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A review by caaleros
The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal Into Victorian Homes Changed Everything by Ruth Goodman
3.0
Ruth Goodman’s books are amazing not only because she’s done the research, but because she’s lived the history. No, she’s not immortal or a time-traveler, Goodman’s spent her career trying out historical methods of living to see how they work. Because of her unique perspective, Goodman adds to the conversation about the domestic revolution and how it influenced all of society.
The choice made by regular people to switch from wood-fire to coal had multiple domino effects in society. Reading nonfiction does not come naturally to me, so I struggled through the first half, but I stayed with it because of the amazing anecdotes Goodman writes which give a practical human account of what it’s like to cook with over a dung fire or to clean laundry with wood ash and lye. The second half of the book pulled me in more and I was fascinated by the effects switching to coal had on cooking and what meals and methods were used, and the impact it had on cleaning. The Domestic Revolution shows that Goodman’s practical knowledge about history goes beyond telling readers how people lived in a certain era, it also can add to academic conversations by elevating the perspectives of everyday men and women in history whose choices in daily life affected society, but whose voices are rarely heard.
The choice made by regular people to switch from wood-fire to coal had multiple domino effects in society. Reading nonfiction does not come naturally to me, so I struggled through the first half, but I stayed with it because of the amazing anecdotes Goodman writes which give a practical human account of what it’s like to cook with over a dung fire or to clean laundry with wood ash and lye. The second half of the book pulled me in more and I was fascinated by the effects switching to coal had on cooking and what meals and methods were used, and the impact it had on cleaning. The Domestic Revolution shows that Goodman’s practical knowledge about history goes beyond telling readers how people lived in a certain era, it also can add to academic conversations by elevating the perspectives of everyday men and women in history whose choices in daily life affected society, but whose voices are rarely heard.