Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Family in Society: Essential Primary Sources. Edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit, Mich.: Thomson Gale, 2006. 1 vol. $115.00. 479 p. ISBN 10: 1-4144-0330-5; 13: 978-1-4144-0330-4.

The definition of "family" has been changing for the past century. The concept a homemaker mother in the 19th century who takes care of a group on a family farm began to move to managing an urban household in the early 20th century. By mid-century, it had changed into one where both parents worked outside the home. At the beginning of this century, fewer than one in five families have two parents living with their biological children. A 13-page chronology begins the volume. The first section, "Concepts of Family," points out the progression of the disintegration of family as divorce became more accepted. A chart on single parents by sex and characteristics quickly shows that single mothers are much poorer than single fathers. "Blended families" is demonstrated with a photo of The Brady Bunch.  "Marriage, Partnership, and Divorce," offers fodder for debates on marriage vs. divorce vs. cohabitation and the possibility of "Familymoons." In a day when child abuse is much abhorred, the article on spanking explains a woodcut from 1889 in the section "Parenting and Children." Students can compare the discussions in "Family Life and Family Relationships" with their knowledge of today's families. A news article about work roles in "Work and Gender Roles" includes a discussion of children working in mines in England Wales, and Pennsylvania. "Health, Housing, and Family Planning" includes family feuds and family life in Russia. Family shows as depicted in "The Family in Literature and Media," includes "The Simpsons" and provides a vice president's reaction to an unwed TV personality having a child as a part of a popular television sit-com. The dismantling of families at slave auctions in "The Family in Times of Conflict and Change" is followed by an introduction to the concept of bomb shelters in the mid-fifties. This will be of interest to any teacher responsible for family living classes as well as history and social studies teachers looking for primary sources related to events in this time period.