How to be Swedish: A Quick Guide to Swedishness - in 55 Steps Kindle Edition

I got a real kick out of this book, which really rang true. My grandparents emigrated from Sweden to the U.S. in the late 1800s and had lots of kids, including my dad, who were all raised with these quirky characteristics. My grandparents, my dad and his siblings were all wonderful, salt of the earth, dedicated family people, but were not demonstrative to the point of near-panic when being hugged--very Swedish. I was really disappointed, however, that there was no mention in this book of lutefisk, considered a delicacy and traditionally served as Christmas dinner. You start with a hunk of dried codfish (possibly available in the U.S. only in Minnesota and the Dakotas) and reconstitute it by boiling it into a smelly, gelatinous white glob that is then served with all white accoutrements including boiled potatoes with white cream gravy, lefse (tasteless dried flatbread) and rice pudding. The author did, however, capture the essence of another type of smelly, slimey preserved fish delicacy, of which there are many disgusting varieties--so I will forgive him for omitting the lutefisk. And IKEA really does capture the essence of all things Swedish: spare, angular, practical, and no-nonsense. You can buy those little red horses there too.

A light read which walks one through a number of Swedish stereotypes which, if adhered to, promise to turn one into a real Svensson. One can tell that English is not the author's native tongue due to a few grammar/spelling errors and occasional awkward syntax; but I appreciate the author's willingness to write in English for those of us who have no fluency in Swedish and have lost much of our command of German. The author also maintains a blog about Sweden which I think I will frequent.

Goodwill Minnesota listed this book as in "Like New" condition. It had doodles and underlining on many pages, and worse, the six pages on the sex habits of Swedes were CUT OUT! The seller offered me a refund, but what good would that do?As to the book itself, it is poorly written, with many terms used before they are defined (or not defined at all), no pronunciation guidance, and annoying repetition.Still, I hope the book will be useful in picking up Swedish women. I plan to hold it as though reading it, catch their attention and start a conversation. Wish me luck.

I bought mine in a used condition, but it looked as good as new. This such a funny and accurate book in my own experience as a Swede. Perfect gift for a foreign friend or someone who wants to move to Scandinavia.

I found this book to be a great re-introduction on moving to Sweden. I’ve traveled and lived in Scandinavia before and I remember feeling wrong-footed by all the awkwardness - I wish I’d had this primer on my first time. Yes, it will feel awkward regardless of where you came from, but that’s ok - and it’s worth it!

Only took me 3 light sessions of reading to get through the book but as a person who is very interested in emigrating to Sweden some day it came with a lot of culture tips that I won't totally have to learn the embarrassing way.

I gave to a granddaughter who was planning a trip to Sweden. She really enjoyed it immensely!

This book is perfect for just for those who simply love Sweden to those who are traveling and or potentially moving there . It is simply an amazing read and has great tips .

As an Anglo-Swede, it found this an interesting and useful book to read but, boy, there were so many typing and grammatical errors in it - over fifty in 156 pages.The book was light-hearted without making fun of the inhabitants of Sweden. I saw many of the traits outlined by Matthias Kamann who, incidentally, attended university in the city I used to live in. Therefore, he must be an all-right guy.

Gave a lot of information with a humorous touch. Enjoyable reading.

Bought as gift for someone that moved to sweden, great laugh at this

Excellent value and superb

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