Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and...

Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great ... | David E. Kyvig | Daily Life review

books:

Daily Life in the ...

	Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great ... David E. Kyvig Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2004 - 350 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

The twenties and thirties witnessed dramatic changes in American life: increasing urbanization, technological innovation, cultural upheaval, and economic disaster. In this fascinating book, the prize-winning historian David Kyvig describes everyday life in these decades, when automobiles and home electricity became commonplace, when radio and the movies became broadly popular.

Informative

I wanted a book that give accurate information about life during the 1920's and 1930's. This book definitely does that, but I felt like I was back in history class in high school. I found myself skimming over a lot of it because there was so much detailed information. And I hate to sound like a third grader, but I would have liked to have seen more photos. This book is great if you have to give a report or gather historic information, but I found it a bit tedious to read during my lunch hour.

for more information click here

Daily Life review

Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

This is a well-done book. I study this period of US history and find this book an excellent part of that journey.

bringing history to life

History is more than the story of big, important men making important decisions. Any worthy historical account needs to give insight into how the masses lived during a given time. This book accomplishes just that and tells the reader how day to day life was, for most Americans, from 1920-1940. For example, in 1920 less than half of Americans had electricity or running water and the situation only gradually improved. Important facts like that are left out from most other accounts, which is why this is a must-read for anyone who wants to know about the subject. To understand the World War II generation, this book should be mandatory. I used this book as a reference when I wrote my own book. See:
Alcohol, Boat Chases, and Shootouts! How the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs Fought Rum Smugglers and Pirates (Part I: 1919-1924)

for more information click here

A broad overview laced with fascinating details

The automobile and electricity are so common in today's society that it is difficult to imagine life without them. It is easy to forget that at one time these things we take for granted were new innovations that altered every aspect of life. In Kyvig's thoughtful examination of American daily life through the 1920s and 1930s, he explores the innovations that changed daily life and the varying speeds at which changes were accepted. He begins his enlightening examination with a discussion of daily life in the 1920s, prior to many of the changes he later discusses. Then he smoothly transitions into a discussion of the technology that completely changed the lives of contemporary Americans in both rural and urban settings, including the automobile, electricity, radio and cinema. Kyvig's clever and insightful portrayal demonstrates the full implications of technology. For example, he shows how the automobile made it possible for people live farther from work, led to the school consolidation movement and changed dating rituals as teenagers ventured farther than their own front porches with their dates for the first time.
His discussion on the Great Depression, however, changes its focus to a discussion of government adminstration and programs, and is not as fascinating or focused on "daily life" of common people as the rest of his book.
This book was enjoyable to read and covered a variety of aspects on the daily lives of Americans, so it would have wide appeal for a number of readers. It is backed by solid scholarly research, and includes fascinating pictures that add to the enjoyment of the narrative. Kyvig has a true talent for writing, and this is apparent through reading his book. His study should not be overlooked as just another book on daily life in the 1920s and 1930s - it is an all-encompassing study that provides insight into a number of aspects of daily life. It also provides a detailed, fascinating history of the development of the automobile and its impacts on life.

for more information click here

Not so much daily lives

My real interest in this book was to learn how ordinary people coped with life in a great depression. What interests me is in finding out how certain parts of society experienced it as I am sure the impact varies greatly.

This book - despite its title - clearly fails to answer this. Sure it tells me some of the reasons around the boom and bust, and some statistics on unemplyment, etc. But what I really wanted was the 'how they lived their lives' aspect that the title and blurb teased me with.

Despite my annoyance, I can't give this a 1 star (which is what it is worth to me) since it is a well written book and covers the topic well.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

products you might be interested in