Title: An American childhood
Review: I have read two truly outstanding reviews of this book. One is by Joyce Carol Oates in the Times Literary Supplement. Another is by R. Hardy on this Amazon site. Both of them provide clear outlines of Mintz's book, and excellent analysis of it. They show how Mintz explains Americans changing conception of the child, the evolution from the little sinner of Colonial times, to the pampered superconsumer of today. They show too how one fundamental theme, of the older generation's lament on what the younger generation is, runs through American history. They indicate that Mintz's treatment is exhaustive, scholarly, clearly written and of course the by far best work on the subject that has ever been done. They suggest that this work is one that anyone who takes a real interest in American society and its development would be interested in reading.
Is this product review negative?