If you’ve been watching UTP’s calendar of events, you may have noticed that we recently launched The Viking Immigrants: Icelandic North Americans by L.K. Bertram at a very special virtual event that featured the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid, as well as Jewells Chambers, host of the fabulous All Things Iceland podcast. We were inspired at this book launch to attempt the most famous of all Icelandic North American holiday cakes: vinarterta (aka the “striped lady”). So, using one of the historic recipes included in the book, we took the challenge to UTP’s Test Kitchen.

Between 1870 and 1914 almost one-quarter of Iceland’s population migrated to North America, forming enclaves in both the United States and Canada. Released earlier in the year, The Viking Immigrants maps the transformation of Icelandic North American culture over a century and a half and reveals the hidden histories behind everyday traditions. In this post, author L.K. Bertram takes us back in time to 1920 and explores the Christmas traditions of a bustling Icelandic neighbourhood in Winnipeg 100 years ago. Cozy up and enjoy!

Released this spring, Being Fat: Women, Weight, and Feminist Activism in Canada focuses on the earliest strands fat activism, a social movement that has existed in Canada since the 1970s. In this post, author Jenny Ellison discusses some of the research that went into her book and explores how fat activists wrestled with feminist issues of the era, including femininity, sexuality, and health.

Lachlan MacKinnon writes for us on the blog and discusses what we can expect from his new book, Closing Sysco, a story of deindustrialization and working-class resistance in the Cape Breton steel industry.

It's Canada Day this week and although things might be a little different this year, we still hope you have the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and celebrate all things Canada. And what better way to celebrate than by learning more about this great country. We have a fantastic selection of books on Canadian History that you can to your reading list. Scroll down to learn more.