Eliza Reid, First Lady of Iceland, and Secrets of the Sprakkar

Eliza Reid, First Lady of Iceland, is also an author. She appeared virtually to talk about Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World. Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, welcomed Eliza Reid and Yrsa Sigurdardottir, who was guest host. You can order copies of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/358ab0A

Here’s the description of Secrets of the Sprakkar.

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!

Secrets of the Sprakkar is a fascinating window into what a more gender-equal world could look like, and why it’s worth striving for. Iceland is doing a lot to level the playing field: paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and broad support for gender equality as a core value. Reid takes us on an exploration not only around this fascinating island, but also through the triumphs and stumbles of a country as it journeys towards gender equality.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Iceland is the best place on earth to be a woman—but why?

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 makes many women’s experience there so positive? Why has their society made 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? And how can we learn from what Icelanders have already discovered about women’s powerful place in society and how increased fairness benefits everyone?

Eliza Reid, the First Lady of Iceland, examines her adopted homeland’s attitude toward women—the deep-seated cultural sense of fairness, the influence of current and historical role models, and, crucially, the areas where Iceland still has room for improvement. Reid’s own experience as an immigrant from small-town Canada who never expected to become a first lady is expertly interwoven with interviews with dozens of sprakkar (“extraordinary women”) to form the backbone of an illuminating discussion of what it means to move through the world as a woman, and how the rules of society play more of a role in who we view as “equal” than we may understand. Secrets of the Sprakkar is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all.


ELIZA REID is the co-founder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. Eliza grew up near Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Iceland in 2003. She is the sitting First Lady of Iceland.


Enjoy the conversations as Eliza Reid talks about the highlights of her book.