the cultural curtain allows readers a glimpse of another world, where babies sleep outside in their prams up to -20°C and pre-schoolers wield axes.
Refreshingly funny and unfailingly optimistic about the new generation of humans growing up in the world right now, this is a heart-warming love letter to Russell’s adopted homeland and proof that we could all use a bit more Viking in our lives.
We live in an age when most reality TV shows climax in a tearful finale. But feeling sad – genuinely sad – is still taboo. Yet, sadness happens to us all, sometimes in heartbreakingly awful ways. If we don’t know how to be sad, it can be isolating for those experiencing it and baffling for those trying to help loved ones through dark times.
Today, most of us know intellectually that ‘sad’ is normal. But we’re not always brilliant at allowing for it, in practice. Sadness is going to happen, so we might as well know how to ‘do it’ right. And it’s time to start facing our problems and talking about them. Positive psychology may have become more accepted in mainstream culture, but rates of depression have continued to rise.
We’re trying so hard to be happy. But studies show that we could all benefit from learning the art of sadness and how to handle it, well.
Als die berufstätige und hochorganisierte Mutter Alice sich von ihrer chaotischen Schwester Melissa zu einer Woche Dänemark-Urlaub überreden lässt, hat sie sich einen entspannten Aufenthalt in einem Spa vorgestellt. Aber Melissa hat eine Woche Wikingerurlaub im Wald gebucht: Hier sind Übernachten im selbstgebauten Unterschlupf und Beerensammeln fürs Abendessen.
Als Alice klar wird, dass sie die kommende Woche ohne Badezimmer überstehen soll, würde sie am liebsten abreisen. Doch zu Hause warten nur Arbeit und Haushalt, und so entschließt Alice sich zu bleiben. Am Ende entpuppt sich dieser Urlaub als das Beste, was ihr je passiert ist.
Be bold. Be brave. Be Viking... The uplifting, laugh out loud debut novel from the bestselling author of THE YEAR OF LIVING DANISHLY. Frazzled mum Alice Ray likes to think she's on top everything - she has FOUR bags-for-life in the boot of her car for heaven's sake. But after spectacularly embarrassing herself at work, she finally gives in to her sister's pleas to take a much-needed break. But this is not the luxury spa holiday Alice hoped for - instead, she finds herself in Denmark, in the middle of nowhere, on a 'How to be a Viking' getaway. Can the two sisters finally learn to get along or will learning to embrace their inner warrior just make them better at fighting? Two sisters. One Scandi holiday they'll never forget...
