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A review by karnaconverse
The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live by Danielle Dreilinger
Examines the historic role of teaching life skills and addressing societal issues and emphasizes how there is still a need for those roles in the classroom
I read this in honor of my mom, who taught high school home economics, was active at the local and state levels of the national organization, and wrote letters to legislators and university administrators as financial resources and name changes to the college were debated. And: like the author's mother, I majored in home economics and journalism in the 1980s and, also like her, have always thought that what I studied "wasn't really home economics." Dreilinger's succinct exploration identifies the tension between teaching home-life skills and equipping students to address the root problems of issues like hunger and homelessness while showcasing specific examples of how home economists have changed the world from the late 1800s to today.
I read this in honor of my mom, who taught high school home economics, was active at the local and state levels of the national organization, and wrote letters to legislators and university administrators as financial resources and name changes to the college were debated. And: like the author's mother, I majored in home economics and journalism in the 1980s and, also like her, have always thought that what I studied "wasn't really home economics." Dreilinger's succinct exploration identifies the tension between teaching home-life skills and equipping students to address the root problems of issues like hunger and homelessness while showcasing specific examples of how home economists have changed the world from the late 1800s to today.