Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Swedish Reading Club: The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin
7 PM
Our meeting will be held online using Zoom. For more information, including the link to join the meeting, please email info@sahswm.org.
To help their country, he must silence his voice—and she must find hers.
When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden. American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research—her life’s dream—and makes a dangerous decision to print resistance newspapers.
As Else hears rumors of the movement’s legendary Havmand—the merman—she also becomes intrigued by the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse. Henrik makes every effort to conceal his noble upbringing, but he is torn between the façade he must maintain and the woman he is beginning to fall in love with.
When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence.
“Sundin shines in her newest novel. Her craft is inimitable, and her literary finesse radiates from every page.”
—Booklist, starred review
You can buy the book online at Schuler’s, or at a 20% discount in the store.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Meet and Eat at Old Mill/Beer City Bread Co.
34 Squires St. NE, Rockford, MI
6-8:45 PM
Please join us again for another lively evening of great food, conversation and Swedish trivia at the historical landmark restaurant Old Mill Beer City Bread Co. (Arnies) located on the scenic Rogue River in Rockford. They specialize in handcrafted food and drinks and are well known for their Scandinavian Shuffle and Riviera Salad, plus delicious desserts! Check out their menu or follow them on Facebook for updates and specials!
Please reserve by email ljanderson21@sbcglobal.net by April 27.
Each party is responsible for their own meal and drinks.
May 28-June 8, 2026
Celebrate 50 Years with a Journey Through Sweden!
In honor of the Swedish American Museum of Chicago’s 50th anniversary in 2026, we invite you to join fellow Swedish Americans for the trip of a lifetime: “The Swedish Odyssey – Sights and Landscapes,” a fully escorted motor coach tour. Jill Pearson Reider from SAHS will be along as one of the co-hosts.
Whether you’re tracing your roots or simply embracing your heritage, this tour offers a unique opportunity to connect with your past. Our genealogy team is excited to help you locate living relatives—and with a little luck, you might even meet them during your Swedish Odyssey!
Download a brochure and registration form (PDF).
If you have any questions, you can contact the Museum at museum@samac.org or 773-728-8111 or contact Jill Pearson Reider at JillReider1@gmail.com.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Swedish Reading Club: Punished (Straff) by Ann-Helén Laestadius
7 PM
Our meeting will be held online using Zoom. For more information, including the link to join the meeting, please email info@sahswm.org.
From the internationally bestselling author of the novel Stolen comes a harrowing story—inspired by true events—of five Indigenous children forced to attend a government-run boarding school in 1950s Sweden, revealing the emotional scars they carry thirty years later.
“A heartrending narrative of five Indigenous Sámi children forcibly sent to boarding school by the Swedish state in the 1950s. . . .This moving tale shines an important spotlight on a story little-known to most American readers.”
—Publishers Weekly
You can buy the book online at Schuler’s, or at a 20% discount in the store.