The Canadian first lady of Iceland pens a book about why this tiny nation is leading the charge in gender equality, in the vein of The Moment of Lift. 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 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: 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. Throughout, she interviews dozens of sprakkar to tell their inspirational stories, and expertly weaves in her own experiences as an immigrant from small-town Canada. The result is 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. What makes many women’s experiences there so positive? And what can we learn about fairness to benefit our society? Like influential and progressive first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Michelle Obama, Reid uses her platform to bring the best of her nation to the world. Secrets of the Sprakkar is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all.

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.

Cataclysmic events, some representing lifes most grievous tragedies, have struck Otto Rieke's family. Tragedy and grief, viewed retrospectively, have rendered the subsequent glory of life all the more glorious. Life would have been unlivable, and this book unreadable, were they a mere cosmic pity party. After enduring a full circle along the rim of hell on Earth; and having survived almost in tact, hopefully this book will portray the Riekes' ascension to the glory that has been most of the familys, and Otto's own precarious existence on planet Earth. The author's essentially privileged, fulfilling, and competitive existence (prior to the anguishing events of mid-life), are narrated fully from birth with a comedic flair, and did prepare him for the survival of the really tough stuff. The Rieke's did not just endure it all, but have thrived, and have ascended time and again. Life continues as a search for the ultimate Truth, and for the Glory that is only Gods to possess completely. The family lives to seek its share of that glory. It is Otto's hope that this book is fun and non-controversial. He has attempted to accomplish that by staying on topics about which he claims expertise: politics, religion, and sex. If anything he says offends you, then you need to, either: 1. Repent, OR, 2. Sue him He apologizes only to those who were not offended, but who should have been. The author further hopes that you take the slight as it was intended, and hurt all the more. However, seriously, it is also hoped that this book is as entertaining as the exuberant feeling that its writing experience has given Otto. Family is who the Rieke's are. Family is the root of our society, and the family home is the first and most important school that our children will forever attend. Our parents are the first and the most important teachers that our children will forever have. Otto's stunning, wonderful wife of an earlier twenty five years, and of such unpretentious beauty, Mary Beth, and Otto raised five absolutely beautiful children, all of whom have encountered life very successfully. They are successful most of all by being good and loving people, as well as in all their spiritual, academic, athletic, personal, and professional endeavors. All of the Rieke children graduated from St Peters Catholic grade school, and local high schools, Rockhurst, St Teresas, and Notre Dame de Sion, all of which are in Kansas City, Mo. They and their spouses subsequently have graduated from various universities, including Rockhurst University, Central Missouri State University, Tulsa University, Syracuse University School of Journalism, Missouri University Medical School, St Louis University, The Medical School of Washington University in St Louis, Dartmouth College Medical School, and finally a post residency Fellow at the Harvard School of Medicine. The Rieke children, including their respective spouses are blessed beyond what would seem possible all in one family. The calamities referred to above, and subsequent grief, have chronologically seemed to coincide with - and maybe have been the genesis of, a subsequently inspired inner spiritual strength - indeed an almost supernatural strength to survive. Persistent strings of well earned successes at all personal levels of character, and by all worldly measure, might well be rooted in the strength of the Riekes' souls to survive. The family members have ascended to new lives with the strength to carry on, to love, and indeed to thrive. That, and the authors love relationships with them all, is the grandeur, the glory, of this book. No names have been changed to protect the innocent; there are none. Otto has an unparalleled flair to entertain, and to tell riveting stories with great passion. He will seize your very soul. If you can remain calmly seated while reading this book, then it is a failure. Get ready for the ride.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I moved to Iceland in 2003 when I was twenty-seven years old. I had been in graduate school at Oxford University in England, and I was the first Icelander to attend St. Antony’s, one of the colleges there. I was attracted to Gudni, who was the first Icelander to attend St. Antony’s. #2 Gudni, who was the president of the student association, was also the first divorcee I knew. He had not mentioned his four-year-old daughter before because in the gamut of small talk when students first meet, no one thinks to ask about children. #3 I had a plan to move to Iceland with Gudni. I would be married to him, and we would be legally committed to each other until death do us part. I figured if I was about to move to a remote island where I did not speak the language and did not have a job, I might as well be broke too and make a truly fresh start. #4 I had moved to Iceland to live with my husband, Gudni, in 2003. I had been living out of a backpack, drinking mango lassies, and riding camels, but I was now working and learning the language. I could already see there would be moments that required patience and persistence, but I was enjoying myself.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author: a captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals—and a young boy—whose lives intersect in Paris in this "feel-good escape” (The New York Times). Paras, short for "Perestroika," is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon at dusk, she finds the door of her stall open and—she's a curious filly—wanders all the way to the City of Light. She's dazzled and often mystified by the sights, sounds, and smells around her, but she isn't afraid. Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who knows how to get by without attracting the attention of suspicious Parisians. Paras and Frida coexist for a time in the city's lush green spaces, nourished by Frida's strategic trips to the vegetable market. They keep company with two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion. As the cold weather nears, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But how long can a runaway horse stay undiscovered in Paris? How long can a boy keep her hidden and all to himself? Jane Smiley's beguiling new novel is itself an adventure that celebrates curiosity, ingenuity, and the desire of all creatures for true love and freedom.

"From the author of The River at Night and Into the Jungle comes a harrowing new thriller as a linguist, broken-hearted after the apparent suicide of her glaciologist brother, ventures hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle to try to communicate with a young girl who has thawed from the ice alive"--

*Now a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal* A taut, psychological thriller from Iain Reid, “one of the most talented purveyors of weird, dark narratives in contemporary fiction” (Los Angeles Review of Books). Severe climate change has ravaged the country, leaving behind a charred wasteland. Junior and Henrietta live a comfortable if solitary life on one of the last remaining farms. Their private existence is disturbed the day a stranger comes to the door with alarming news. Junior has been randomly selected to travel far away from the farm, but the most unusual part is that arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves, Henrietta won’t have a chance to miss him. She won’t be left alone—not even for a moment. Henrietta will have company. Familiar company. Told in Iain Reid’s sparse, biting style, Foe is a “mind-bending and genre-defying work of genius” (Liz Nugent, author of Unraveling Oliver) that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.