ABSTRACT
When Alva she was 12, the Reimers moved to Slagsta, her mother’s family’s farm. While Albert enjoyed the freedom rural life offered, Alva felt burdened by chores in the house and on the farm. She escaped into reading, but no schooling was available for girls beyond the elementary level. Fortunately, she found a close female friend who shared her intellectual interests. Allies in their conflicts with parents whom they perceived as both overly controlling and negligent in preparing them for adulthood, Alva and Märta shared secrets, read psychology books, and studied for confirmation together. While Märta ultimately chose to join the established church, Alva did not. During an intense, emotionally tumultuous period of religious questioning, she corresponded with a former teacher who encouraged her to think for herself and did not quash her aspirations. At the age of 17, Alva was finally able to undertake gymnasium studies to prepare for the university.
