The author shares the challenges and realities immigrants and refugees face while assimilating to the Upper Midwest.

Based on ground-breaking research, this book describes the unique concerns of individual ethnic groups and delves into their personal Minnesota stories: farmers and factory workers, families and single people, idealists and pragmatists, people who were devout or irreligious -- those who cut ties with their homeland and formed part of Minnesota's ethnic saga.

Information about the newest wave of immigrants to southwestern Minnesota--Africans, Asians, and Hispanics. Responds to such questions as who the newcomers are, why they came, and what they experience upon arrival there. Gives special attention to matters of social services, housing, school, and crime. Seeks a comparative understanding of migration patterns and the different experiences of several food-processing cities in southwestern Minnesota.