BRAND NEW UNREAD COPY OF “Finns in Minnesota (People of Minnesota)" [paperback]
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price: $17.95 My price: $15.95 with FREE US SHIPPING!
From the
Publisher:
This succinct
yet comprehensive volume outlines the contributions and culture of Minnesota's
Finnish Americans, perhaps best known for their cooperative ventures, their
political involvement, and, of course, their saunas.
Minnesota's first Finnish immigrants settled in the south-central area of the
state shortly after arriving in 1864; they were the vanguard for thousands who
eventually and resolutely placed Minnesota second among the states in terms of
Finnish population. Today we may recognize Minnesota's "Finnishness"
in the popular sauna, in the characteristic tenacity known as sisu, or in place
names and cultural markers that link to homeland.
Finns in Minnesota traces the Finns' migration to the state, their log construction
techniques, and their ethnic organizations, from religious to political to
fraternal. Colorful sidebars enliven the narrative, highlighting such topics as
"Finglish," New World legends, and the 1920s Olympic competitors in
track and field known as the "Flying Finns." A separate thread tells
the story of the Finland Swedes—"the minority within a
minority"—whose members were born in Finland but spoke Swedish and thus
straddled two ethnic groups, belonging fully to neither. The book concludes
with a personal narrative of Fred Torma (1888–1979), a miner and carpenter from
Nashwauk, who describes establishing a Socialist hall, involvement in the 1907
Mesabi strike, and founding a cooperative boardinghouse and store. His is just
one engaging example of the vibrant lives and legacy of Finnish Americans in
Minnesota.
Reviews
"With a thorough command of his subject matter, Arnold
Alanen has written an engaging account of the Finnish imprint on Minnesota and
of Minnesota's reciprocal impact on its large Finnish population. Finns
in Minnesota is one of those rare books that is at once edifying and
entertaining, of value to both scholars and non-scholars."
— Peter Kivisto, Richard A. Swanson Professor of Social Thought, Augustana
College, and Finland Distinguished Professor, University of Turku
"In this balanced and comprehensive narrative, Alanen opens a richly
detailed window into Minnesota geography, culture, and life. How Finns
interacted with America, not just Minnesota, comes to life in these
pages."
—K. Marianne Wargelin, Honorary Consul of Finland and independent scholar