Janet Ohman Lindsay

Two Ohmans Janet Ohman Lindsay

The year 1920 was a different time with different values of family pride. Two Ohmans is a story of rejection on several levels: social, spousal, and parental. A pregnant daughter is sent across the Atlantic to begin a new life in a foreign country. There is infidelity across all spectrums and a mother who rejects her child as he interferes with her lifestyle. Stina Ohman was the only member of her family to emigrate to the U. S. from Sweden. There was no choice in the matter; her father purchased her ticket. "Dearest Little Stina" is her life-story from the perspective of letters sent to her from family and friends in Sweden. The letters were found in 1984. Thirty-five years later they were translated, revealing Stina's life-story. The second Ohman is Stina's son and only child, Leonard Ohman. Leonard had a difficult childhood. He lacked a sense of belonging and stability early in life. The section "Dear Mother" is the collection of letters Leonard sent to his mother from 1938-1940 while a student at Pillsbury Military Academy in Owatonna, Minnesota. Overcoming conflict is a major thread in Two Ohmans, as well as cause and effect. The two anthologies of letters are independent of each other and form the bones of the book. Janet Ohman Lindsay's reflections add dimension. It is a fascinating story of twists and surprises intertwined by love and lost love. All is authentic.