Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants

A Book By Becky Field

A celebration of people from other countries who have resettled in New Hampshire, a state known for low cultural diversity.

Becky Field’s book “Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants” was honored as best non-fiction book in the 2021 Biennial NH Literary Awards. Field, a photographer as well as writer, has been documenting cultural diversity in New Hampshire since 2012. In response to the success of the few stories included in her first book of photographs, she decided to interview and photograph 40 immigrant families for “Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants.”

In preparation for the book, Field recorded and transcribed her meetings with the immigrants. She recorded their stories and memories of life in their native home and their journeys to make a new home in the Granite State. Their reasons for immigrating include escaping violence; finding love and accessing education. Each story illustrates the resilience and determination of people who are intrinsically the same no matter their place of origin. The photographs included in “Finding Home” show the beauty and vitality of cultural diversity that contributes to all our communities.

“I believe we need to be welcoming to all people in our communities,” said Field. “Although we may be different in our backgrounds, we all have the same dreams to have a safe home, good education for our children, and freedom to practice our traditions. I wanted to share that belief with everyone.”

The author’s primary passion is photography of immigrants. “I have been working on a large photographic body of work on cultural diversity for the last 10 years,” she said. “I hope readers of ‘Finding Home’ see the beauty and vitality of new Americans and honor their journeys to become part of our communities.”

Field has always enjoyed writing and editing. “As a small child I wrote poems and little storybooks with my father doing the illustrations! In past work as an ecologist, I have also written scientific reports and publications” she said.

In addition to the NH Literary Award, “Finding Home” has won four national book awards. “The NH Literary Award is especially gratifying because it brings attention to the profound stories of the immigrants' journeys," Field said. “The combination of photographs and stories makes a powerful statement about the resilience and vitality of new Americans in our communities.”

Field studied at the NH Institute of Art (now New England College), and at photography centers throughout the Northeast. She is a former wildlife ecologist and university professor. She has a doctoral degree in ecology and lives in Concord, NH. Field is a member of the New Hampshire Writers' Project and the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists.

The Biennial NH Literary Awards recognize published works written about New Hampshire as well as works that are written by New Hampshire natives or residents. Winners are selected in each of five categories — Fiction, Non-fiction, Middle Grade/Young Adult, Children’s Picture Books and Poetry. The awards were established over 25 years ago. The New Hampshire Writers’ Project organizes the awards process and ceremony.