TWO BOOKS ABOUT SMÅLAND

Come Back to Småland in Sweden

Småland's everyday life and history come to life in Dianne Carlson's book.

Dianne with friends Georg and Mona at Norra Sandsjö, Småland, taking notes for her book.

Photo by Stan Cook

After starting to research her Swedish ancestors, Dianne Carlsson Cook found herself captivated by the culture and history of their home province Småland. Her boundless interest in her heritage grew beyond the search for lineage, as she imagined a person, far into the future, with a longing and need to know about her ancestral land. The book is not a family history but a lively and loving depiction of Småland's past and present.

The text begins at Sandsjö Parish at a rune stone from Viking times and continues to the mass emigration during the late 1800s. Archival photos, memories, cultural observations, conversations, and excerpts from letters are woven together to create a tapestry of Småland life and history, with all its hardships and beauty --nature, animals, flowers, trees-- and paupers and kings connected by ordinary life. Abundant and unique illustrations and often poetic text bear witness of Dianne's love of her ancestral region and its people.

Come Back to Småland in Sweden, by Dianne Cook Carlsson, can be bought from Lulu Publishing.

Under Sweden Skies

Dianne has also edited Under Sweden Skies, a collection of breathtaking photos from Småland taken by Swedish genealogist and photographer Sven Danielsson.

Dianne Michaela Carlson Cook

has a Master of Arts degree in Multi-cultural Literature and has used film, literature, music and environmental concerns to teach composition and grammar at California Polytechnic University in Pomona, Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, and Valley College in San Bernardino. She has also taught English as a second language at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Rancho Cucamonga, and has written on ecology, Bob Dylan, Anzia Yezierska and Muslim women writers.

Dianne and her husband Stan Cook, an accomplished painter of Nordic landscapes and people, live in Southern California. They are active members of Baltic Lodge No. 689, Vasa Order of America.