How to be Swedish: Learning Swedishness in 55 Steps

How to be Swedish: A Quick Guide to Swedishness - in 55 Steps — by Matthias Kamann

Picked Up in Gothenburg

I bought this book during my road trip across Sweden. My route went Stockholm → Uppsala → Linköping → Gothenburg → Malmö, and then across the bridge to Copenhagen. Somewhere in Gothenburg, I walked into an Adlibris bookstore and saw it on the shelf. The title was too perfect not to grab, and I was literally in the middle of trying to figure out how Swedes work.

The book is small, around 160 pages. I started reading it that same evening and finished it before reaching Malmö. It's that kind of read.

What It Is

How to be Swedish is a guide to Swedish culture: 55 short chapters, each one about a different Swedish habit or cultural thing. It's not academic. No deep analysis, no history lessons. Just honest notes about what surprises, confuses, or amuses a foreigner trying to blend in.

Personal Space and Unwritten Rules

A big part of the book is about the unwritten social rules that nobody explains to you when you arrive. Swedes value personal space. A lot. They queue without talking to each other. They keep a comfortable distance at bus stops. They don't start conversations with strangers. None of this is unfriendly, it's just how things work here.

The book also covers things like fika (the Swedish coffee break that's more of a social ritual than just a drink) and lagom, nature obsession, why nobody works in July, Midsummer traditions. Most of these are things you've probably heard about already, but the book puts them all together in one place and adds small details you wouldn't pick up on your own.

Each chapter is short. You can pick it up, read one step, and put it down.

The Tone

The best thing about this book is how it's written. It notices things but doesn't judge. Swedish neighbors carefully avoiding eye contact, pre-school kids in reflective vests walking through dark winter afternoons, the absolute silence on public transport. It's all described with warmth, not mockery.

It has a sense of humor that doesn't try too hard. Not stand-up comedy. More like talking to a friend who's been living in Sweden for years and tells you what to expect.

My Take

I think this book works best when you read it while you're in Sweden. Walking through Stockholm, watching people queue silently for the bus, sitting in a cafe where everyone is having fika, and then reading a chapter about exactly that, it clicks in a different way than reading it at home.

It's not a deep book. It won't change how you think about the world. But it will give you a vocabulary for things you notice but can't quite name when you're in Sweden. Why is everyone so quiet? Why do they all leave work at 5 sharp? Why is there a specific day for cinnamon buns?

If you're planning a trip to Sweden, moving there, or just curious about what makes Swedish culture different, it's a quick and enjoyable read. A fun, honest field guide to Swedishness.