The Greatest Generation Grows Up: American Childhood in the 1930s (American Childhoods Series) [Hardcover]

Kriste Lindenmeyer (Author)

Book Description

Series: American Childhoods Series | Publication Date: October 13, 2005

What was it like growing up in the Great Depression, and how did America's youngest citizens contribute to the history of that fateful decade? In The Greatest Generation Grows Up, Kriste Lindenmeyer shows that the experiences of depression-era children help us understand the course of the 1930s as well as the history of American childhood. For the first time, she notes, federal policy extended childhood dependence through the teen years while cultural changes reinforced this ideal of modern childhood. Grade-based grammar schools and high schools expanded rapidly, strengthening age-based distinctions among children and segregating them further from the world of adults. Radio broadcasters, filmmakers, and manufacturers began to market their products directly to children and teens, powerfully linking consumerism and modern childhood. In all, the thirties experience worked to confer greater identity on American children, and Ms. Lindenmeyer's story provides essential background for understanding the legacy of those men and women whom Tom Brokaw has called "America's greatest generation." While many children suffered terribly during these years—and are remembered vividly in the Farm Security Administration's stunning photographs of the era—Ms. Lindenmeyer argues that an exclusive focus on those who were ill-housed, ill-fed, and ill-clothed neglects the contributions and widely varied experiences of American youngsters. The decade's important changes touched the lives of all children and teenagers. By 1940, the image of an idyllic modern childhood had been strengthened in law and confirmed in culture by the depression years. With 21 black-and-white illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This latest volume in the American Childhoods series chronicles the lives and times of Americans who grew up during the Great Depression and entered adulthood during World War II. Lindenmeyer's aim is to show how children and adolescents both influenced and were the targets of important social and political changes. Chapter headlines relate Lindenmeyer's subject matter: "Stable and Fragile Families in Hard Times," "Work, If You Could Find It," "Transient Youth: On the Road to Nowhere," and "The Importance of Being Educated." Lindenmeyer rejects popular myths that idealize the past as a time of idyllic childhood, and this scrupulously researched book makes that point perfectly clear. She concludes that the 1930s model of childhood became the standard of modern American life but was unattainable for too many to make the dream a reality. This thought-provoking book, with 21 black-and-white illustrations, will encourage readers to reexamine their understanding of the 1930s and its effect on that generation. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

A heartening account of a tragic time. (Starnes, Tom Delaware News Journal )

Clear and concise. (Choice )

Vividly told. . . . An eye opener.

(Hall, Dennie Oklahoman )

A remarkably compelling and enlightening account. . . . The children's experience's were distinguished from each other . . . as Lindenmeyer beautifully demonstrates.

(Grant, Julia Journal Of American History )

[This book] covers a broad range of experiences. . . . It features highly accessible writing [and] vivid illustrations.

(Macleod, David H-Net Reviews )

Lindenmeyer has written a highly readable, entertaining, and very useful volume. (Riney-Kehrberg, Pamela Annals Of Iowa )

Kriste Lindenmeyer's lucid prose and lively narrative chronicles the history of childhood and children during the Great Depression in this handsomely printed volume with crisp photographic images and an original argument. (Journal Of Southern History )

Tightly focused. . . . Lindenmeyer's resourcefulness in this respect makes this book compelling and persuasive.

(Lassonde, Stephen Journal Of Social History )

Thought-provoking. (Cohen, George Booklist )

A splendid little book! An amazing amount of information . . . masterful synthesis . . . no student of children and youth and the 1930s can afford to be without it.

(Hawes, Joe )

Combining lucid prose with telling anecdotes and compelling analysis, Kriste Lindenmeyer explains why the 1930s was a crucial watershed in the history of childhood. A fascinating and insightful book. (Mintz, Steven )

Kriste Lindenmeyer, one of our most perceptive historians of childhood, acutely dissects the conceptions and misconceptions that have grown up about them. Our picture of them and their times will never be quite the same again. (Daniels, Roger )

She revises our understanding . . . and reminds us of the value—and the complications—of generational histories.

(Graff, Harvey J. )

Entertaining as well as thought-provoking.  This book will be useful not only to scholars, but also to all who wish to understand the grass-roots impact of the Depression and New Deal on American families—an impact that reverberates through the generations to the present day. (Keith, Jeanette )

Anyone studying children’s rights or the concept of American childhood will want to make [Lindenmeyer's book] a part of their reading. (Midwest Book Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566636604
• ISBN-13: 978-1566636605
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids in the 30's --> The men & women of war, October 3, 2006

By 

Eric Hobart (La Center, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Greatest Generation Grows Up: American Childhood in the 1930s (American Childhoods Series) (Hardcover)

Kriste Lindenmeyer has done us a wonderful favor by giving us a portrait of childhood in 1930's America. She looks at many different facets of youth during these turbulent years including child labor, education, consumerism, and how the New Deal affected these youngsters.

Lindenmeyer's book is well written and is an enjoyable read. Her prose is clear & her arguments consise and well thought out. After reading this book, it is easy to see why the decade of the 30's changed childhood forever in America. Before this ten year span, education was of secondary importance, and children were not considered consumers. During the 30's, education became of prime importance to so many, youngsters were seen as consumers that could spark economic growth, and children were removed from the most oppressive labor conditions (i.e. manufacturing & mining).

The author's concluding chapter on the New Deal really struck me as important - it helped me to see where the FDR administration really did try to help the youth of America in addition to the adults who were so negatively impacted by the Great Depression. Formation of the EDC (Emergency Day Centers) for care of toddlers, the NYA (National Youth Administration) to promote education by providing stipends for work, and the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) with its abolition of child labor in most industries were all examples of positive impacts made by the New Deal for America's youth.

She borrows Tom Brokaw's phrase "The Greatest Generation" in describing these youngsters, because most men that went off to war in the 1940's were reared during this economic crisis. A very apt title for very important book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Details social and political forces which shaped, defined and created new interpretations of childhood and dependency, March 6, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Greatest Generation Grows Up: American Childhood in the 1930s (American Childhoods Series) (Hardcover)

American childhood in the 1930s became a government policy ideal which was reinforced by cultural changes during the Great Depression, and represented the first period of time in which the federal government provided a legal definition of childhood dependency as extending from birth through age seventeen. Any studying children's rights or American childhood will want to make The Greatest Generation Grows Up: American Childhood In The 1930s a part of their reading reference collection: it details social and political forces which shaped, defined and created new interpretations of childhood and dependency.