Counting Sheep: Reflections and Observations of a Swedish Shepherd

With this debut, academic Lindén details how he, along with his wife and children, left their busy and consumptive lives in Stockholm for his parents' farm in rural Sweden to experiment with a sustainable way of life and living off the land. In addition to growing his own food, Lindén became a shepherd to a flock of sheep. Using short, dated diary entries that run from a few sentences to a couple of pages in length, he shares his life as a small farmer over two years, becoming deeply committed to the flock as he spends his days determining the appropriate amount and type of feed, chasing runaway sheep, and mending fences. He also speculates on the thoughts of the sheep, how they see him, and how sheep fit into his life. Besides bonding with the animals, over time Lindén feels connected to the land, weather, and changing seasons. He also philosophizes about climate, the environment, farming, and global injustice.