Girlhood in America: Personal Stories 1910 - 2010

Collected stories from fifty-six women and young girls around the country reveal the times and tensions of a wider world, from a first ride in a Model T in 1911 to leading a school campaign against bullying in 2011. Girls' lives change in expected-and surprising-ways when indoor plumbing and electricity come into homes in the 1920s. Antibiotics replace mustard plasters, World War II ends, soldiers come home, and there is an explosion of new suburbs followed by the fascination of TV. Girls' lives take a new turn, as culture includes them in new ways. And history keeps unfolding. From the 1960s onward families include single moms and "weekend dads," and more mothers are at work when school is out. It's an unusual way of seeing culture change as you read about the fads and fears that come and go through the 1980s and 1990s. And then the Digital Age is here, expanding girls' worlds even further. In the 21st century, girls' culture tells a new American story. Have fun time-traveling! The power of the personal teaches in ways history books never can-it's the real story, in the voices of experience. "A useful sourcebook and an entertaining read." Kirkus Review