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Special to the Star Tribune
Eric Dregni might have called his new book "Scandinavians for Dummies," but that would have invited all sorts of bad jokes. Instead, he settled on a more serious title for his exploration of who these Northern peoples were and who they became as they worked their way into American society.
Dregni, who teaches English at Concordia University in St. Paul, grew up with Swedish and Norwegian grandparents. As an adult, he wanted to understand the "why" behind the origins and significance of certain customs and values.
He does not seek to promote "Scandinavian exceptionalism, as if this culture is somehow superior," but to show some of what immigrant generations endured and how they influenced the larger society politically, economically, culturally -- and gastrointestinally.
Yes, lutefisk is here, but not simply as another easy, tired joke. There...