Finn Kid: NOT an Assimilation Story

Finn Kid is a tale for anyone of Finnish background, not just those living in the western hemisphere. It is a story seen through the eyes of a boy with Finnish bloodlines, one that will resonate with both contemporaries of the Finn kid and  later generations. It is a tale that non-Finn peoples who have had to fight to preserve their language, culture and identity will appreciate and understand. 

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Finn Kid is a memoir. Finnish speaking grandparents, a country grade school with an extraordinary teacher, the Lutheran church, 4-H, a sauna by the tamarack woods, fighting bullies, a love for sports, a good looking neighbor girl, a feisty miniature Doberman pinscher, a black sheep uncle and growing up on small farm all play a major role in the life of a loner kid with sisu, sisu the Finnish equivalent of “guts”. 

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Finn Kid  is also an immigrant tale. It is not about a recent arrival. Finn Kid  takes place in a rural Finnish enclave in the Minnesota North Woods during the 1950s.  The Finn kid is third generation. Like his parents, he was born here.  He  never would set foot in the land of his grandparents. But he was all Finn. He never felt American. 

 

"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