The way we never were: American families and the nostalgia trap

Description

Acclaimed historian Stephanie Coontz provides a myth-shattering examination of two centuries of the American family, sweeping away misconceptions about the past that cloud current debates about domestic life. Introduction to the 2016 edition -- The way we wish we were: defining the family crisis -- 'Leave it to Beaver' and 'Ozzie and Harriet': American families in the 1950s -- 'My mother was a Saint': individualism, gender myths, and the problem of love -- We always stood on our own two feet: self-reliance and the American family -- Strong families, the foundation of a virtuous society: family values and civic responsibility -- A man's home is his castle: the family and outside intervention -- Bra-burners and family bashers: feminism, working women, consumerism, and the family -- 'First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Mary with a baby carriage': marriage, sex, and reproduction -- Toxic parents, supermoms, and absent fathers: putting parenting in perspective -- Pregnant girls, wilding boys, crack babies, and the underclass: the myth of black family collapse -- The crisis reconsidered -- Epilogue to the 2016 edition: for better AND worse: family trends in the twenty-first century -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.