The author of this book, who teaches and writes at the University of Iowa, recognized that studying the meatpacking industry and the immigrant workers who put meat on American tables was key to understanding rural America in the 21st century. She also knew that such a study required an examination of how native-born Iowans accommodated the demographic transformation of their communities. Her seven years of research taught her that, despite the bloody and dangerous nature of their jobs, the migrants in Iowa meatpacking plants appreciated the opportunities offered by decent pay and better lives for their families than they had in their homelands. She also found that the new arrivals and their American employers shared a commitment to religious faith that gave meaning to this difficult work.