Blog entry by Brendan A Potter
The beginning of stories like this should be a trope by now. Poor family living in destitution hear about the great land of America, where everybody can be somebody and where opportunity just erupts out of the land everyday. Said family then decides to start anew by selling everything they own, usually not much, and use those funds to get on a boat to the promised land. I wonder if anybody has written a story about those people who come to the new world for more upbeat reasons, like adventure, marriage, or even greater success at their enterprise? From the Russian born co-founder of Google, to the power couple behind the immensely popular Forever 21 chain of clothing stores, the stories are there, if untapped. But I cannot forget the unique situations brought up by the time period as well as the protagonist's gender.