Okay this book was FANTASTIC!! Secrets of the Sprakkar is about women in Iceland and how they are changing the world. It is written by Canadian-born First Lady of Iceland and is an incredible look into feminism, gender equality, parenthood, immigration, language, diversity, politics, sports, farming, ancient Icelandic history, and the successes and issues present in the country.

I am so glad that I stumbled across this book because I don't remember the last time I have been so engrossed reading nonfiction! I had no idea that this book was written by the First Lady of Iceland (although I now realize that it is prominently displayed on the cover) (I also didn't know that Iceland had a president, or a prime minister, before reading this book) (Actually I didn't know much at all about Iceland until reading this book). Reid had such a unique perspective and a palpable passion for the people of her country and used her voice and the voices of many others to talk about important topics. I felt like Reid hit a great balance between showing Iceland's amazing successes and recognizing that there are still very real issues in the country. I LOVED reading about the diverse women present in the book and their unique perspectives.

I really appreciated the breadth of topics and speakers present in the book. I would sometimes think "what about..." and then the next chapter would talk about LGBTQIA+ people in Iceland, or non-white immigrants, or people with disabilities, or how nonbinary individuals fit into feminism in Iceland. I feel like I got to know a bunch of amazing women and I was constantly taking out my phone to learn more about the subjects of the book. I also really enjoyed that women from the sagas and the history of Iceland is explored in a book mostly focused on modern Iceland. I felt like it set up the context for the current culture in Iceland, and they're just really great stories!

Reid's love story and getting to be the First Lady is so amazing and incredible that it's worth reading this book just for that. I have already relayed an abbreviated version of her story to several people because I loved it so much.

HIGHLY recommend this book if you are at all interested in feminism, gender equality, Iceland, or just a compelling nonfiction book. 5 stars. Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy oft his book.

My Sociology and Feminist buckets have been completely filled with this magic! I NEEDED to read this. There really are places in this world that are just majestic. Does Iceland have some issues? I am certain it does, but the pros are very very enticing here.

Iceland's first lady has showed us the true meaning of the Sprakkar (ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary woman). Iceland is leading many charts as the best place to live. After devouring this book I can understand why. It appears that many of us should adopt the way of Iceland.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced copy of this wonder. I am most definitely adding a copy to my shelves.

Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid is a nonfiction book written by the first lady of Iceland, highlighting the country’s focus on women and women’s rights. It’s a powerful book, and full of hope.

Eliza Reid was born and raised in Canada, and then went to university in England where she met her husband, who would later become the president of Iceland, making her the first lady. As an outsider, she spent much of her time learning the language and culture of Iceland, especially from the women of Iceland.

First, you have to be wondering what the title is about. Here is the definition from the book: “SPRAKKAR (plural noun): An ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary or outstanding women. Pronounced: SPRAH-car (singular: sprakki).

This extremely well researched book is full of facts about the women of Iceland, and how the country is working for equality between the sexes. The author makes it clear that they are not perfect, but that Iceland is getter closer to changing the gender gap more than any other country.

Here are a couple of quotes from the book that I found interesting:
“I live in one of the happiest nations on earth. Iceland continues to rise on the Rainbow Europe rankings for LGBTQIA+-friendly countries. It is the world’s most peaceful country, helped no doubt by the fact that it has no military.”

“Iceland has one of the world’s highest proportions of women working outside the home, and an “it takes a village” mentality is a crucial component of this achievement.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to red nonfiction and wants to know more about gender equality, and how one country is making a difference.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I loved this book. It was an easy read about how Iceland is making women equal partners!

Very interesting memoir by the First Lady of Iceland. Having a long love of Iceland and a desire to visit - I was excited about the historical tidbits, learning some of the culture and reading about those helping to create the future of this amazing island. Highly recommend for those who are interested in learning more about Iceland.

This short work of nonfiction is a letter from Eliza Reid to her adoptive country. It is also a letter to the world explaining how Iceland has worked hard to achieve a gender balance and is working to ensure all people have an equal foothold in society.

A common thread throughout the book is that all women need to feel empowered and take up their space, to stand up proud. That doesn’t mean that women need to be Wonder Woman or a giant, just that women need to feel comfortable in their own space; they need to use their voice. No one loses anything with true gender equity, and everyone reaps the benefits!

Secrets of the Sprakkar is an eye-opening look at how one country is working hard towards gender equity. It encourages every reader to think of sprakkar in their lives. And how they can be the sprakki in their own life. For the non-female readers, it encourages them to support the females in their life to help achieve their goals and to take up their space.

Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid is a very well written book about how the small country of Iceland is taking giant steps towards gender equality, child care and other social programs that really work. This is a book worth reading if only to get some ideas for our own society. I only hope there is more to the story and Ms. Reid continues to write more of the story.

Intriguing premise. But, the book itself left me wanting. The writing was flat and dry and I abandoned this one about a quarter through.

It was very interesting to catch a glimpse into what life is like for women in Iceland, a country that prides itself for its work in creating equality between men and women. The book is written by its current First Lady (who happens to be a Canadian, oh yeah!) and is structured around several themes explored first through a general overview (including studies), interviews with a selected number of women, the sharing of the author’s personal experiences, and wrapping up with insights and reflections. At the very least, this book might give activist insights into what they could themselves do to hone their own work. It also can bring hope to the heart of those tired by the seemingly unending work of building justice. Because Iceland is doing great, and after reading this book, I can see how it isn’t that hard, building equality. It just takes a lot, and I mean, a LOT of work.

How do I describe Secrets of the Sprakkar? This is a book that I’ve had to sit with, reflect on, and mull over. It has a journalistic feel, complete with ample data, interviews, and stories. Reid depicts Icelandic society and analyzes how they strive for gender equality. She also points out areas where Iceland can improve. Between each section, Reid places a historical account of a sprakki (ancient Icelandic meaning extraordinary or outstanding woman). The women Reid includes in her book are from all walks of life: immigrants, farmers, politicians, entrepreneurs, mothers, feminists, and athletes. This is an inspiring account of Iceland’s women—those who have fought for their land, for their rights, and for their voices, those who have shouted, “I dare, I can, I will” (Reid, 2022).

Reid’s collection of interviews demonstrates how unique and wonderful each woman is and highlights that every woman has a voice and needs to be at the table, no matter their background, upbringing, or status. Even though Iceland is considered the best place for women, Reid writes about mental and physical abuse, racism, and misogyny that Icelandic women have experienced. She discusses how there is work to be done and points out that because something has worked in Iceland, does not mean that it will necessarily work in other places. However, no matter the country, equality is about including each voice and providing a safe space to be heard. She ends the book with a personal story of her own experience with the imposter syndrome, which I would imagine, all women have experienced at one point. Reid writes that her response to the imposter syndrome is to lean “in to that uncomfortable feeling. It’s our inner voice’s way of confirming we’re on the right path…If I don’t use this unique opportunity to speak up for issues I know are important, who else will? And how can I possibly expect others to take such risks if I don’t?” (Reid, 2022). Do yourself a favor and read this book! It is empowering, uplifting, and encouraging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC.

nonfiction, cultural-assimilation, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, culture-shock*****

The national population is less than that of Cleveland, Ohio!
Eliza Reid was born in rural Ontario, later moved to the UK, and later joined with the man who would later be elected president of his home country. She has maintained her own career while they raised children because of the attitudes and support given to parents by the government of Iceland. The country does more things right than most in supporting families and is ahead of the curve in terms of women in leadership positions. No place is perfect, but this country has a long and documented history of strong independent women, and they are justifiably proud of it. Many examples of women and their particular contributions are generously given. Looking forward to getting a more permanent copy for my very own!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Sourcebooks via NetGalley. Thank you!

Secrets of the Sprakkar is a memoir discussing Eliza Reid’s marriage to the eventual President of Iceland. She talks of her adoptive country and the culture that she embraces.

I was interested in this book because I don’t know much about Iceland and wanted to learn more about its culture and history. I enjoyed reading about Iceland’s acceptance and openness of its people and their success, however, the book often reads as a textbook rather than the author experiencing her adoptive country as she experiences it, both before and after becoming the First Lady. Sometimes the text comes off as a bit pretentious and deters me from completely enjoying an otherwise interesting book.

Iceland as a nation has always fascinated me. I have long been interested in their way of life and the general culture. I was delighted to receive this ARC written by their First Lady, who had some fascinating insight into what being a woman is like in Iceland.

I'm not a big nonfiction reader, but this one really kept me interested. The writing style was elegant but accessible. I loved getting to know the many women featured in this book, which highlighted their various experiences, but also showed how universal so many of our stories are.

I think this is a book I will come back to again and again, because I think I still have much to learn from it. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to tell my friends, family, and colleagues about it.

A fascinating look into the history and culture of Iceland, as told by the Canadian wife of the President of Iceland. She shares the progressive attitudes towards women there and her own experiences as a wife and mother. Having recently visited Iceland myself, it was a fascinating look into the society of this beautiful country.

Well written memoir by the First Lady of Iceland which reads more like a history of the country with main focus on the women. Eliza Reed is a Canadian so she is provides a well rounded and historical perspective on life in this small country. Well researched, very informative and informative to see the accommodations to enable women to be fully participating members. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
4.5

I wanted to find out about the Sprakkar of Iceland and I thought that Eliza Reid would be a good place to begin, and I was right. Being The First Lady of Iceland but also being Canadian I find this quite interesting. She gives examples of women who have tough it out in a would that is presently a mans world. She gave examples of women who are single, gay, mothers who have been in a mans world like in the fishing industry, as a CEO or as a Captain of a boat. They have taken on being people who have been interested in volunteering in non-profit organizations. This was not a crime novel but a novel about women in Iceland. It gave a lot of insight into how the women of Iceland have become involved in their country. It cannot be hard without an army, or giving Countries which are small monies with no benefits, such as in the U.S. does, but there are things like parental leave for a year to be shared between spouses. Which seems to be a wonderful benefit to have. Why can't we learn from this? We are far behind Iceland on having women in a greater role in our own congress. It seems we have a long way to grow into what Iceland has. I learned a lot from this book.

This book is written by the first lady of Iceland, and she talks about Iceland's role, history and experience in gender equality. I found it very interesting to read about Eliza's experiences - coming from a life in Canada, and experiencing the different mindsets in Iceland firsthand. She provides some great history and very open examples from her life and the life of other women in the country. It is a very well written book.

This is a fascinating read!

Written by the First Lady of Iceland, Reid talks about gender equity in Iceland and how it's being shaped today.

Part memoir and part manifesto Reid talks about her own experiences with parenthood in Iceland and highlights women and non-binary people who are leading the way in equity. She talks about the rise of gender neutral language, how support for parents gives parents the opportunities to continue their careers while growing independent children, and how Iceland is leading the way in gender equity in several ways.

It's an interesting read that peaks into Iceland and what life can be like.

This book hits the spots on so many levels and will appeal to so many readers. I picked it up as Iceland is one of my favorite places on Earth but in the end I learned so much more. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Ever.

For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries closing the gap in equality between men and women. What is it about Iceland that enables its society to make such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world’s first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home?

The answer is found in the country’s sprakkar, an ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary or outstanding women.

Eliza Reid—Canadian born and raised, and now first lady of Iceland—examines her adopted homeland’s attitude toward women and more by including not only her own voice, but many wonderfully executed interviews that are inspiring and insightful.

Truly eye-opening, Secrets of the Sprakkar is a beautifully written, expertly guided discussion on what it means to be a woman in the world as it is right now. The subject is one that should interest all women and this book is the one to turn to for a stimulating, enchanting journey readers are sure to remember.