American society has changed so much since the publication of Strawberry Girl that attitudes acceptable in those times may now be offensive. Although Lenski writes sympathetically about the rural poor and has captured much flavor of the region, she is a privileged outsider who presents characters as stereotypes. The problems that these poor people face are the direct result of character flaws, rather than of circumstances. Lenski seems to believe that anyone who works hard and has faith in God will lead a good life. Contemporary readers may find this belief not only naive but the product of an elitist mind.

For this reason, Strawberry Girl should be read as a "period piece." It was not until after World War II that most Americans began to acknowledge the existence of its minorities, its poor, and its uneducated. The novel provides an excellent view of the way...