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New Land, New Lives: Scandinavian Immigrants to the Pacific Northwest
"NEW LAND, NEW LIVES tells in their own words the experiences of 45 immigrants (28 of them women) in the early years of the 20th century. Rasmussen's selections capture the textures and tones of ordinary life. They show how the cultures the immigrants had known in the Old World influenced . . . life in the Pacific Northwest".--TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE. 41 photos.
334 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 30, 2022
This is a compilation of interviews with immigrants from the various countries of Scandinavia who have come to the Pacific Northwest. They are transcribed exactly as they were spoken, giving us a faithful oral history of the immigrant experience.
The interviews are placed in one of five sections in the book, Homeland, New Land, New Lives: Work, New Lives: Family, and New Lives: Tradition. I often wondered as I was reading if the book might have been organized by date of immigration, and would that have given us a different perspective on the immigrant experience. I thought many of the interviews might have fit in more than one place.
Though it was an interesting book to read, I could only read it a few interviews at a time, so it took a long time between when I started and when I finished--probably more than a year. The major takeaway is how hard these people worked, both in their homeland and here. And how many of them were very successful, not necessarily monetarily, but they had jobs that supported them, they often owned their own homes, many of their children went on to higher education, they liked the community where they lived, and felt it was important to support and give back through community service.
My own Scandinavian ancestors came well before the people in this book did, but I wonder what they would have said about their experiences in a new land (if someone had thought to interview them). Mine perhaps suffered the loss of more children than the later immigrants (because medical care was not so advanced in the late nineteenth century), but they were committed to church and family, to working hard, and often also to community service, and many of their children and/or grandchildren went on to high education.
The interviews are placed in one of five sections in the book, Homeland, New Land, New Lives: Work, New Lives: Family, and New Lives: Tradition. I often wondered as I was reading if the book might have been organized by date of immigration, and would that have given us a different perspective on the immigrant experience. I thought many of the interviews might have fit in more than one place.
Though it was an interesting book to read, I could only read it a few interviews at a time, so it took a long time between when I started and when I finished--probably more than a year. The major takeaway is how hard these people worked, both in their homeland and here. And how many of them were very successful, not necessarily monetarily, but they had jobs that supported them, they often owned their own homes, many of their children went on to higher education, they liked the community where they lived, and felt it was important to support and give back through community service.
My own Scandinavian ancestors came well before the people in this book did, but I wonder what they would have said about their experiences in a new land (if someone had thought to interview them). Mine perhaps suffered the loss of more children than the later immigrants (because medical care was not so advanced in the late nineteenth century), but they were committed to church and family, to working hard, and often also to community service, and many of their children and/or grandchildren went on to high education.
April 11, 2013
Enjoyed reading the personal stories of Scandinavian men and women who settled near Tacoma, Washington. This gave me an insight into my husband's Scandinavian ancestry.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews