Different Roots, Common Dreams

100 documented photographs of New Hampshire's immigrants and their shared aspirations for jobs, safety, and freedom despite diverse cultural backgrounds.

New Hampshire is known for low cultural diversity, yet over its history, immigrants have contributed to the state’s economic growth and character. Since 2012, photographer Becky Field has documented the lives of immigrants and refugees in New Hampshire. In this book, Different Roots, Common Dreams: New Hampshire's Cultural Diversity, she shows that, while we have different cultural roots, we all have the same dreams for jobs, safety and freedom. This book of over 100 documentary photographs includes an introduction by Maggie Hassan, former NH Governor, foreword by John Isaac, former Chief of United Nations Photo Unit, and six stories by NH immigrants.

Becky Field's photography has won awards and been recognized by arts organizations and immigrant communities. In 2014 her work was selected for a juried exhibit at the NH Institute of Art. She was a Visiting Fellow at Derryfield School, Manchester, NH. Her photographs have been added to the permanent art collections at the NH Institute of Art and the Mariposa Museum, Peterborough, NH. Her first book, Different Roots, Common Dreams: New Hampshire's Cultural Diversity, includes photographs of immigrants at home, at work, celebrating traditions and practicing their faith. The introduction is by Maggie Hassan, former NH Governor, foreword by John Isaac, former Chief of United Nations Photo Unit, and six stories by NH immigrants. In her second book, Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants, she photographed and interviewed 40 immigrant families in New Hampshire about their journeys to find a new home. The book includes an introduction by Gary Samson, NH Artist Laureate, and preface by George Bruno, Esq. US Ambassador (Ret.)

Becky studied at the NH Institute of Art, and at photography centers throughout the Northeast. In past work she was a wildlife ecologist and university professor. She has a doctoral degree in ecology and lives in Concord, NH.