The Herd

In the spring of 2020, as a new and deadly virus rapidly spread across the globe, the world shut down. But a small country in Northern Europe remained open.

The Swedish COVID-19 strategy has been alternately lauded and held up as a cautionary tale by international governments and journalists alike — with all eyes on what has been dubbed ‘The Swedish Experiment’. But what made Sweden take such a deviating path?

In The Herd, journalist Johan Anderberg narrates the improbable story of a nation that took a startlingly different approach to fighting the greatest global pandemic in over one hundred years. First, it was no restrictions. Then, it was no face masks. While the rest of the world looked on with incredulity, condemnation, admiration, or even envy, Sweden stood alone.

But The Herd is more than just a look at the evolution of the Swedish COVID-19 strategy. With ease, Anderberg guides the reader through the history of epidemiology, R0-rates, inoculation, and international organisations and strategies. He also presents a colourful cast of characters and the ticking-clock decisions they were faced with on a daily basis. Weaving past and present with effortless buoyancy, Anderberg has written an everyman’s guide to everything you want to know about the pandemic that reads like a thriller.