Family memoir about Greta Thunberg to be published
Petra Lambeck db
May 3, 2019
"Scenes from the Heart" is a memoir about Greta Thunberg and her family before she gained fame. Now available in German, the young climate activist's story will come out later this year in English.
Image: Reuters/Y. Nardi
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The Swedish original Scener ur hjärtat was released in August 2018 with Greta Thunberg's mother on the cover, an opera singer who represented Sweden at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Back then, Malena Ernman was the family celebrity.
Greta's name and picture may grace the book cover of the newly released German edition — which also lists her parents' and sister's names — but for the most part, Scenes from the Heart was written by her mother.
The book, to be released later this year in English, tells the world how Greta became who she is today, which might interest many people in view of her fame. Just bear in mind that it was put to paper before the family appeared in the public eye.
Book cover of the Swedish original that shows Greta's mother
Abyss on the edge of happiness
Since Greta started her school strikes "a lot has changed both for Greta and for our family," Malena Ernman wrote in the foreword to the German edition adding that on some days, "it almost seems like a dream." Those changes will be detailed in her next book, she writes.
Scenes from the heartis about Malena Ernman's life with her husband Svante Thunberg and her two daughters, Greta and Beata. It is about the family's early years when her husband and children toured with her across Europe, about the joy of being parents and the crisis that struck when Greta suddenly stopped eating in the fifth grade.
Malena Ernman describes scenes and fears that many parents might secretly harbor in their hearts. She allows the reader a glimpse of the life of a family that is suddenly plunged into turmoil.
Deficit or strength?
Greta was finally diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, her younger sister Beata turned out to have an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At some point the situation in the family stabilized, but there was one issue they could not escape, and that was climate change.
Greta had heard about it at school one day, and was deeply shocked. Consumed by the issue and out to make a difference, she managed to raise awareness within her family, and later, with people worldwide. Greta became famous.
She attributes her persistence to Asperger's syndrome. Without Asperger, none of this would have been possible, she told Germany's ZDF TV broadcaster in February. "I would simply have continued to live and think like everyone else," she said, adding that she sees the world from a different perspective — black and white. That doesn't necessarily make it more radical, she says, but it definitely makes it more realistic.
That led her mother to conclude, in the book, that Asperger and ADHD as such are "not a handicap" as much as a "superpower." Readers may not agree with the choice of words or the conclusions Malena Ernman draws at some points in the book.
But there is no doubt that Greta's clear voice is a strength.
Student climate strikes go global
In some 2,000 demonstrations in 123 countries, more than 1 million students marched through the streets from the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle. Their aim: to push world leaders to act on climate change.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. Remiorz
'If you don't act like adults, we will'
Thousands of students walked out of class in Sydney, kicking off global protests on Friday. They got the attention they wanted. Some Australian politicians hit back with criticism. "For action on issues that they think is important, they should do that after school or on weekends," said Education Minister Dan Tehan.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/S. Khan
Students bring grown-ups into line
Protesters in New Zealand invited adults to join the march. "If we go on strike on a school day, then they'll notice and they might want to do something," said 14-year-old student Inese, who didn't want to give her full name. And her prime minister is listening. Jacinda Ardern supports the strikes and has pledged NZ$100 million (€60 million/$68 million) to cut greenhouse gases.
Image: Getty Images/H. Hopkins
Truth to power
The movement has snowballed since 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg began skipping school to protest in front of parliament last August. On March 15, her protest spread from Vanuatu to Hong Kong (pictured here), Tashkent to Madagascar. In Thailand, one of the world's top plastic polluters, students campaigned against single-use plastics.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/A. Wallace
Seoul to Singapore
From Seoul to Singapore, each city's students spoke out in their own way. Here in South Korea, 100 students held signs saying "Too warm 4 school" and "Don't deny climate change." In Singapore, strict laws regulate public assembly so young people planned a virtual campaign on social media.
Image: Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun
'To educate adults'
In India, protests were seen in 36 different cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Students in New Delhi chanted slogans demanding the Indian government stop using coal and act against climate change and air pollution.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
Berlin takes matters into its own hands
While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has supported the movement, some German students are still afraid to skip school. But not all. Protests were planned for 200 cities across the country. In the German capital, the crowds were huge by midday.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/T. Schwarz
Braving the storm
In the western German city of Cologne, students braved the wet weather. Massive storms have recently battered that part of the country, though they only appeared to fan the flames of the students' protest.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Kaiser
Swedish inspiration
Greta Thunberg (center) led one of the many protests in Sweden. She said she was excited that protests had spread to 2,052 places in 123 countries. Asked if adults should strike too, she replied: "It's up to them, if they want their kids to have a future."
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Zumapress/M. Thor
'Denial is not a policy'
Students in South African cities, including Cape Town and Pretoria, joined in the school strike. Africa, with more than 1 billion people, is expected to be hardest hit by global warming even though it contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Manie
Strike across the US
Strikes were held by students in cities across the country, including New York, Washington, Chicago, Portland, Oregon and St. Paul, Minnesota. In June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from the 2015 Paris agreement on mitigating climate change.
Montreal drew among the largest crowds, estimated by organizers at nearly 150,000. The global movement saw a response from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said he was inspired by the climate strikers to call a special summit in September to deal with "the climate emergency."
