{"product_id":"vikings-in-the-attic-in-search-of-nordic-america-9780816667444","title":"Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America","description":"\u003cp\u003eGrowing up with Swedish and Norwegian grandparents with a dash of Danish thrown in for balance, Eric Dregni thought Scandinavians were perfectly normal. Who doesn't enjoy a good, healthy salad (Jell-O packed with canned fruit, colored marshmallows, and pretzels) or perhaps some cod soaked in drain cleaner as the highlights of Christmas? Only later did it dawn on him that perhaps this was just a \u003ci\u003elittle\u003c\/i\u003e strange, but by then it was far too late: he was hooked and a dyed-in-the-wool Scandinavian himself. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut what does it actually mean to grow up Scandinavian-American or to live with these Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, Danes, and Icelanders among us? In \u003ci\u003eVikings in the Attic, \u003c\/i\u003e Dregni tracks down and explores the significant--and quite often bizarre--historic sites, tales, and traditions of Scandinavia's peculiar colony in the Midwest. It's a legacy of the unique--collecting silver spoons, a suspicion of flashy clothing, shots of turpentine for the common cold, and a deep love of rhubarb pie--but also one of poor immigrants living in sod houses while their children attend college, the birth of the co-op movement, the Farmer-Labor party, and government agents spying on Scandinavian meetings hoping to nab a socialist or antiwar activist. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor all the tales his grandparents told him, Dregni quickly discovers there are quite a few they neglected to mention, such as Swedish egg coffee, which includes the eggshell, and Lutheran latte, which is Swedish coffee with ice cream. \u003ci\u003eVikings in the Attic\u003c\/i\u003e goes beyond the lefse, lutefisk, and lusekofter (lice jacket) sweaters to reveal the little-known tales that lie beneath the surface of Nordic America. Ultimately, Dregni ends up proving by example why generations of Scandinavian-Americans have come to love and cherish these tales and traditions so dearly. Well, almost all of them.*\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e* See\u003ci\u003e lutefisk.\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-92260\"\u003eEric Dregni\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Minnesota Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/01\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.80h x 6.90w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780816667444\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0816667446\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-SOC\"\u003eSocial Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-SOC008000\"\u003eEthnic Studies | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-HIS\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-HIS036090\"\u003eUnited States | State \u0026amp; Local | Midwest(IA,IL,IN,KS,MI,MN,MO\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-HIS\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-HIS044000\"\u003eEurope | Nordic Countries\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEric Dregni is assistant professor of English at Concordia University in St. Paul. He is the author of several books, including\u003ci\u003e Minnesota Marvels\u003c\/i\u003e (2001), \u003ci\u003e Midwest Marvels\u003c\/i\u003e (2006), \u003ci\u003eIn Cod We Trust: Living the Norwegian Dream \u003c\/i\u003e(2008), and \u003ci\u003eNever Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy's Culinary Capital\u003c\/i\u003e (2009), all published by the University of Minnesota Press. During the summer, he is dean of Lago del Bosco, the Italian Concordia Language Village in northern Minnesota. He lives in Minneapolis.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Minnesota Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44702847959277,"sku":"9780816667444","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_a7a0fcb5-1571-493a-ad22-9e4eb83aff66.jpg?v=1703893470","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/es\/products\/vikings-in-the-attic-in-search-of-nordic-america-9780816667444","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}