Giants in the Earth by Ole Edvart Rølvaag

“The fullest, finest, and most powerful novel that has been written about pioneer life in America.”—The Nation

Based in part on Ole Edvart Rølvaag’s own recollections as well of those of his wife’s family who were immigrant homesteaders, Giants in the Earth is the story of a Norwegian family forging a new life amid the harsh, desolate climate of the Dakota Territory. Rølvaag recounts the hardships they endured on the high prairie—blizzards, locust storms, poverty, hunger, loneliness, homesickness, and culture shock—as well as their simple joys. He evokes the hope and the estrangement these immigrants experienced, and illuminates the challenges of their children growing up between two cultures.