The Lesser Madonnas is a linked collection of short stories about working class and immigrant life in Denver, CO. These stories highlight the real conflicts people have with identity and just getting by in a society that was not built specifically for them. The strength of this collection is the characters, who are all fully developed. The stories showcase the author's ability to empathize and occupy the spaces of many different kinds of people without being insensitive. It avoids politicizing these conflicts and instead focuses on the human side of how to survive within a major American city amidst a struggling economy and the challenges of daily life. These stories demonstrate a real range of conflicts and lifestyles, and the author handles all of them equally with care.