The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap (Paperback) by Stephanie Coontz

from jobinsonlis

An absolutely fascinating look at the history of what is widely considered the traditional American family structure. Coontz details why this structure was always largely a myth, goes into the dangers of idealizing it as the answer to our societal troubles, and suggests alternative solutions that...

from donitamblyn

We Americans have long cherished certain images of ourselves, many of which fall under the heading, "This is How Life Should Be Lived." The problem is not that these images don't exist outside the US--many have never really existed for us! Here's just one example. "Always stand on your own two fe...

from wealhtheowwylfing

Coontz presents the historical facts of American family life and political and economic movements in hopes of demonstrating that the families of the past were not so idyllic and the families of the present are not so dysfunctional as they are often portrayed. She argues that historical mythologiz...

from anndouglas

This book makes the case that maybe -- just maybe -- Ward and June had the odd argument when The Beaver wasn't looking. (Obviously, I'm oversimplifying, but that's the main idea. It's an extremely well-researched and thought-provoking book.)

from Othemts

If there's one thing that's great about this book is that it dismantles the myth that middle class white people "pulled themselves up by their bootstraps" to get where they are now. The GI Bill, highway system, low-interest mortgages and much more government aid helped build the middle class afte...