The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap | 
pickDispels many myths about historical families and some myths about how the "decline" of families is the cause of current problems. Originally published in the 90s and updated prologue and epilogue in 2016, so all the "current" (90s) statistics are out of date. Unfortunately some of the same things are still problems 30 years later. Much has changed even since the 2016 updates.
#WomansHistoryMonth
#Recommendations
3 of 31 Nonfiction
I really liked this book. It is a look back at all of the myths we have of those "golden ages" of the United States and how they are not always like we remember or were led to believe.
This is a heavily researched book, but the writing is super accessible and it was a much quicker read than I thought it would be.
Excellent book to get proper history and context.
pickThis was a bit too long, but filled with a ton of facts for your next family gathering.
Really informative, and I like how she goes chapter by chapter to talk about an overview of updates since the last version, and the way she seamlessly and logically connects the dots to data that we have never put together before, it breaks the dots to ideas we have that were never actually links.
Great but long read.
pickA lot of my reviews will be about books that have helped me academically. This really helped me out when I was writing about families in the 1950s and 1980s. Really interesting read! If you are writing about families or childhood during the last century, this is definitely a great resource. #academia #collectivechildprotagonist
pickA lot of my reviews will be about books that I‘ve had helped me academically. This really helped me out when I was writing about families in the 1950s and 1980s. Really interesting read! If you are writing about families or childhood during the last century, this is definitely a great resource.
"But the women in such families, they noted, were typically 'overwhelmed with responsibility,' 'psychosomatically ill,' and 'sexually dissatisfied.' The researchers, finding that most American families fell into the 'adequate' range, concluded: 'The Family is alive and well.' By this definition, of course, a normal family is composed of a healthy husband and a sick wife. "
Family never really fit the image we seem to carry of the "good old days."
My #DiversityFriday picks. Not pictured: The Way We Never Were by Stephanie Coontz-this book had a profound effect on me in college. False nostalgia is a dangerous thing, and this book clearly dispenses with the story our country tells itself about the good ol' days.
Summer nights 💜 Only a quarter of the way through and this is already an all-time fave. Absolute must-read!
When your favorite magazine makes your TBR grow with so many new and exciting possibilities! Yay!!
