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A review by nefariousfondue
Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors by Jeanne E. Arnold
informative
slow-paced
3.75
The introduction is a bit hard to get through. It's remarkably dense and constantly repeats itself about the work done to make the project happen.
Once you get through that, though, it's a pretty quick read. The writing itself is dry, but informative.
It's a fascinating topic, with wonderful supporting photographs. I found myself wishing there had been more looks at each individual family and their lifestyles. I feel that, with as small a sampling as 32 families, that would have been possible. While being about humans, this book is sadly lacking in the human element beyond quotes and photos.
It's a good scientific look at that particular sampling of houses in that particular time period. I would be very interested to see a similar study conducted on a larger scale and with more attention to all the little things that were not counted in closets and the like.
I would have liked a section on closets and clothes specifically. Most of the people I know - myself included - have stuffed closets full of clothes they never wear and abandoned purses and shoes. I think that would have been fascinating.
Once you get through that, though, it's a pretty quick read. The writing itself is dry, but informative.
It's a fascinating topic, with wonderful supporting photographs. I found myself wishing there had been more looks at each individual family and their lifestyles. I feel that, with as small a sampling as 32 families, that would have been possible. While being about humans, this book is sadly lacking in the human element beyond quotes and photos.
It's a good scientific look at that particular sampling of houses in that particular time period. I would be very interested to see a similar study conducted on a larger scale and with more attention to all the little things that were not counted in closets and the like.
I would have liked a section on closets and clothes specifically. Most of the people I know - myself included - have stuffed closets full of clothes they never wear and abandoned purses and shoes. I think that would have been fascinating.