Review by Choice Review
A first-rate scholarly contribution to the relatively unplowed field of immigrant women's history in general, and of Norwegian Lutheran immigrant women in particular. Lagerquist's well-annotated study relies heavily on original source materials in the form of letters, diaries, interviews, and contemporary publications, demonstrating, as her subtitle implies, the manner in which ordinary Norwegian American women of the Lutheran faith became Americanized in their first, second, and third generations in this country. Lagerquist concludes that although their churches had no place for them as leaders, many of these women nonetheless found personal satisfaction and growth through participation in women's societies. She further argues that their church mediated the ways in which they became Americanized "modern" women. Originally a doctoral dissertation, this study is highly readable for a general audience as well as a work of persuasive scholarship. It is replete with personal incidents and anecdotes that give a "feel" for the lives of these women and the challenges they often faced. It is also a remarkable combination of "grass roots" and women's history within the particular parameters of ethnicity, gender, and religion, which the author effectively addresses. Highly recommended for public libraries, especially in the Scandinavian regions of the Midwest, as well as for undergraduate and graduate libraries.-K. Smemo, Moorhead State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
