Swedish American Genealogist Volume 29 | Number 4 Article 13 12-1-2009 Book Reviews Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag Part of the Genealogy Commons, and the Scandinavian Studies Commons Recommended Citation (2009) "Book Reviews," Swedish American Genealogist: Vol. 29 : No. 4 , Article 13. Available at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/swensonsag/vol29/iss4/13 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Swedish American Genealogist by an authorized editor of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Book Reviews Here you will find information about interesting books on the immigration experience, genealogical manuals, books on Swedish customs, and much more. We welcome contacts with SAG readers, suggestions on books to review perhaps. If you want to review a book yourself, please contact the Book Review Editor, Dennis L. Johnson, at <[email protected]> or Dennis Johnson, 174 Stauffer Road, Bucktown Crossing, Pottstown, PA 19465, so he knows what you are working on. book. He describes the Scandinavian early peopling of the Nordic lands In people as being uniquely self-suffi- after the last Ice Age beginning about cient, and ingenious at extracting a 13,000 years ago. Peoples from the livelihood from the many harsh eastern steppes slowly moved into Scandinavia environments found in the north of the area as nomadic hunters and Europe. These qualities were brought fishers and eventually populated From Scandinavian Shores, Immi- with those who migrated to North most of the area as the ice retreated. grant Culture and Stories from Our America, enabling them to adapt to Beginning some 5,000 years ago, the Nordic Family Histories, by J.B. and deal with the often equally harsh first farming people began to leave Hove, Juel Publishing, Isanti, MN, environments they encountered in their traces, migrating north and 2007, softcover, illustrated, 255 pages, Amazon.com, $15.00 plus the New World. west across Europe. Later arrivals of shipping. The author traces these qualities Indo-Europeans, Sarmatians, Kareli- to the ancient sources of the peopling ans, Sami, Finnish people, and others This recent history of the Scandina- of Scandinavia, mainly from east in added to the blend, and in more re- vian people is intended to present a central and northern Eurasia, a land cent times, Germans, Walloons, and picture of the historic roots of the of steppes, which often resulted in a a sprinkling of others from southern many descendants of the immigrants nomadic lifestyle for these peoples. Europe and the British Isles was who came to North America from Southern Europe, on the other hand, added to further mix the population. Scandinavia mainly in the 19th cen- was peopled by cultures from the This aggregate culture retained its tury. The author has chosen a less warm and more fertile river valleys egalitarian nature, however, due traditional structure for his history of the Middle East, where agri- primarily to the harsh environment, than commonly used by historians. cultural surpluses enabled larger and the origins of the peoples occupying The book is more closely akin to Mo- more complex civilizations ruled over the area, and a scattered population berg’s two volumes, A History of the by the thousands by kings, emperors, Swedish People (Dorset Press, 1971 and a large ruling class. This led to and 1973) than it is to the more com- significant differences in the cultural mon chronological history. The book history between northern and south- jumps between periods in time to ern Europe. focus more on subject matter than With the conditions of short grow- chronology, and is an effort to deal ing seasons, long winters, and limited more with the lives and customs of resources survival required the adop- the common folk of Scandinavia than tion of habits of organization, cooper- with the kings, the nobility, and the ation, discipline, and resourcefulness. history of government affairs. There was little surplus to support a J.B. Hove is not an academic histo- nonproductive upper class, and a rian, but according to the book jacket more egalitarian society resulted. has spent the past ten years in study Men often traveled to exploit remote of archaeology, ethnology, folk stud- resources, creating more indepen- ies, genetics, and linguistics in order dent women who were far beyond to develop his somewhat unique being only slaves to their men as in portrait of the history of Scandina- many other societies. vian culture. He has gathered to- After an introductory chapter out- gether from various sources many lining the experience of Scandina- anecdotes and historical writings to vians in populating the New World, support the major premise of the the author describes his views on the Swedish American Genealogist 2009:4 23 Book Reviews it is not a coincidence – Scandina- the stories by Snorri Sturlusson, vians (regardless of nationality) are written several hundred years after technologically advanced, enjoy the actual events. Other evidence of stable governments, and have egali- Norsemen in North America has tarian societies with high status for surfaced over the years, some au- women. They are world leaders in thenticated and some highly contro- honest government, human rights, eq- versial, and has added to this stimu- uitable income distribution, indus- lation of interest in the subject. with limited resources. This portrait trial efficiency, and humanitarian This new first novel by J. A. Huns- painted by the author is derived aid. Today, Scandinavian immi- inger is the most recent of a series of principally from historical sources, grants’ great legacy is their remark- novels prompted by these discoveries although it is not inconsistent with able culture.” in North America, by writers who genetic and DNA information de- Perhaps some readers from other have imagined a variety of adven- veloped in the last several decades. cultures might find this author’s ap- tures undertaken by Viking visitors Succeeding chapters deal with proach a bit chauvinistic. His facts, to the New World. The novel is arguments explaining the egalitar- however, appear to be thoroughly intended to be the first of a series ian nature of Scandinavians, the documented and consistent with under the title Axe of Iron. The common Nordic roots consolidated most other histories of Scandinavia, second in the series, titled Axe of Iron, over the past three millennia, the although some may disagree with his Confrontation, was scheduled for influence of the Viking Age, the Dark opinions about the merits of the publication this year (2009), but as Ages, and the Bubonic Plague. There Scandinavian culture as he sees of this writing is not yet available. are chapters about wolves, the them. As a whole, this book provides The author is a retired commercial training and lives of soldiers, the an excellent, fairly compact, and pilot and aviation writer. As an ama- influences of witchcraft, the Church, engaging summary of the history of teur historian, he is a Viking en- the role of women, courting customs, the Scandinavian people for readers thusiast and has studied extensively the rigid classes in society, and the of all ages. the research and archaeological evi- self-sufficient nature of the common Dennis L. Johnson dence from sites in Greenland and folk. Scattered among all these the New World to assist in crafting chapters are anecdotes and quota- this novel. It is a gripping story about tions from a variety of sources from Viking stories the adventures of a large party of Tacitus to Moberg. Selma Lagerlöf, Norsemen who undertake to find a Sigrid Undset, the Icelandic Sagas, suitable place for settlement in North Axe of Iron, The Settlers, by J.A. Beowulf, the Yngling’s Saga, Heims- Hunsinger, Vinland Publishing LLC, kringla, the Kalevala, and others are Lewes, DE, 2007, softcover, illu- used to enrich this history for the strated, 384 pages, Amazon.com, reader. J. B. Hove also draws heavily $16.95 plus shipping. from the writings of his own Nor- wegian-born grandmother, Mary Writers have long been interested in Norlander. Mary was a regular con- the history of the Greenland settle- tributor to the Svenska Amerikanska ment by Norse colonists beginning in Posten in Minneapolis and thousands the last decade of the tenth century. of her articles were published over This interest was greatly sharpened the years. She wrote with insight by the discovery in the 1960’s of the about the habits of ordinary Scandi- remains of Norse settlements and navians and their attitudes about artifacts at L’Anse aux Meadows, honesty, affection, women, work, and Newfoundland. Helge and Anne Sti- household habits. ne Ingstad, Norwegian archaeolo- This book has been clearly shaped gists, investigated and authenticated to support the author’s view of the this evidence proving that Norse uniqueness of Scandinavian culture, people from Greenland and Iceland and his closing paragraph best sum- had visited this area and built dwell- marizes this view: ings in about the year 1000. “Today, because of their culture – This evidence strongly reinforced 24 Swedish American Genealogist 2009:4 Book Reviews ginally intended destination. After and defender. Along the way, through reassembling their fleet after the many incidents and adventures, storm, they pause to consider and numerous details of Viking Age life, then decide to sail further south culture, and practices are revealed. along the coast to see what the Most of this is plausible and gener- possibilities are for a colony in the ally fits with my own understandings lands ahead. Various adventures and knowledge about this period in America shortly after the visits of occur along the way, with both history.