Maria's Journey

Born into the Mexican Revolution, Maria Perez entered an arranged marriage at age fourteen to Miguel Arredondo. The couple and their daughter immigrated to the United States in the 1920s and eventually settled in East Chicago, Indiana, where Miguel worked for Inland Steel. Their true story includes much of early-twentieth-century America: the rise of unions, the plunge into the Great Depression, the patriotism of World War II, and the starkness of McCarthyism. It is flavored by delivery men hawking fruit and ice, street sports, and Saturday matinees that began with newsreels. Immigration status colors every scene, adding to their story deportation and citzenship, generational problems unique to new immigrants, and a miraculous message of hope.

Paperback. 280 pages. 2010 Indiana Historical Society Press. By Ramon Arredondo and Trisha Hull Arredondo.