The Herd

‘One of Sweden’s most popular books about its pandemic.’

-- Derek Scally * The Irish Times *

‘In his fine book The Herd, the Swedish journalist Johan Anderberg has chronicled the development of the Swedish policy and how tough it was for its architect, Anders Tegnell, to stay the course as country after country was stampeded into compulsory and comprehensive lockdowns.’

-- Matt Ridley * The Telegraph *

‘The Herd is a thrilling read about tight-knit groups of microbiologists and epidemiologists, old grudges, new alliances, and fiery emails … Anderberg is ambitious, knowledgeable, and fearless.’

-- Dagens Nyheter

‘The Herd is exemplary journalism of the kind that comes close to the truth through skilled craftsmanship. Anderberg portrays the events in the right order. He relies on relevant facts. He puts the last year in a historical context. He examines without preconceived opinions … Anderberg’s book is like a Corona commission in its own right and a beautiful example of the important role journalism plays in the service of the truth.’

* Barometern *

‘Reading Johan Anderberg’s book is not just a way to get perspective and background, detailed descriptions of how the Swedish strategy was formed and what it led to. It is also a way to be released from the debate, both in social and other media. It is extremely cooling. The Herd is no debate book; it is a nuanced report from an incredibly strange time. So strange you need help finding the words to talk about it.’

* Aftonbladet *

‘Journalist Johan Anderberg makes a brave effort to tell the story about how Sweden chose its path through the pandemic … Anderberg’s narrative has an effortless ease that manifests itself once the writer has a clear overview, and truly masters his subject without getting sidetracked and stuck on details.’

* Sydsvenskan *

‘Anderberg masters to perfection the societal reportage that closely examines the authorities, effortlessly taking us into the meeting rooms and email inboxes where the Swedish Corona strategy took shape. With efficiency and humour, he visualises his protagonists … In a climate where media personalities — myself included — often acted as supporters, critics, and hobby epidemiologists, Anderberg has instead buried himself in facts and tried to paint the overall picture … Questions remain after having finished reading The Herd, but this in no way takes away the honour of having accomplished this impressive pioneering work with such energy and wit from Johan Anderberg. The Herd is sure to greatly impact the debate that we’ve only seen the nascent beginnings of so far.’

* Expressen *

‘When the world went into lockdown, Sweden went its own way, and this is the fascinating inside story – superb long journalism.’

* The Sydney Morning Herald *

‘A gripping history of Sweden’s Covid response. The people and the power struggles — and how science beat panic.’

-- Fraser Nelson * The Spectator *

‘[C]onvincing debut from Swedish journalist Anderberg … Anderberg’s account is peppered with details that add depth to the colourful cast … This is a fascinating addition to the growing body of work on Covid-19.’

* Publishers Weekly *

‘A gripping analysis of the Swedish response, which examines how tensions between science, policy and politics heightened as the virus held on. If any book were capable of turning scientific debate into a thriller, this one does so; and for the armchair experts on Covid-19 that many of us have become, it is a must-read.’

-- Frieda Klotz * Sunday Independe