Welcome to Litsy!

My grandmother‘s sister had a BA in Home Economics and taught Appalachian households to use electric appliances in the 1940s. Because of that, I have always been curious about HE. Dreilinger traces its history from its founding in the mid-19th c to today. It began as a cutting-edge field, but after WWII lost some of its seriousness, however post-pandemic there‘s been a resurgence. She looks at Black, white, and Latinx practitioners.

Inspired to bake maple syrup “sugar” cookies while listening to tagged book. 👩🏻‍🍳

This was one of those super interesting books that I would have never sought out on my own. Thank you #LMPBC 👏

This is from last round so I will get it in the mail asap.

I kept forgetting to say this arrived!

I‘ll finish reading and have it on its way to you early next week @Bookwormjillk !

#LMPBC

This is headed your way @mabell ! And spoiler alert - it was my favorite book of January! Enjoy! 🤓

My reading buddy.

So interesting!

Who knew there was so much science and empowerment behind home ec? This was quite the eye opener!

It lagged in spots and then, boom!, it was off and running again. It‘s heavy on “trailblazing” women. 💪👍
#lmpbc @mabell @Bookwormjillk @Amandajoy

@mabell @Bookwormjillk @Amandajoy
👆👆👆The above is at one of the first home economics conferences—in 1899! Most of these women were chemists. The others also had advanced degrees.

You guys! This is so good.
#lmpbc #groupk

It‘s here! I‘m excited to start it.
@mabell @Amandajoy @Bookwormjillk
#lmpbc @suvata

This is a fascinating look at how the Home Ec I took in high school came to be. There is so much more to it than I ever knew. My grandmother was a Home Ec teacher. My grandfather was a County Extension Agent - a career that owes a lot to Home Ec. Pics are from a 1943 textbook I found at a used bookstore recently.

This was very interesting! The author demonstrates the importance of home economics and it's important role in our history but also discusses the problematic aspects of its history, especially racism.

Home ec began as an intellectual haven for smart women―Black and white―who were otherwise blocked from studying science. These women were chemists, nurses, and marketers. They studied nutrition, health, and exercise, and along with testing parachutes, created astronaut food, and took bold steps in childhood development and education. They were innovators and businesswomen who changed what was known as the revolutionary science of better living.

It was a beautiful day for an #audiowalk! #audiowalking

Scene: the library books I‘m not reading lined up on my back porch railing. 😅

I‘ve been renewing some of these for 2 months. I probably should release them from purgatory.

I keep picking up non-fiction but dang if I'm not enjoying the crap out of these reads. I took every FACS class offered. The surprising, often fiercely feminist, always fascinating, yet barely known, history of home economics. This groundbreaking and engaging history restores a denigrated subject to its rightful importance, as it reminds us that everyone should learn how to cook a meal, balance their account, and fight for a better world.

It turns out that, like a lot of other “pink collar” professions home economics was engaged in the project of radically improving the world for everyone while at the same time everyone sneered at it as something simple, frumpy, and unprofessional . Cause “girls”.

This was a fascinating read!! If you need a good, strong female empowering book, this is great! The fact the author was in the middle of writing it during the COVID pandemic really made it so very timely! An easy 4 star read 👍🏻

Keeping the strong of books about trailblazing women going! 🙌🏻 Starting this gem that I didn‘t know about until I saw it in a Goodreads giveaway a few months ago. I didn‘t win the giveaway but was intrigued so I borrowed it from my library and my hold fiiiiiiiiiinally came in 🤩👩‍🍳🍴