Sweden Books

My grandma first read this book to me when I was four (many, many years ago). She died not long after, but the name of this favorite book always stayed with me and I searched high and low for it. Eventually, it came back into print -- just in time for me to share it with my niece and nephew. They love it -- and its message of the satisfaction derived from selfless acts -- as much as I did and do. I can almost hear my grandma's voice as I read...

Snipp, Snapp and Snurr, the three Swedish boys, want to get their mother a gift for her birthday. They do not know what to get her (all of their suggestions are really for kid's things). Then they find out that their mother would love a pair of red shoes lined in gold.

The boys decide their mother must have the shoes. They cannot get enough money out of their piggy bank so they must go out and earn more.

Each boy finds a job (painter, chimney sweep, miller) and together earn just enough to buy the shoes (as well as each getting dirty in a different way). Together they giver her the gift she never expected.

Each pair of pages has the story on the left and a painted illustration by the author on the right. A rather amusing and fun tale. Read all of the Snipp, Snapp and Snurr books.

55 years ago, when I was in first grade, I could hardly wait for the bookmobile to come every-other week, so that I could check out this book or others in the series. Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and Flicka, Ricka and Dicka had many wonderful adventures and the illustrations are beautiful. I was always happy after reading one of these books and thought of them often over the years when my children were growing up.

How thrilled I was to see them back in print! The stories are simple, yet each one sends a message of value to a child.

Grandparents, your little ones should have the joy of visiting with Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka.

These stories are unique, philosophical, oddly shaped, opaque, and (paradoxically) illuminating. At times, they operate like memory: seemingly capricious at the outset, intensely focussed later on. I don't know of anyone else who writes quite like Gustafsson.

"Stories of Happy People" is one of my very favorite collections of stories; there's absolutely nothing like it that I know of. Lars Gustaffson--a Swedish writer long since transplanted to Texas--is one of the greatest unknown writers alive today.

I like this guy. He really has a command of intuition, but I feel like he is always in a state of self-doubt. He manages to feel the moment and creates a passing second that lives vividly, but then he philosophizes beyond the moment and wastes the opportunity to be profound. Still, I like this guy. He tells me a lot about the beating heart, the hot blood,the cool calculation, the keen insight, the flat out lie.

This collection was reasonably amusing. The selection of characters was diverse, and there was an appropriate mixture of both bawdy and "toilet" humor. However, I kept getting the feeling that I was reading second-hand tellings of the Norwegian classics of Asbjornsen and Moe. This collection truly pales by comparison to the high degree of art evidenced in the A&M stories.

By the way, why did the designers of this book choose a paper-bag-colored cover?

This is a great book. I read it alot myself and also to mysister. Some of these stories are very funny while others are more'romantic' (sorta). You just have to read it, one of my sister's favorites is "The Princess of Catburg".

I just want to say this is a great collection of folk tales. There is a lot of variety and some of the tales are so funny!

This book tells the story of three young people in Sweden who all have different but troubled lives. Anon is a 6th-grader who is bullied relentlessly at school. Zarah works at a daycare but she hates kids. She has a very trouble relationship with an abusive boyfriend but she doesn't seem to want to leave him. Nils is the oldest; he is twenty-one and obsessed with death. For example he has himself shut in a coffin, and temporarily buried underground.

It's hard to assign a grade to this book. I guess I'd give it a 6 because while I didn't really enjoy it much it is not terribly written. I personally found it rather depressing and probably would not try another book by this author. It's only appropriate for high school students on up as it has semi-graphic sexual content and some language. Teens who enjoy serious fiction about characters dealing with difficult problems and issues their lives might want to give this book a try.

Reviewed by Rebecca Herman for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com

I absolutely loved this book. It was extremely enlightening and inspirational, each character with a purpose, for those who believe in bumping into lamp posts and having mirror twins,solving the mysteries of life and death, and excepting those mysteries with that 'ok i found it and im following it to the end, nothing is stopping me.' it was absurd without being unrealistic, and sensitive without being cheesy.Well written, beautiful characters, beautiful ending, this novel is perfection to people who live within their imaginations and are seeking encouragement and a dose of reality. This book isn't really for kids,it's more for teens and adults, and i recommend it whole heartedly. Plus it's set in sweden.

This book was great! The three characters in this book are SO different from each other. But they're all so real. I feel like I know them. Zarah is totally beautiful, but she's very matter of fact about it. Her real problem is that her boyfriend is a hoodlum and he hits her. Oh, and she thinks a new (and female!) friend might be hitting on her. She has plenty of problems. But strangely she kind of has fewer problems than Nils. Which is weird since Nils doesn't really seem to have any concrete problems. Nils just feels kind of empty. He's obsessed with figuring out what it would feel like to be dead. And he pursues his curiosity to a creepy extent (with the help of his best friend). He even spends the night in a coffin! My favorite character is Anon though. His mom actually named him after her favorite poet, "Anon." No joke! He's the weirdest little kid, but somehow just so loveable. I actually laughed out loud when I was reading about some of his escapades.

The other great thing about this book is that it's Swedish and the Swedes are so comfortable talking about sex. They're not hung up on stuff the way so many Americans are. Especially my mom. She'd freak if she read some of the stuff Zarah does in this book!

I highly recommend this book. The characters are so vivid and the things that happen to them are so realistic but at the same time surprising. And funny. And serious.

*** & 1/2 stars

On February 28, 1986, Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden was gunned down in the streets of Stockholm while walking home, without any security details, from the movies. According to virtually all accounts Palme and his wife, Lisbet, were accosted by a gunman outside a paint store adjacent to an alley. Shortly thereafter shots were fired, Palme lay mortally wounded on the street and the gunman escaped down an alley and then up 89 steps leading to a road on a hill above the alley.

When I heard the news here in the United States I was surprised, to say the least. As a product of the `60s I think I incorrectly associated assassinations (JFK, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy) and attempted assassinations (Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan) of political leaders as something that was unique to the United States. My surprise was nothing compared to the horror and shock of the people of Sweden. The murder has never been solved. Failed prosecutions haunted the Swedish police and exasperated the people of Sweden. Conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists have grown and flourished and continue to thrive almost twenty years after the assassination. Jan Bondeson's interesting and entertaining "Blood on the Snow: The Killing of Olof Palme" provides a comprehensive examination of the murder and its aftermath.

Bondeson begins the book with a brief overview of the life and political career of Olof Palme. Palme, although born to a wealthy upper-class family, became active in what may best be described as middle of the road socialists ruling party: the Social Democratic Party. He quickly rose through the ranks until achieving the leadership of the Social Democrats, who had dominated Swedish politics for at least two decades, and acceding to the position of Prime Minister in 1969. He served as Prime Minister until 1976 when he was voted out of power. The Social Democrats returned to power in 1982 and Palme returned as Prime Minister until his death. Palme was a very well known player on the world stage. His political views, both foreign and domestic, were somewhat controversial and those views left him with no shortage of enemies. As Bondeson points out he was particularly loathed by Sweden's upper class conservatives who view him as a traitor to his class. This loathing seems reminiscent of the hatred many old-money conservatives had for Franklin Roosevelt during the depression.

Bondeson describes the shooting and the varying versions of it, in great detail. He pays particular attention to what may best be described as a horribly slow and response to the shooting and the spectacularly incompetent investigation by Sweden's police force. Bondeson is not alone in his view that the incompetence and lack of leadership from politically appointed police commanders is primarily responsible for the fact that the matters remain unsolved today.

Bondeson describes the initial focus on Kurdish terrorists and the shift to a focus on an alcoholic career criminal with violent tendencies. A botched trial resulted in the reversal of this criminal's conviction of the crime. Bondeson then goes on to describe, and deconstruct, the various conspiracy theories that have grown around the case. Palme conspiracy groups, popularly known as Palme Detectives, rivaled those of the JFK conspiracy groups.

Bondeson conclude the book by setting out his own theory of the case. He acknowledges that this might cast him as yet another Palme Detective but his theory is well thought out and seems supported by the evidence. Since this story plays out like a mystery novel I won't divulge Bondeson's theory here.

As noted above, I found Bondeson's account both interesting and informative. I would have given this book 4-stars but for some glaring inadequacies in the editing of this book. As I made my way through the book I came across what I consider a sizable number of errors of grammar and syntax. Certain sentences seemed tortuously constructed and a couple made little or no sense. It gave me the impression that the manuscript was not subject to a through review by the editors and that the publisher (Cornell University Press) seemed content to publish a draft. This is not the fault of the author. Even the most accomplished author needs someone to review and edit his/her work with a cold eye for glitches of this sort. I think Mr. Bondeson's work deserved better treatment.

This minor complaint (which is why I think of this as a 3 and 1/2 star rather than 4 star book) does not detract from the fact that Blood on the Snow is a comprehensive examination of a landmark socio-political event in Swedish and European history that has not received extensive coverage here in the United States. I enjoyed reading Blood on the Snow and recommend it to anyone interested in an entertaining and thought provoking piece of popular history that has not received the attention here that it deserves.

In a coincidence in a case that favors coincidences, I was just finishing this terrific book about this murder case when the news broke of the discovery of the weapon. In November 2006, the news is that the .357 Magnum has been found. Will there be a new chapter in this case?

Blood on the Snow: The Killing of Olof Palme by Jan Bondeson is the first book in English to fully explore the case, the amazing details of the botched police response, and the "weird theories and urban legends" that have sprung from his death. It was written for American audience and compares the murder to the Kennedy assassination -- which, coincidentally, was today -- and calls the one man tried for the murder but later released for lack of evidence a "Swedish Lee Harvey Oswald."

From the book:

"Once or twice a year, the Swedish public is reminded of the existence of [a special] task force when the newspapers pick up rumors about the whereabouts of the murder weapon, or when some journalist decides to rehash the old police conspiracy... The murder of Olof Palme is fast acquiring the status of a historical mystery.... Before long, its status will be similar to that of the hunt for the elusive Jack the Ripper, and various people will propose novel suggestions as to who killed the prime minister, safe in the knowledge that the mystery will never be solved."

Perhaps not, to judge by today's news!

The Swedish media comes off poorly in this book; the news reached America, the UK and Japan before it reached the state tv or radio stations in Sweden. "Like a nation of cuckolded husbands," the author says, "the Swedes were the last to know." The police work was laughable; they literally kept their dogs leashed.

The story of one early suspect, Viktor Gunnersson, is a soap opera plot. An odd young man who hung around cafes spewing venom about the prime minister while pretending to be an American playboy ended up arrested, released, and hounded by the public right out of the country. He eventually moved to North Carolina and was murdered himself, the apparent victim of a fatal love triangle.

This book summarizes all the many theories, speculates as to some likely answers, and it is also an important lesson on the extreme fallibility of eyewitness accounts, especially in high-profile cases. The author reviews the statements of 36 people who saw at least part of the murder. Many completely disagreed on the killer's physical description. The author proves that initial witness statements grew "more reliable" under press influence. I cannot help but agree when he concludes, "witnesses are easily influenced, particularly in an extraordinary case like this, and they have a subconscious wish to help the police solve the case. Many sad examples of this tendency can be found...."

This book is a fascinating exploration of Sweden's most infamous murder, a brutal assassination that left blood not only on the snow but squishing in the boots of Palme's widow. The fresh news of the murder weapon may bring new answers and a final chapter to this enduring mystery.

In the early 20th century, the attitude of the capitalist class in Sweden was almost the exact opposite of conventional wisdom. Not only did business organizations welcome the growth of unions, they actually aided in the process. For the most part, they offered at best half-hearted opposition to the expansion of the welfare state and sometimes eagerly backed it.

The Swedish labor market of the early 20th century was perhaps the mirror opposite of what we associate with modern industrial economies. Rather than suffering a labor surplus (high unemployment) the Swedish labor market was suffering a chronic labor shortage, in part because of emigration, to the US and elsewhere. Eager to control the union demands, the lockout was a regular tactic used by Swedish employers associations. If the author is to be believed, they were quite successful at mounting lockouts within industries and sometimes across industries. Fearing the militant unions, the mainstream unions often tacitly approved of the employer tactics.

What runs through the employer strategy is an ingrained fear of competition from other capitalists who would lure employees away from existing employers, or alternately undercut the established companies with lower cost products. Unlike some American employers who attempted to ensure worker loyalty with "welfare capitalism", Swedish employers judiciously rejected the notion of non-wage benefits and were particularly strident in their attempts to curtail the introduction of such benefits by non-compliant employers. They also feared "chiselers" who undercut the sales of the mainstream businesses with lower prices as a result of lower labor costs. Viewed from this perspective, "solidarism" with the state and labor in the form of an array of social benefits financed through broad-based taxation was appealing. Thus the author takes issue with those who claim Sweden's generous welfare state is a result of labor agitation alone, rather he suggests capital was an active and willing promoter.

The author notes similar attitudes among some US business leaders although he doesn't really try to determine why the American capitalists were less inclined to support a similar level of state-financed social welfare. Curiously, the Swedish capitalists in his book seem indifferent to the level of taxation imposed upon them. The failure to address these two points weakens the author's thesis slightly. However, it is still an interesting proposition and one that has plausibility.

"Capitalists Against Markets highlights the important role played by employers in the creation of the American and Swedish welfare states. In a brilliant and original analysis, Swenson shows how employer strategies--solidarism in Sweden and segmentalism in the U.S.--were rooted in each country's economic development and gave rise to distinctive public programs. The book takes on both rational choice and social democratic arguments: employers acted rationally, Swenson shows, but their choices were historically constrained and far from being reflexively anti-labor or anti-government, right down to the 1990s. Adroitly blending theory, history, and politics, Swenson has created a masterpiece of comparative scholarship. "

Sanford M. Jacoby, Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA

"Capitalists against Markets is a magnificent follow-up on the author's much acclaimed Fair Shares. In this new book, Peter Swenson proposes a much needed correction to the mainstream - and myopic - focus on the role of labor movements in the making of welfare politics. He offers both rich history and strong analysis of how capitalists helped give shape and form to the welfare state and to labor market policies in Sweden and the United States, two countries that exemplify the welfare state extremes. It is both impressive and path-breaking scholarship and it will no doubt provoke controversy. It certainly should, as it forces us social scientists to take the politics of capitalists far more seriously than has been our want."

Gosta Esping-Andersen, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

"This is a book of great importance. Marshalling detailed historical evidence, Swenson persuasively challenges the view that employers were uniformly hostile to the creation of the welfare state by showing that this was untrue even in the United States. As an added bonus, it is quite a gripping read."

David Soskice, Research Professor of Political Science, Duke University

The title of this book is unfortunately an accurate description of Raoul Walllenberg's fate. Why wouldn't (or couldn't) the United States step in to save a man they later named an honorary citizen from the Russian prisons? Or for that matter, why did Sweden abandon a countryman of family stature the likes of a Rockefeller in the United States? This book is part biography, part mystery novel as to what may have happened to Raoul Wallenberg. Gersten explores in depth each possible angle beyond the well-known factors of his life, yet allows the reader to make up his own version of the truth behind his tragic disappearance. One can only wonder how many heroes there would be in the world if they were all treated this way. I did not know who Raoul Wallenberg was before I read this book, and now I will never forget him.

Ronald J. Gold, a Chicago lawyer, said this about the book:

I found the book very interesting. Why did the Russians grab him (Wallenberg)? What was so special about him that they would go to such extremes to keep things secret? Did they kill him or did he just waste away?

The legal issues were interesting but basically showed that even well-respected lawyers allowed their vanity to get in the way of the objective. Did anyone ever honestly believe that you could successfully sue the Soviet Union in a federal court? The only reason they won initially was because Mother Russia had defaulted and the trial judge was compelled to rule in their favor.

I think the above shows, however, the value of a book like this. Although I had heard of Wallenberg and saw his name listed on the path of martyrs in Israel, the real issue is that he saved Jews. The book must have taken countless hours of research and the author should be proud of his effort.

This beautiful coffee-table book offers the very best of Swedish food, and is filled with recipes and gorgeous pictures of Sweden's landmarks and Tina with her favorite dishes. It is the companion volume to the Public Television series "New Scandinavian Cooking with Tina Nordström." Trail along with Tina from North to South and enjoy new twists of Swedish classics. The recipes are based on fresh products available at your local market. Here you will find a complete collection of all the recipes from the television series, accompained by world class photos of eveery dish. In addition to the lavish layout, the book also works as a travel guide to Sweden with travel tips for every destination. It also contains a valuable introduction to Swedish history, culture and food.

A wonderful book, currently in print and available at many of the scandanavian shops in the Seattle area for $45.

They were a bit more than I expected. Need a sense of humor with these. The group of 18yr olds traveling in europe thought they were very funny.

I was checking out, and sure enough saw them there! These cards are pretty cool, great design and idea.

This is the sequel to "The Adventures of Nils". It comes close to living up to the first book, but is somewhat more haphazardly organised. Nils continues travelling with the wild geese, sees points of interest in Sweden, meets the author of the book, and must solve a moral dilema.
This is a good book for reading to children of a wide range of ages. My children are 10 and 7 and were both captivated by it, but I could easily see younger children enjoying it as well.

The sequel to the Wonderful Adventures of Nils, this novel continues Nils journey through Sweden after a brief interlude concerning Greyskin the Elk. It is a continuation and completion of the first novel more than a sequel, so a must-read for anyone who enjoyed the first. This book has slightly more serious consequences than the first part, but is still suitable for young children. Readers will witness the quest of Osa the goosegirl and Little Mats to find there father, which has a bittersweet ending, as well as the final resolution of Tummetot's goal to become human again. This is a wonderful book to read aloud, breaking up nicely into chapters, and telling many different short stories. It is a story superbly told, blending geography, history, and folk lore, as well as making children aware of the responsibilities humans have towards their animal neighbors. A classic worth owning!