Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America

This was not quite the sweeping analysis of the role of the distinct cultures of Nordic immigrants in influencing the character of the United States that I was expecting. Rather than the personal investigation into the effect of these immigrants from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland on the regional cultural of the Upper Midwest (along the lines of Tony Horwitz’ Confederates in the Attic) it was really more of a simple collection of vignettes of various topics related to these cultures. In spite of the ambitious introduction, Vikings in the Attic felt a little disjointed and ephemeral, simply recounting some things strange and Scandinavian with little cohesion. While there were some interesting topics and tales included, show more there is little connecting the disparate stories included in the book.

Vikings in the Attic focuses almost exclusively on the Upper Midwest, particularly Minnesota and Wisconsin. The articles are arranged by topic, such as food, influential but little known Scandinavian-Americans, radical and socialistic political sentiments from immigrants, and local tourist attractions but often become repetitive, occasionally repeating themselves when articles overlap. The difficulties faced by Nordic immigrants in a landscape unfriendly to differences, and their attraction to radical, transformative political ideas (in particular the Finns) was among the most interesting. I feel that this could be the kernel of a more substantive work on how Scandinavian and Nordic mores may have had a role in shaping the culture of today’s Upper Midwest. However, for those interested in quick accounts of saunas, the Swedish-American inventor of puffed wheat, giant statues of vikings and dala horses, and snus rows, there is quite a bit of interest. In particular, this would be a good resource to use when looking for weird and wacky places to visit in the Upper Midwest, though a map would have been useful as well. show less