Author Description

"Girlhood in America is a new and extraordinary look at American culture, with over fifty short personal stories by women and girls showing life as it was before age thirteen in every decade of a fast-changing century. Chapter by chapter, women and girls from around the country tell about the life and times of their preadolescent years in each of ten decades, from 1910 to 2010. Through the power of the personal, first-person narratives give an unprecedented look at the development of American culture and American women's culture across a fast-changing century. From life-altering inventions--like the Model T Florence's father buys from a door-to-door car salesman in 1912--to the shifting social codes girls describe in the 1960s and 1970s, the book is a revealing look inside what's universal and what defines a decade. Racism repeats itself in old and new ways, social change rolls out as families take new shape, and young girls help create American culture in the new millennium. This is history in motion--entertaining, eye-opening, educational--a true story of America told in the truest of voices, with fascinating pop culture highlights, photographs, and popular girls' names from every decade. Have fun time-traveling!"--Provided by publisher.