Week 4 Activities: 'Ondskan' by Jan Guillou

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This week I have begun one of my largest projects for the semester and that is to complete the reading of a classic Swedish novel called "Ondskan" or "Evil" by Jan Guillou. This is a classic in Swedish literature and has had a very social and political significance in the Swedish education system. It is the story about a teenager with 'behavioral issues' and history of violence at home and gang violence in school, who is sent to a boarding school as a last chance to 'recuperate' and continue his studies. The novel then reveals a system of student bullying and hierarchy that proves to be as violent, or worse, than his previous experiences. Interestingly enough, this novel was based on a true story, and when information was leaked about the boarding school system, many boarding school were forced to shut down and reform. In terms of my Swedish it has been very interesting to read my first novel, and even though there are many words I do not understand I continue reading and later go back to define new words. I am starting to collect a list of words that I hope to utilize more comfortably as I progress with the novel and begin writing abstracts and summarizing the plot to my language partner.