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A review by stifledlaughter
The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland by Barbara Sjoholm
5.0
This book unexpectedly yanked at my heartstrings, incredibly so.
For context, I normally read nonfiction travelogues before bed to settle in, drift off to sleep. However, it became apparent about a third of the way in I could not sleep well while reading this. Not only was it too engaging, it pulled me into the dark, snowy north where I had only previously vaguely heard of the Sami conflicts against the countries' governments they were ruled by. Along with that topic, along with the concept of the industry of the Luossavaara mountain in Kiruna, those who answer Santa's letters, and the industry of "the untouched North" being sold to tourists when the tourism industry was what was ironically causing it to be "impure", I was hooked.
It is not a "feel good" read, nor should it be. Sjoholm writes with excellent research skills and a doggedness that gets to the heart of matters from multiple sides. She also brings a personal side to it (she's very open how she 'ran away to Lapland' to escape the heartache of a recent long-term breakup) and addresses her own conflicts with how she approaches Native Americans back in her home of Seattle. (In one part, she addresses how she at first noticed a woman she was staying with had no Sami art in her apartment - but Sjoholm herself had no Washington-area Native American art on her walls at home either.)
I look forward to reading other writings by Sjoholm - I found this book almost entirely by chance and now feel extremely lucky, if not a bit more sorrowful, to know the plight of the Sami, the environment and lands of Lappland, and all of the other items Sjoholm touched on in her book.
For context, I normally read nonfiction travelogues before bed to settle in, drift off to sleep. However, it became apparent about a third of the way in I could not sleep well while reading this. Not only was it too engaging, it pulled me into the dark, snowy north where I had only previously vaguely heard of the Sami conflicts against the countries' governments they were ruled by. Along with that topic, along with the concept of the industry of the Luossavaara mountain in Kiruna, those who answer Santa's letters, and the industry of "the untouched North" being sold to tourists when the tourism industry was what was ironically causing it to be "impure", I was hooked.
It is not a "feel good" read, nor should it be. Sjoholm writes with excellent research skills and a doggedness that gets to the heart of matters from multiple sides. She also brings a personal side to it (she's very open how she 'ran away to Lapland' to escape the heartache of a recent long-term breakup) and addresses her own conflicts with how she approaches Native Americans back in her home of Seattle. (In one part, she addresses how she at first noticed a woman she was staying with had no Sami art in her apartment - but Sjoholm herself had no Washington-area Native American art on her walls at home either.)
I look forward to reading other writings by Sjoholm - I found this book almost entirely by chance and now feel extremely lucky, if not a bit more sorrowful, to know the plight of the Sami, the environment and lands of Lappland, and all of the other items Sjoholm touched on in her book.