HOW ICELAND CHANGED THE WORLD The Big History of a Small Island

Warm humor runs throughout Einar Gunn's narration of Icelandic journalist Egill Bjarnason's audiobook. The author starts out on a personal note, telling how he first heard tourists' misconceptions about Iceland while working on a boat. From there, he focuses on telling listeners about Iceland's impact on the world stage--from Leif Eriksson's discovery of America to Iceland's groundbreaking election of a female president. In a comic tone, Gunn tosses in a few gentle boasts. Flourishes such as the dramatic reading of a pulp novel blurb about American soldiers dating Icelandic women or the wryness with which Gunn tells how "the air smelled like overcooked beef" as women walked away from household and paid work in 1975 add to the gentle humor. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2021]