Marilyn Irvin Holt

This brief look at the life of Mamie Eisenhower was a fantastic read. Mamie felt that in life she wanted to be remembered as a good friend. And this book certainly encapsulates that feeling very well. You feel that you are reading the story of a friend.

I wish the book had been more encompassing, though I understand its premise. This short volume in the Modern First Ladies series focusses on Mamie's White House years. Often overlooked by historians as a boring grandmother-type, Mamie was incredibly active and took a vast interest in those she received and entertained. She was certainly the right fit for the White House during the time she lived there.

Excellent reading.… (meer)

A thorough academic exploration of the so-called orphan trains, including the societal beliefs about childhood. Very well researched and well-sourced. I was glad to see mention of Boston's limited use of the orphan trains, before Charles Loring Brace attempted it in New York a few years later, a fact many accounts overlook.

A great one for research or if you're really interested in the facts of the orphan trains. I prefer to read more first-hand or personalized accounts, so this one was not for me.
… (meer)

Holt addresses the historiography on page 2, writes that others have not focused primarily on policy analysis right after World War II. Holt writes, “This volume examines the ways in which governmental entities and the postwar administrations of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower reacted to special problems and needs associated with children and teenagers” (3). Holt writes, “This volume uses some of the voices of boomers and their older teenage counterparts. Ethnic, racial, economic, and geographical diversity is considered, as is the shared popular culture,” however, “the narrative is an exploration of the relationship between the political landscape, cultural views of childhood, and the impact these had on the country’s young” (10). Chapter three tackles the concerns surrounding juvenile delinquency. Television was the greatest cause for concern, though worries about delinquency extended back as far as the 1910s. While the Senate committee felt romance and war comics were not a threat, they were concerned about horror and crime stories. Holt writes of Wertham’s opinion, “This assertion was challenged by a number of criminologists, as well as psychologists opposed to Wertham’s view. Ultimately, the committee announced in its final report that it would not condone censorship” (31). That said, “The committee agreed that the comic book industry could do more to regulate itself, but parents and communities had the power, if not the responsibility, to control access and to redirect youngsters’ reading habits” (92). Despite these conclusions, “by 1955, fourteen states regulated the sale and production of comics, with three states banning some titles outright. Nine other states had either considered legislation and then failed to act or were in the process of writing regulatory laws,” leading the industry to create the CCA (92-93). Regarding gender roles, Holt writes, “For many, desire for a child was heightened by the postwar era’s idealization of parenthood. Women, said popular culture, could only find ultimate fulfillment as mothers. Fatherhood was a desirable role for men” (101). A great deal of popular culture began focusing on families, especially in television. Holt concludes, “Policies that impacted children and teenagers were both a product of the times and of America’s political system…The discussions were littered with denunciations of communism, socialized medicine, juvenile delinquency, divorce, and working women” (153).… (meer)