Customer Reviews

The New Estonian Golden Age: How Estonia Will Rise To Be One Of Europe's Five Richest Nations

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although this book has been written by a foreigner, he has a good eye for spotting what are some of the most visible problems in Estonia. It is well known that there are huge problems with the economy, immigration, Russian relations, etc., but rather than merely point this out, the author uses his own experiences to provide possible solutions to help put Estonia back on the path to being a great nation. An interesting view on topics that have not been covered so much by Estonians themselves such as the potential for developing RFID tags, medical tourism, the candy industry and nuclear power - all of which could be possible future engines for economic growth.

All in all a very thought provoking read!

What I especially liked about this book was the combination of analysis and conclusions. Most comments you read about Estonia are very one-sided. On one side you you have the Estonia-bashers who focus on the mistakes made during the loan financed boom economy. On the other side you have the Estonia-lovers who think no mistakes were made and problems in Estonia are only due to external influence. This book both make frank obervations of mistakes made, draw conclusions from that and propose constructive ideas what to do next.

I've never been motivated to write a review for a book until now. This book is an embarrassment. Set aside the fact that this book is riddled with punctuation errors and notations that should have been removed before publication, even though these errors are so rampant that it's distracting. This book is rife with broad generalizations about Europeans and Estonians that are offensive to me - and I'm an American.

Take this for example. He writes at one point, "I personally find that many Europeans are highly educated and intelligent people, but their logic and ability to reason is not congruent to basic mathematics and the forces of nature. In one way I feel that American logic is designed to adjust to the ever-changing global environment, whereas European logic expects the global environment to adjust to them." That "analysis" wouldn't pass in any institution of higher education in America.

I bought this book because I hoped to learn something about Estonia before traveling there. If you have similar wishes, find another book.

The insight the author provides is frank and rather harsh. Sadly it may very well be the best way to communicate messages that should reach the Estonian consciousness. The humorous and sometimes seemingly outrageous comments and suggestions surely provoke critical thinking and possibly lead to innovative solutions. Being a foreigner-resident in Estonia is a clear advantage for writing the given book, as it enables the author to provide an insiders point of view that is not smoothened by national pride. A perfect start for brainstorming!

It was fascinating to learn about Estonian culture from a man who has lived in both Estonia and America. This book offers a totally unique perspective on a country little-discussed by Americans that perhaps we should pay more attention to. I found it to be an educational and enjoyable read!

After reading the book, you realize that the author had lived in Estonia for a long, having contacts in defferent social and national groups. He understands the problems of this country, the problems of mentality of it's nationalities very clear.

Life is very special here, it is based on very complicated history, and there are only few foreigners who fully understand the local reality. It is very unusual for American, because Americans makes everywhere all bent under them:). Mr. Grover approached the problem differently, deeply penetrating it.

I especially liked how author showed the difference between patriotism in the U.S. and Estonia:

"Being patriotic and inclusive appears to have been and still remains a better track not only to survival but to prosperity.

American states, if compared to European nations, are far
wealthier. Americans enjoy on average a much higher standard of living, more social mobility, more
consumer choice and more flexibility in their lives.
American psychology embraces maverick behavior; it
defies the odds, overcomes adversity, and is always looking
for a new challenge. European psychology, on the other
hand, embraces the idea of remaining in the middle,
following the rules, creating ambiguity and being pedantic."

100% thruth! Estonia should be grateful to Mr. Grover for such a thorough and hard work! I do!

When buying this book, I made the mistake of not looking to see who the publisher was. I blame myself for that. However, I had looked at the other reviews and saw good things, so bought it. I don't regret that, though it was much different than I expected.

First of all, it is published by CreateSpace which is an On Demand book publisher. The book is riddled with typos, grammar errors and a host of other problems that a good editor should have caught. Considering that Grover is in the business field, I would have expected him to be a bit more conscious of such problems. Furthermore, the book is formatted more like a graduate level dissertation than any published book I've ever read.

As for the content, Grover brings up salient points that both give Estonia the due credit it deserves considering what the country has overcome while still examining the remaining deficiencies. Unfortunately, Grover falls into the same trap that he accuses his contemporaries of--that is, he makes suggestions on improvements and then neglects to discuss how exactly some of those improvements can be made. While he does not do this all the time, it is often enough that I grew irritated with his assertions that he did not.

As an academic, the overall quality was disappointing, however, I won't be immediately reselling the book either.