The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger
The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger
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The Secret History of Home Economics
How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live

Author: Danielle Dreilinger

Narrator: Rachel Perry

Unabridged: 11 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/25/2021

Synopsis

The term "home economics" may conjure traumatic memories of lopsided hand-sewn pillows or sunken muffins. But common conception obscures 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. And it has something to teach us today.

In the surprising, often fiercely feminist, and always fascinating The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger traces the field's history from Black colleges to Eleanor Roosevelt to Okinawa, from a Betty Crocker brigade to DIY techies. These women—and they were mostly women—became chemists and marketers, studied nutrition, health, and exercise, tested parachutes, created astronaut food, and took bold steps in childhood development and education.

Home economics followed the currents of American culture even as it shaped them. Dreilinger brings forward the racism within the movement along with the strides taken by women of color who were influential leaders and innovators. She also looks at the personal lives of home economics' women, as they chose to be single, share lives with other women, or try for egalitarian marriages.

About Danielle Dreilinger

Danielle Dreilinger is a former New Orleans Times-Picayune education reporter and a Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow. She also wrote for the Boston Globe and worked at the Boston NPR station WGBH. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Anissa on May 16, 2023

This caught my eye and it occurred to me that I hadn't thought much about Home Economics since I had it in school from grades 6 through 8. I'd certainly never thought about the history of HE. I'd only known that there had been a degree level Home Economics because U.S Senator Marsha Blackburn earned......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on March 19, 2021

The Secret History of Home Economics promised to be interesting, but I had no idea how radical this history was, ot how pervasive its impact on society and politics. Danielle Drelinger's history is full of surprises. I was in junior high, girls were required to take a semester of Home Economics cla......more

Goodreads review by Patti on November 13, 2021

I am a Home Economist so I was very interested in reading this book. I am not sure what the author wanted to do when writing this because it totally leaves out the Home Economists who work in County Extension Services across the country. I learned a lot from what she wrote about the early days and t......more

Goodreads review by Mellissa on December 05, 2021

2/5 ⭐️’s// This was a fantastic concept that was poorly executed. There was a ton of interesting information in this book but it was badly edited. The time line was mangled making it challenging to follow. There are some great nuggets of history and feminism in this book. I wish it was presented bet......more

Goodreads review by Deacon Tom on April 16, 2022

Interesting Although I went to a prep school and never had home economics in my school, I thought I would give this book a try. It taught me that home ec is way more than cooking.......more

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