FINN KID: NOT An Assimilation Story

By Harold Lehtinen

Finn Kid is an immigrant memoir. The Finn kid is third generation-like his parents, he was born here. His home was a small dairy farm in a rural Finnish enclave in the Minnesota North Woods during the 1950s. The Finn kid had lived in his early years with his grandparents who spoke only Finnish. He would never set foot in the land of his grandparents, but he was all Finn. He never felt American. The Finn kid was a loner with sisu (the Finnish equivalent of "guts"), a character trait which helped immensely in his on-going fights with bullies. He loved sports, reading, history, dogs and the sauna by the tamarack woods but despised bullies, liars, singing and onions. He attended a rural grade school and had the great fortune to have an inspirational teacher who influenced everything that followed. "A spirited coming-of-age story about a third generation Finnish American in rural Minnesota, Finn Kid explores quintessential themes of immigration and assimilation, questioning authority, and the triumph of underdog heroes. Harold Lehtinen recounts his youth with great detail, humor, and insight, evoking the importance of independent thinking, honoring our mentors, and holding onto our roots and core beliefs." -Anne Liu Kellor, author of Heart Radical: A search for Language, Love, and Belonging.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0C47QKYT6
• ISBN13: 9798388258731
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 289 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"