Must-Read Nonfiction Discussion

The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live by Danielle Dreilinger. The term "home economics" may conjure traumatic memories of lopsided hand-sewn pillows or sunken cakes. But obscured by common conception is the story of the revolutionary science of better living. The field exploded opportunities for women in the twentieth century by reducing domestic work and providing jobs as professors, engineers, chemists, and businesspeople that were otherwise foreclosed. Dreilinger traces the field's history from small farms to the White House, from Victorian suffragists to Palo Alto techies. Home economics followed the currents of American culture even as it shaped them. This groundbreaking and engaging history restores a maligned subject to its rightful importance

Get the book or audiobook on Hoopla or check out a copy from the library (Vernon Area Library card required).

Interlibrary loan copies of the book are available to Vernon Area Public Library cardholders (while supplies last); registration required.