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| Plot Summary of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap |
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"This fabulous, eye-opening book challenges popular notions of what American families were like in the past. Almost every page has a shock -- whether it's that thousands of children as young as 11 worked in Pennsylvania mines and silk mills in 1900; or there may have been as many as 1 abortion for every 5 live births in the 1850s; that per capita consumption of alcohol was much higher in the 1820s than it is today; that Mother's Day originated to celebrate the organized activities of women OUTSIDE the home; that most studies suggest welfare does not break up families; or that even as late as 1940, 10 percent of American children did not live with either parent. Coontz, a professor of history at Evergreen College, writes: "Whenever people propose that we go back to the traditional family, I always suggest that they pick a ballpark date for the family they have in mind. Once pinned down, they are invariably unwilling to accept the package deal that comes with their chosen model." This excellent, well-researched book shows why."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history:
- 20th century
- 19th century
- 18th century
History of a people?
Yes
Nationality?
- American--General
Subjects of this Historical Account
Is the portrayal sympathetic?
- Neutral
Setting
United States
Yes
Big City?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Style
How fast-paced is the book?
- 2 (a little)
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel...
- thoughtful
How much focus on stories of individuals?
- Focuses mostly on the people/nation level
Minor characters feature lots of:
- businessmen
- blue collar types
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
Length of book
- 350-400 pages
How much emphasis on small details?
- 4 (a fair amount)
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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