Synopses & Reviews
Adult Supervision Required considers the contradictory ways in which contemporary American culture has imagined individual autonomy for parents and children. In many ways, todayandrsquo;s parents and children have more freedom than ever before. There is widespread respect for childrenandrsquo;s autonomy as distinct individuals, and a broad range of parenting styles are flourishing. Yet it may also be fair to say that there is an unprecedented fear of childrenandrsquo;s and parentsandrsquo; freedom. Dread about Amber Alerts and andldquo;stranger dangerandrdquo; have put an end to the unsupervised outdoor play enjoyed by earlier generations of suburban kids. Similarly, fear of bad parenting has not only given rise to a cottage industry of advice books for anxious parents, but has also granted state agencies greater power to police the family.
Using popular parenting advice literature as a springboard for a broader sociological analysis of the American family, Markella B. Rutherford explores how our increasingly psychological conception of the family might be jeopardizing our appreciation for parentsandrsquo; and childrenandrsquo;s public lives and civil liberties.
Review
andquot;Markella Rutherford provides a skillful sociological analysis of the changing dynamics of parenting in the U.S. context, demonstrating how the study of parenting can inform key social questions and problems in novel ways.andquot;
Review
andquot;Rutherford surveys changes in the culture of parenting in the U.S. over the course of the 20th century by analyzing the concerns of parents together with advice available to them in popular magazines between 1910 and 2009. She further supplements this analysis with intensive, open-ended interviews of 30 contemporary parents. Her focus is on supervision, freedom, and constraint. Drawing on relevant sociological theory, the author provides an interesting analysis of changing U.S. cultural norms in an important area of life. Recommended.andquot;
Review
andquot;Few people are aware of the right's attempts to use children's literature ideologically to indoctrinate American youth. While this book will certainly be valuable to scholars of children's literature and education, those outside of academe should also sit up and take notice.andquot;
Review
andquot;
Raising Your Kids Right is an eye-opening examination of how the contemporary conservative movement has deployed children's literature. Michelle Annand#160;Abate adds a crucial dimension to the study of the conservative movement while simultaneously expanding the discussion about the intersections of children's literature and American politics.andquot;
Review
andquot;Aand#160;timely and engaging study of the rise of conservative children's books published in the United States. It is a valuable study of the political nature of some of children's literature as it zeros in on a handful of high-profile conservative titles published since the 1990s.andquot;
Review
andquot;Aand#160;brilliant study that marks a significant intervention in both the fields of political science and children's literature.andquot;
Review
andquot;The role of children's literature in laying the groundwork for future generations to embrace conservatism is worth exploring and understanding. Abate's book helps open that conversation, while leaving plenty of questions for future scholars to pursue.andquot;
Synopsis
Adult Supervision Required considers the contradictory ways in which contemporary American culture has imagined individual autonomy for parents and children. Using popular parenting advice literature as a springboard for a broader sociological analysis of the American family, Markella B. Rutherford explores how our increasingly psychological conception of the family might be jeopardizing our appreciation for parentsandrsquo; and childrenandrsquo;s public lives and civil liberties.
Synopsis
Highlighting the works of William Bennett, Lynne Cheney, Bill Oandrsquo;Reilly, and others on the American political right, Michelle Ann Abate brings together such diverse fields as cultural studies, literary criticism, political science, childhood studies, brand marketing, and the cult of celebrity. Raising Your Kids Right dispels lingering societal attitudes that narratives for young readers are unworthy of serious political study by examining a variety of texts that offer information, ideology, and even instructions on how to raise kids right, not just figuratively but politically.
Synopsis
Dr. Seuss's classic character the Lorax has delighted children for decades while passing along a powerful message about environmental responsibility. The book's young readers, and their parents, would likely be surprised by the emergence of a new character, Truax, a kindly logger created by a longtime employee of the wood products industry, who, not surprisingly, has a far different viewpoint to share. Yet the Truax character, and the book of the same name, is just one example of a growing genre of conservative-themed narratives for young readers spawned by the continuing strength of the American political right.
Highlighting the works of William Bennett, Lynne Cheney, Bill O'Reilly, and others, Michelle Ann Abate brings together such diverse fields as cultural studies, literary criticism, political science, childhood studies, brand marketing, and the cult of celebrity. Raising Your Kids Right dispels lingering societal attitudes that narratives for young readers are unworthy of serious political study by examining a variety of texts that offer information, ideology, and even instructions on how to raise kids right, not just figuratively but politically.
About the Author
Michelle Ann Abate is an associate professor in the English department at Hollins University. She is the author of Tomboys: A Literary and Cultural History, and the editor of the journal Children's Literature.
Table of Contents
Introduction. andldquo;In Adamandrsquo;s Fall, We Sinned Allandrdquo;: The Conservative Tradition in U.S. Childrenandrsquo;s Literature, Culture, and Politics
1 andldquo;Give Me Some of That Old-Time Readingandrdquo;: William Bennettandrsquo;s The Book of Virtues and the Rise of Right-Leaning Literature for Young Readers
2 andldquo;I Speak for the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Associationandrdquo;: Truax, the Anti-Green Movement, and the Corporateand#160; Production of Childrenandrsquo;s Literature
3 Not Just Christianity, But the Christian Right: The Battle over Public Education and the American Sunday School Movement in the Left Behind Series for Kids
4 Patriot Acts: Fighting the War on Terror via the Canon Wars in Lynne Cheneyandrsquo;s Picture Books
5 Pundit Knows Best: The Self-Help Boom, Brand Marketing, and The Oandrsquo;Reilly Factor for Kids
6 andldquo;One State, Two State, Red State, Blue Stateandrdquo;: Bringing Partisan Politics to Picture Books in Katharine DeBrechtandrsquo;s Help! Mom!and#160; Series
Conclusion. andldquo;The Gosh-Darnit, Doggone It, You-Betcha Wink Heard andrsquo;Round the Worldandrdquo;: The 2008 Presidential Election, the State of the Conservative Movement, and the Future of Rightist Books for Young Readers