Up in the Rocky Mountains: Writing the Swedish Immigrant Experience by Jennifer Eastman Attebery (review)

B O O K R E V IE W S D o r o th e a Lan ge. G I R L S O F L I N C O L N B E N C H S C H O O L S T U D Y T H E I R R E A D I N G L E S S O N . N E A R O N T A R I O , M A L H E U R C O U N T Y , O R E G O N . O c t o b e r 1939. Lib r ar y o f C o n gr e ss, P rin ts & P h o t o gr ap h s D iv isio n , F SA - O W I C o lle c t io n [call n u m b e r L C - U SF H - 0 2 1 2 1 6 'E ]. B O O K R E V IE W S 3 1 5 U p i n t h e R o c k y M o u n t a i n s : W r i t i n g t h e S w e d i s h I m m i g r a n t E x p e r i e n c e . By Je n n ife r E a st m a n A t t e b e r y . M in n e a p o lis: U n iv e r sit y o f M in n e so t a P r e ss, 2 0 0 7 . 3 0 4 p a g e s, $ 6 0 .0 0 / $ 2 0 .0 0 . Reviewed by Diane Quantic P r o fe sso r E m e r it a , W ic h it a S t a t e U n iv e r sit y , K a n sa s W h e n m y Sw e d ish gr an d m o t h er d ie d in 196 5, w e fo u n d a lette r am o n g h er th in gs. A ft e r a c h a in o f fo r tu it o u s ev en ts, th is lette r led m y fath e r to h is m o t h ­ er’s fam ily in Sw e d e n . M y gr an d fath er , also fr o m Sw e d e n , d ie d w h en m y fath e r w as fo u r tee n an d G r a n d m o t h e r w as a w orker, n o t a w riter. Sh e lo st c o n t a c t w ith h er r elativ es in th e fifty y ear s sh e w as a w idow . R e a d in g Je n n ife r E ast m an A t t e b e r y ’s b o o k U p in th e R o c k y M o u n t ain s w as lik e r e ad in g m y gr an d p ar e n t’s sto ry o f e m igr atio n o v er an d over. M y gr an d m o t h er ’s b ro th er , lik e sev er al o f A t t e b e r y ’s su b jec ts, ca m e to th e U n it e d St a t e s an d w or k ed in th e m in in g to w n o f V icto r, C o lo r ad o , b efo r e r e tu r n in g to Sw e d e n to m arry. W h e n I...