The way we never were

Coontz Book

Stephanie Coontz's The Way We Never Were is a thorough, research-based explication of the role of the family in American social life. The book encompasses more than just family structure and gender norms, however. Coontz places the family within a political, sociological, and economic perspective. Issues like teen pregnancies, spousal abuse, and poverty are as woven into the fabric of American society as apple pie. Coontz accomplishes several core objectives with The Way We Never Were. For one, Coontz bases her assertions on copious facts. The statistics may at times be misleading or purposefully chosen, but are nevertheless meaningful. Secondly, Coontz is on a myth-busting mission. Based on the fact that conservative politicians are using false nostalgia as a means to emotionally manipulate voters, Coontz presents a more realistic picture of American society.

The Way We Never Were is divided into eleven chapters, each providing different facets of the American family and its role in the social consciousness. Coontz's thesis is evident early on, as the introduction to the book outlines the material to come. Coontz argues that American domestic life was never as charmed as it seemed. The myth of family values has been promulgated by politicians during the past few decades. In fact, families were in some ways more dysfunctional during the Leave it to Beaver days than they are now. Gender inequality, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and shotgun weddings were all a part of the family values systems that characterized the good old days. Norms regarding domestic abuse and gender roles have changed for the better, not for the worse, notes Coontz.

The author devotes several chapters to describing how the role of the family has changed in American society. For example, Chapters 4 details the myth of self-reliant families and how that myth has created false ideology related to welfare and social services. Chapter 5 explains how the American nuclear family became an isolated entity, with disastrous consequences for community integrity. Coontz makes sure to point out the irony in the conservative stance on family values. Ills in American society such as violence and ennui can be blamed on and directly traced back to the 1950s -- the era usually held out as being the bastion of family values. Chapter 6 addresses a surprisingly relevant issue: privacy. The issue of privacy with regards to domestic and sexuality issues is a direct extension from the issues discussed in Chapter 5 about the increasing isolationism that characterizes the American family.

Coontz's argument is well-organized and supported with copious facts including marriage, income, and birth rate statistics. Although at times the author seems to pick and choose statistics that support the central thesis that there was no glory period for the American family, the argument would still be a lucid and valid one. After all, if competing statistics using different methodologies were used, it is still likely that Coontz would be able to prove that nostalgia blurs the line between fact and fiction. Coontz in fact uses statistics that are drawn from too many different sources and time periods to invalidate the thesis. The evidence used is drawn from numerous studies, from governmental and academic sources. The data extends into historical documents including primary sources. Coontz also draws data from such a wide variety of sources that the argument is wholly valid. For example, the author uses economic data, crime report statistics, birth statistics, and a myriad of other sources to prove the central point of the argument.

The myth of family values is a highly relevant political and social topic, which makes Coontz's argument relevant. Coontz's book is therefore an important one as well as a well-documented one. Coontz accomplishes the core goal of myth-bashing, albeit with a thinly disguised political agenda. The fact finding is accompanied by research integrity. Coontz addresses delicate issues including abortion, birth control, and teen pregnancies with aplomb.

Two-parent heterosexual families are not necessarily the end all and be all of the American social structure. In fact, gay parents and their children fare just as well as their heterosexual counterparts. Coontz makes sure to incorporate race, class, gender, sexuality, and political power into the equation: variables that are too often overlooked in favor of a more simplistic vision. Conservative politicians appreciate a vision that is more simplistic than real, which is what the author is attempting to point out.