Homeward bound
Subtitle: American families in the Cold War era
By: Elaine Tyler May.
Edition: Rev. and updated ed.
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 1999
Place of publication: [New York]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 269
Subjects: Family -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Baby boom generation -- United States.; United States -- Social conditions -- 1945-.
Description: Homeward Bound challenges cherished assumptions about the "happy days" of the 1950s, and offers new answers to questions that still surround the era: What gave rise to the baby boom? What inspired so much conformity in the postwar years? Why did the youth of the sixties rebel against the values they inherited? Uncovering startling connections between politics and family life, Elaine Tyler May argues that the Cold War affected virtually all aspects of life, from consumerism to sexuality. Americans emerged from years of depression and war yearning for peace and prosperity. But the tense relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, fierce anti-communism at home, and the menacing presence of the atomic bomb seemed to threaten the promise of the good life. The ideology of containment, which permeated Cold War politics, had a chilling effect on the movement for women's emancipation. It also fostered the unique form of domesticity that characterized the era: the baby boom, exaggerated gender roles, and the suburban lifestyle.

Drawing upon a rich collection of personal testimonies, Homeward Bound reveals the anguish and frustration festering beneath the surface of middle-class life. In a brilliant concluding chapter, Professor May explains why the children of the baby boom rejected the Cold War politics and sexual codes of their parents, marrying less, divorcing more, and giving birth not to so many children but to the liberation movements of the '60s.--Page 2 and 3 of cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-259) and index.