Hans Holst AndersenHans H. Andersen wrote this novel based on his vivid experiences on South Dakota homesteads, after immigrating through Ellis Island at age 18, knowing only Danish. Yet he went on to earn a degree in English and French at Iowa State Teacher's College University of Northern Iowa). He earned a Doctorate in Philosophy from the English Department at the University of Chicago. He taught English literature and composition, and became head of the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech at Oklahoma State University. He felt driven to write this novel "for its own sake." Read More Read Less