Historical Fictionistas discussion

Hello,

I would like some recommendations for the theme of people migrating to the US. I mostly interested in the European migration in the 17th-19th century, but any other time period of region of origin is fine too.

Thank you!

17th century:
From England: Tidewater: A Novel of Pocahontas and the Jamestown Colony

18th century:
From England: Into the Wilderness

19th century:
From Eastern Europe: My Ántonia
From Ireland: Star of the Sea
From England: The Last Runaway

20th century:
From Poland: Evergreen
From China: The Joy Luck Club

It's a short MG, but 20th century pre- or early-WWI era Letters from Rifka

I also second Tidewater. Amazing book.

From Central America 20th century:
Into The Beautiful North- Luis Alberto Urrea
The Book of Unknown Americans- Christina Henriquez
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent- Julia Alvarez

From China 20th century:
Girl in Translation- Jean Kwok
The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson- middle grade kids book author alluding me right now.

Thank you. I've only read some of the suggestions and everything else sounds super interesting!

The only book that immediately springs into my mind is Unto a Good Land; it is about 19th century swedish emigrants, traversing the atlantic and landing in New York after a journey by boat. It is part of a series consisting of 4 books.

I only read the first bit of the book in swedish when I was learning the language; linguistically it was slightly to difficult for the proficiency I had with the language. Therefore, I linked to the english translation of this book.

Homeland my favorite of his novels.

Hi, Camille, are you looking for fiction only, or non-?

Here’s one that’s technically nonfiction, though it contains a lot of fabrications so you might consider it fiction. ;-) It used to be taught in the schools, and it reflects a lot of American values that have become outmoded today (but that might make it interesting as a historical document): The Americanization of Edward Bok. Kind of a classic about the immigrant experience.

Abigail, nonfiction is fine, I'll read both!

The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton was fantastic-focuses on the foundation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and also includes the Dutch settlements in what is now New York

Camille wrote: "Hello,

I would like some recommendations for the theme of people migrating to the US. I mostly interested in the European migration in the 17th-19th century, but any other time period of region o..."
I just finished and reviewed The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey.

Ivan Doig's "Dancing at the Rascal Fair," an account of two young Scotsmen, Angus McCaskill and Rob Barclay, emigrating to America in 1889, traveling to Montana, locating Rob’s enterprising uncle, Lucas Barclay, and establishing homesteads in high country just east of the Continental Divide .

Inglis Fletcher wrote several books on this subject that you might find interesting.