Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1939: Decades of Promise and Pain

by David E. Kyvig

During the 1920s and 1930s, changes in the American population, increasing urbanization, and innovations in technology exerted major influences on the daily lives of ordinary people. Explore how everyday living changed during these years when use of automobiles and home electrification first became commonplace, when radio emerged, and when cinema, with the addition of sound, became broadly popular. Find out how worklife, domestic life, and leisure-time activities were affected by these factors as well as by the politics of the time. Details of matters such as the creation of the pickup truck, the development of radio programming, and the first mass use of cosmetics provide an enjoyable read that brings the period clearly into focus.

Centering its attention on the broad masses of the population, this animated reference resource emphasizes the wide variety of experiences of people living through The Roaring Twenties and The Great Depression. Readers will be surprised to discover that some of the assumptions we have about the lives of average Americans during these eras are historically inaccurate. A final chapter provides a unique look at six American communities and gives a vivid sense of the diversity of American experience over the course of these tumultuous years.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2001

Reviews

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book serves as a great parallel for what's happening today, and what's likely to come in the future.

1. Credits
It should be note that preceding era before roaring 20s, debt was not seen as something that's good (a very Victorian idea stem from Albert & Victoria's attempt to "shore up" the cultural excess of the Regency Era). However, beginning 1910s and continue up to the great depression, debt became normalized as simply a way of living.

This obviously parallels to today. It should be noted that taking mortgage to buy a house is not a "historical norm". But today, with debt extending to 30 years as the norm and refinancing as a normalized activity, and BNPL/credit card balance no longer carry social stigma, the parallel of debt is still here.

(Wanted to write more but got hungry and craved smoked salmon. I'll write this much for now).

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely interesting book! It gives a generalized overview of life in the U.S. from the 18th Amendment on prohibition and the 19th Amendment on Women's sufferage to the onset of WWII in Europe. It tells how Congress initially viewed women's right to vote, creating laws to pacify them, to the realization that a great deal of American women voted as their husband's did, meaning laws affecting women were unnecessary.

This book gives an exact picture of how the KKK came into power durig the 1920's, rather than the normal WWI changed the opinion of Americans version. It continues with the personal hygiene reality of Americans and how it took hold, changing the way Americans viewed and acted about the matter.

For those of us who are considered baby boomers, this book gives a great picture of how life in America changed thus affecting not only how we viewed life, but how we came to depend so much on items from personal hygiene products, particularly for women, to women becoming thinking voters, going against their husband's view.

The changes that occurred in America during this era, if applied to the economic picture of today, could easily solve the problems Americans are now facing. It's easy to see, especially in this book, how what government officials decide to do in Washington can make American society flourish or die.

I definately recommend everyone read this book!

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the a period of time in the United States from boom to bust and back again. It is a social history of how government and the people acted during this time period and what influences were important to how daily life progressed. Just to name a few of those influences were: automobiles, electricity, radio, cinema, prohibition and the Great Depression and the rebound from that low point of the century.

There is a plethora of information within these pages and for the most part it is extremely interesting. It also goes to show that the "good old days" weren't quite as good as people from that era remembered. But the statistics just about overwhelmed me.......the book was full of the numbers of people who lived in the north, south, east, and west and who lived in urban and who lived in rural, and etc. etc. etc. Those sections of the book are, frankly, pretty dry. That is why I gave it a lower rating than others who are interested in numbers may do. But it was worth the read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book for understand the average american and what they were dealing with during the 20's and 30's. I took one star off because the author came to some conclusions or made some statements that I think that A: were poor logic and/or B: unfounded. However, I highly recommend this book for those who are searching for a good overview of daily life in America in the 20's and 30's

[Kelsey Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview book! If you want to get solid, basic, intriguing information anywhere in this time period, but mostly about the Great Depression, read this book!