I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I like the idea of examining countries around the world to see what we can learn from them. There are a lot of interesting case studies in this book and there are definitely inspirational examples that could be applied to America and other countries. The author deserves credit for not giving a superficial surface level glance at the countries, instead she goes into great detail about how the various programs work.

On the other hand, reading this book often felt like reading a government report. The attention to detail is a strength but also a weakness of the book and at times it was excessive. The writing is very dry and I found my attention frequently wandering. The author tries to break up the chapters with interviews with ordinary people talking about how the programs work but I never found them very interesting or enlightening.

The result was that I found the opening of each chapter interesting, but by the end of the chapter, I couldn't focus and was skimming pages.

Zapata's book shows that the way things are aren't what they have to be. By looking abroad, Americans can see how other countries tackle problems, such as health care and polarization. It's a great introduction to other political cultures, but also a great way for Americans to break out a bit of the ethnocentric bubble. Many countries see themselves as far and away different than other societies, and this book makes that clear, although not from the standpoint of superiority.

The strength of the book is in its clear explanations of other countries' structures. There's a lot explained her in a very matter of fact, easy to understand way. Zapata does not talk down to readers and is a refreshing way to read some nonfiction, compared to academic work.

The most interesting chapter, although my bias as a teacher may be present, is the one on Finland. Zapata outlines what a high achieving school system, and respect for education, brings a society.

The book also delves into some interesting ideas on sustainable energy, focusing on Uruguay.

I encourage anyone who wants to consider alternative methods, and explore how those work in other countries, to read this book. You need not agree with other countries, but it will make you appreciate alternative perspectives.

I'm neurodiverse and I felt like this wasn't the right book for me. I don't tend to sit well with books that have plain facts. I would love to give more of a positive review for this book but I can't because I stopped reading at 26 pages. I just couldn't understand the book from the language that was used. It could be improved by simplifying the wording choices and the content. It would fit someone who is a more technical person who can understand certain language choices. I'm sorry for not completing this book. I do usually try to finish books but maybe this book was just not for me.