Recounts the story of the great Swedish migration through numbers -- in the census reports and settlement patterns. It also tells the story through the cultural institutions Swedes founded -- the churches, schools, and lodges, the Swedish-language newspapers and businesses, the neighbourhoods and the associations. But mostly, this book tells the story through the people: the anecdotes, letters, and interviews from the immigrants themselves and from their grandchildren. Lewis provides a remarkably concise portrait of an ethnic group striving to become American while struggling to maintain its ties to tradition.
Recounts the story of the great Swedish migration through numbers -- in the census reports and settlement patterns. It also tells the story through the cultural institutions Swedes founded -- the churches, schools, and lodges, the Swedish-language newspapers and businesses, the neighbourhoods and the associations. But mostly, this book tells the story through the people: the anecdotes, letters, and interviews from the immigrants themselves and from their grandchildren. Lewis provides a remarkably concise portrait of an ethnic group striving to become American while struggling to maintain its ties to tradition.
Anne Gillespie Lewis is a freelance writer and author of five books. She lives in Minneapolis.
"Swedes in Minnesota is a refreshing primer on this state's Swedish
American community, past and present. Woven among stories of those
who helped give shape to this state are unexpected delights: the
short-lived colony of Minnesota Swedes in Cuba; excerpts of a young
Swedish woman's memoirs from the early 1900s; and even two
families' treasured recipes for Swedish meatballs. This book was
clearly a labor of love for the author; in it, we find a piece of
our heritage."
--Bruce Karstadt, Executive Director, American Swedish Institute
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