I was making a speech on saunas as the “Lecturer of the Year” for Finlandia Foundation National in Bellingham, Washington, in early May, when I met Carol Mäkelä. I guess it’s normal in life that things will not go as expected. For one, Carol’s father’s untimely departure and the unfinished manuscript that was very close to not seeing the day of light due to timing, but also technical problems that ensued. Lucky for us, Carol made the effort and now we have a book for all of us to read.
I have personally been in the United States for only 27 years, and in this newer age, there are no ships to embark on for immigration, no long days on the sea, just a relatively short flight from your home country to here. Even though I have immigrated to the US, it is mind-boggling what people had to go through to make it to the New World.
George Mäkelä’s story is a nice read. It is a growing-up story with twists and turns. This is a narrative story which, you could say, is almost an essay of short stories. George Mäkelä is not the only Finnish American that I know who was sent to Sweden as a war child. He arrived at his final destination, a little farming community called “Ryningsnäs” in January 1941.
The book is a collection of young boy’s mishaps and screw-ups, which always turned to lessons learned and no major harm. It’s a story of survival and perseverance. After three years in Sweden, George returns to Finland, with lost language skills. The Swedish experience had been so strong and immersive that the young boy had become Swedish, in essence.
Only after 3 years in Finland, George’s mother decided to immigrate to the US. Part of the most exciting read in the book is the travel to the US. The trip starts from Helsinki, then to Turku, then to Stockholm, then to Gothenburg, New York, and finally, California.
Again, “The Spyglass, A Childhood in Finland & Sweden,” is a great read for all of us later comers. Moving to another country is not as social happenstance as it used to be, with days in the end spent on high seas, on long-distance trains, etc. This was the first “moving to the new world” story for me, but not the last. Highly recommended.
Eero Kilpi
Ph.D. President, Finlandia Foundation New York Metropolitan Chapter, Inc.
Chairman, The North American Sauna Society
Lecturer of the Year, Finlandia Foundation National