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The Viking Heart

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Member Reviews

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

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The Viking Heart is an enjoyable read. It is a well-written and gives a really good overview of the history and cultural contributions of the Scandinavian people. I do believe the author is somewhat harsh in his view of the Nordic people as a whole and his condescending and judgmental tone detracts significantly from the tone of the book. Had the author held true to his historical overview of the lifestyle and culture of the time the book would be quite excellent. Those who are sensitive to personal opinion being added to a historical account instead of history for it’s truth (good or bad) probably won’t enjoy this as much. But I am if the opinion that history is a reflection of the time and the best way to overcome unsavory aspects of society is to study and learn from past mistakes.

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I wanted to love this and truly couldn't. I couldn't stay focused on it, a lot of rambling and disgressions.

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An easily readable, in-depth examination of some Scandinavian contributions to the world. At times I had a hard time believing all of Herman's claims, and I think contribution rather than conquer would be a better description for Scandinavian action, that being said, this work attempts to do a lot and succeeds for the most part while keeping me interested, keeping me questioning and thinking, and provides a great starting place to delve into the topics in more depth with additional research.


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eGalley of this work in exchange for my honest review

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Arthur Herman's The Viking Heart is a history book ... well, no, it's a sociology study ... er, it's a personal memoir ... or, rather, it's ... it's a little bit of everything. Including flawed.

The subtitle, How Scandinavians Conquered the World, is meant to be quite broad. We don't realize this at first, reading through the early chapters discussing the early Scandinavian explorers - the Vikings. There is some really good, really informative history here about the make-up of the early Vikings (not all one group of people [Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, etc]) and their likely intent on their raids.

I should note that I assume this good history. I don't know my Scandinavian history as well as I should. But I think I can recognize fact based on study and data as opposed to supposition. And Herman does a fair amount of supposition based on available facts.

I enjoyed the early chapters, detailing the early Viking heart and spirit and travels. Herman makes a good case for their inclusivity (an important aspect of his book, which I get to a little more in just a little bit) but at its core, I can't help but feel Herman wants these people to be more inclusive than history actually suggests.

As the book progresses toward modern times (early 20th century on through World War II), the book becomes much more lackluster. Here Herman begins reaching, trying to associate the Viking spirit ('the Viking heart') of the early raiders/explorers to the behavior of some familiar Scandinavian names in history.

What prompted Lindbergh to fly across the Atlantic was the same spirit that had the early Vikings sail unchartered waters to raid new lands. Right?

What prompted Raoul Wallenberg to save hundreds of thousands of Jews in Hungary was the same Viking heart that had the Viking raiders taking slaves to ... erm ... well, there's a connection there somewhere.

The general idea of comparing modern Scandinavians and their good deeds to ancient and medieval Scandinavians is fine, if it works, but Herman spends a great deal of time on unnecessary adiaphora. We really don't need so much time on Lindbergh and his anti-Semitic comments or his pro-Nazi beliefs. It's almost as though Herman is countering his own arguments about the Viking heart.

We also get Herman writing a good deal about his own ancestry. Some general comparisons might be fine, but the author goes on too much, ignoring more generally known historical figures in favor of family.

Before I address the last issue, I want to be clear on one aspect... Arthur Herman and I are generally cut from the same cloth. We both come from strong Scandinavian backgrounds. We both grew up and were educated in similar fashions. Bottom line, we're both middle-aged-to-old white guys with Scandinavian ancestors.

Early on, Herman makes some very general statements that show a clear favorable bias toward the early Scandinavians ("After acting as a largely destructive and disruptive force for two centuries, the Norsemen suddenly pivoted and became a galvanizing presence in European civilization. They helped shake Europe out of its Dark Age malaise, finding innovative ways to transmit ancient Greek and Arab knowledge and science to the West, while expanding and fortifying the boundaries of Christendom, thereby laying the foundations of the medieval West.") so we know to take a lot of what he writes with a grain of salt and we can see that sometimes he is really reaching to make a point or a connection.

My biggest issue, however, is a point he tries to make about how the Viking heart prompts a work ethic to be envied. I don't necessarily disagree, but his rationale for making this point is a real slap in the face to our current culture. He writes:


As the sociologist Nima Sanandaji has put it, "High levels of trust, a strong work ethic, and social cohesion are the perfect starting-point for successful economies. They are also the cornerstones of fruitful social demographic welfare policies."

What's striking, in fact, is how powerfully those same bonds can be seen at work among Scandinavia's offspring in the United States.


He goes on to show how not only have Scandinavian Americans done well, but "when we look at the experience of Scandinavian Americans, we see a substantial difference in their economic performance and status that simply living in the United States can't explain." Well, of course he does explain it, in his own bias: "...the right cultural ingredients, plus the kind of environment in which the qualities of the Viking heart can flourish, add up to a powerful socioeconomic advantage."

What he never addresses is to me the most obvious of factors. White privilege.

While he writes briefly of how the Nazis assumed the Scandinavians would agree with their Aryan race ideas and how the misguided white supremacists have errantly taken to Viking culture for their beliefs, he fails to comment that simply by being a white man in America has contributed to the socioeconomic advantage. We don't have to be actively or consciously taking advantage of this for it to be there. I'd argue that many cultures and many races have work ethics as strong or even stronger than the early Vikings, but the shade of the skin has had a strong contributing factor in how they are seen, historically and still today.

Looking for a good book? The Viking Heart by Arthur Herman has some interesting ideas but the author fails to truly make the strong case for his theories. The history in the early pages is worth reading, but the theories later, mixed with personal ancestry, should be skipped.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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I was very interested in the subject matter, having married into a family descended from Scandinavia.. after several attempts, I’m afraid I was unable to finish this book. The history is fascinating and surprising, but I felt the presentation was more academic than human interest.. I’m sorry….it is clear the author was expert and were I researching the era,it would be useful.

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A well-written and exciting theorem on how the Vikings and the Norse peoples have influenced world affairs since bursting onto the scene post-Western Roman Empire.

The author goes to great lengths, sometimes a bit too great for my tastes, to prove his ideas, some of which I question. Hard to fault this book though, it is incredibly readable and digestible as a history.

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In a tone that mixes historical saga with socio-cultural history, Arthur Herman brings an attempt to revisit the history of the Vikings and encounter what he terms as the Viking heart. He argues that the Vikings contributed so much to historical legacies in Europe, Asia, and America in so many ways that are previously unrecognised, through ideas, trades, etc. In his opinion, it was wrong to see the Vikings as a one-act drama of a barbaric tribe who lived by raids and voyages to neighbouring areas in Europe, before conveniently disappeared after the advent of Christianity in Scandinavia. Herman traces the legacies of the Vikings in no way ever attempted before, from the raid of the church in Lindisfarne in the 9th century into modern Scandinavia.

A common image of the Vikings is that they were barbarians who believed in paganism and plundered over other civilisations in Europe with little respect for the sanctity of Christian rites and artefacts, as shown through the infamous raid of Lindisfarne. Yet it’s this image that Herman tries to challenge by portraying the Vikings, or in other words, Old Norsemen in a rather different light through some recent findings in DNA research and archaeological excavations of the old Viking’s settlements. He provides an interesting introduction to the socio-cultural history of the Vikings through these recent findings, that they indeed valued courage in battle, loyalty, and leadership through example rather than birth or status, yet they were still peace-loving tribes who found comfort through dedication to one’s community and lived mainly by farming and trade, as opposed to their barbaric depictions.

There are frequent episodes in this historical saga in which Herman would describe the influence of the Vikings in shaping Medieval Europe, such as the rule of Rurik and his successors in shaping Novgorod and Kievan Rus that will, in turn, shape the history of Eastern Europe as the first Emperor unifying Russia, and also the Norman Conquest of England which will shape the history of England and continental Europe in the years to come. Interestingly, Herman also takes some cues of Christianisation of Scandinavia not as the end of the Viking age, yet as a way to connect the legacies of the Vikings into modern Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland that continues to thrive as ‘the Viking heart’. During the Medieval era, the Nordic countries also became the ground for the Lutheran doctrine to flourish with its compatible philosophy that the sociologist Max Weber said as: “the valuation of the fulfilment of duty in worldly affairs as the highest form which the moral activity of the individual could assume.”

I can see where Arthur Herman came from, seeing how the legacies of the Vikings are still pretty much present in our day-to-day life, from the depictions of Viking’s characters and gods in various popular culture, films, video games, literature, etc, with probably inspired him to retrace the history of the Vikings through his idea of ‘the Viking heart’. The world is, indeed, owing so much of our progress to Scandinavian people. Their contributions are by no means minimum, we could cite names such as Alfred Nobel, Charles Lindbergh, Frijthof Nansen, etc, as people who have contributed so much to human history. Scandinavian way of life, home interior and furniture has now become the ideal of a good household to many people in our age.

The first half of the book is interesting, especially how Arthur Herman could connect the legacies of the Vikings with the thriving of Lutheran ethics. However, in some sense, the narrative seems to be exploited to invoke the feeling that the world owed so much progress to the Vikings and their descendants both in Europe and America. The facts being presented here are outstanding, however, I could not stomach the idea that history progressed solely by the role Scandinavians played in it, rather they are one of the important equations in this continuous saga. Arthur Herman says that the Nazis exploited the Nordic myth into their own agenda and misinterpreted it to invent the myth about the master Aryan race in Europe. However, I also sensed a concealed chauvinist message in this book’s narrative, especially when it touches upon the subject of Scandinavian’s roles in shaping the United States’ society and countering Nazi Germany during World War II, which leaves this book with contradictory stances. Although, I'd praise Arthur Herman's meticulous research that is really eye-opening about the legacies of the Vikings.

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This was an amazing look into a family history, but also a history of migration, traditions, and generations. The Vikings themselves were nomadic people until at once they settled, and they also brought their mysterious traditions to America. They are a tribe that is good at assimilating ... or do they? Congrats to the author on a job well done.

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What do you think when you hear the word Vikings? A football team. This book isn’t about the football team, It tells in part about the original people that were called Vikings due to their strength, fighting expertise and more. The countries they came from were Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. It was due to the people who knew how to survive in such hard areas. They traveled to Europe and east Eurasia. They even visited the Romans who at first didn’t realize who the Vikings were. The Vikings then became traders and finally settlers. The history is amazing. When they started immigrating to the United States, they did so due to population growth and poverty. The author goes on to give the important contributions given to The United States. He also gives information on how “Vikings” (Scandinavians) contributed to the Civil War. There are also biographies of famous Scandinavian Americans. According to the authors, Scandinavian nations became some of the worlds wealthiest besides becoming more socially progressive.

Though this is an excellent book, this is only the beginning of the unknown history of Scandinavia. I enjoyed reading it especially about the contributions and the biographies. If you are a Scandinavian American, this is an excellent book to read and enjoy.

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This book begins dramatically with the terror of the Viking raid on the monastery at Lindisfarne. The Vikings are regarded as a fierce and indeed, rather nasty lot with their savage attacks. However, this book paints a different picture of them, presenting a nicer side. They were not only fierce warriors, but great explorers, traders and farmers.They may have been barbarians once, but they eventually learned Christian values. Most of all, they had courage - the courage to endure great hardships, wars and to settle far from their homelands.

Herman theorises that 'the Viking heart' endured for centuries, and still exists today in European culture and in the countries settled by Europeans. Even today he argues that this Viking heart helped the Scandinavians manage to live fairly normally and even thrive during the pandemic (unlike my homeland beset by devastating lockdowns and border closures). He even attributes Lutheranism to this Viking heart. He presents the argument well, and this is an inspiring book. I especially liked the part about Tolkien, being a big Tolkien fan. However, I wonder if the effect of the Vikings on history is exaggerated here.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781328595904
PRICE $30.00 (USD)

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The Viking Heart covers a lot of material, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but left me feeling the book was a bit uneven. There would be a chapter that was absolutely fascinating to me, and I would want more, but then the next chapter would be less interesting (yet another Viking battle dissected in what felt like excruciating detail - eventually they all seemed basically the same). This book is accessible, engaging and fascinating - perfect for getting a good overview of Viking history and culture.

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This is a deep dive into Scandinavian history by an American historian who traces his own ancestry to the region.

It was broader than I expected. About half of the book is about the era that readers will traditionally associate with the Vikings. Herman shows how climactic shifts triggered migrations from Scandinavia into Northern Europe at the dawn of history, and throughout Europe and North Africa in the Dark Ages. Along with sympathetic assessments of the Viking (the word was more of a job title, aka "raider" or "pirate") incursions into England and Ireland, Herman highlights technological, legal and social developments connected to the Norsemen and women.

The last third of the book, follows the Scandinavian migrations to America during its first 150 years. Drawing on experiences of his own immigrant ancestors, Herman shows how Scandinavians settled the upper midwestern United States, fought for the Union in the Civil War, and contributed to the effort in World War II. He also features Scandinavian-American heroes like Knute Rockne, Charles Lindburgh.

Even though I, myself, have Scandinavian heritage, I found the book to be tedious, too detailed. I think a better editor would have made this more Viking-focused and less about Scandinavia and then Scandinavian-Americans. Still, I would recommend this as a gift for those who have friends and relatives of Scandinavian descent. It is not for those with merely a casual interest, however.

Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the galley in return for this honest review.

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This is a fascinating book.I’m a novice when it comes to Scandinavian history so I enjoy seeing their impact.Due to the amount of information and the time span a more limited scope might work better. It has given me topics to research.

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This book has a LOT of information! My ancestors are Norwegian so it was of particular interest to me, but I think many people will find it fascinating no matter what their background. It's obviously very well-researched and covers a multitude of subjects.

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As someone not intimately familiar with Viking history I found this book to be a well written, extremely detailed historical accounting. It was a little more detail than I bargained for, however I feel that many will appreciate the information as presented. A good solid over view if you are interested in deepening your knowledge of Scandinavia and Vikings role in development.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

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In The Viking Heart, Arthur Herman presents a compelling historical book full of archaeological and DNA research to trace the epic story of this remarkable and diverse set of people.
It's interesting and informative, full of facts, raids, culture, things I didn't know about.
A fascinating read.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

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This is my first nonfiction-historical book review., although I am a lover of history, particularly Viking history.
Even though historically presented as fierce, destructive and violent people, Arthur Herman shows how Scandinavian people were gentle, community driven farmers, serving of themselves. They enjoyed an abundant life as worked hard for the greater good of their people. But their desire for more drove them to the outreaches of the world as they voyaged to new lands in search of “more”. This is how they became powerful, sustained their growing population and even became feared.

This book offers a great depiction into the many years that evolved and was a lot to comprise into a short book, although a job well done by the author,

The Herman also touches lightly on the topic of woman and their contribution to their people, and the role they played in the history of the Vikings.

I think the author could create other spin-off books delving a bit deeper into this vast history of the Viking people.

I enjoyed this book and would like to thank Mariner Books publishing and NetGalley for an advanced ecopy for review.

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This is a well-researched book covering a LOT of ground related to Scandinavian history. From 400CE to current times, covering the movements of the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian Vikings - there is a lot of information here. It can be a bit daunting, trying to keep up with all of the names, the routes they took, the people they conquered.

Really good reference for true history buffs, but a bit deep for anyone with casual interest. The ancient history takes awhile to get through, so anyone more interested in the more modern impacts to society may get lost on the journey.

I would have liked to see the author rely a little less on his personal connections in the very early part of hte book, and keeping the historical journey more linear would have made it a bit easier to follow, but I can't question his depth of research and his thoroughness.

#NetGalley #TheVikingHeart

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This non-fiction book is a bit of a departure for me. A lot of my friends are into historical fiction but the WWII books don’t interest me that much so why not read about Vikings?

This was a pretty decent introduction to all things Viking. The author couched his narrative in terms of the Viking heart - their strength, resilience, loyalty all that good stuff because, as it turns out, they is no racial purity that can be ascribed to them. Poor old Hitler got it wrong with the idea of Aryan superiority, the Vikings were very much a mixture of peoples. Yes, they were fearsome warriors but they were also farmers and community minded. After winning territory with their raids they settled on the land and inter-married with the locals. What did surprise me was the reach of their expeditions. I hadn’t realised they had gotten to the Middle East and almost made it to China!

Anyway, the book covers a huge amount of information, far too much to summarise here but, as I said, it’s a very decent accounting of the whole Viking story. It does focus later on the impact they had on America which might be more interesting to American readers. I do recommend the book however to anyone who wants to know about these very interesting people. Many thanks to the publisher, via Netgalley for the much appreciated ARC which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

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