Letters from a Young Radical

Mark Steel is always delightful to read:
The myth of the nuclear family

He says:

NO MATTER how far society moves from the "traditional" family, we still seem determined to impose it on all history. I went to the Viking museum in York a while ago, in which there were models of a supposedly typical Viking family, in which Viking dad was working while Viking mum was making dinner in a pot and the Viking kids played with a Viking dog and cat. They should have had a commentary, with the dad saying "Hello darling, I've had such a hard day at the pillaging office, that darned South-West division missed their target yet again, they've barely massacred more than three villages since the new tax year."

I have kind of a nerdism for "traditional family values", and if you do too, I suggest you read three books:

The Way We Never Were by Stephanie Coontz
- to be fair, I haven't read this one yet!

The Way We Really Are by Stephanie Coontz
- I read this, and it was amazing. It goes through the history of the family, and how the nuclear family was not only a passing phase, it was barely even common except on 50's television shows. Besides the interesting history and politics of it all, I actually found this book to be comforting in a number of personal ways, as it gave a lot of explanation as to why my family is the way it is and why I am the way I am.

Marriage, a History by Stephanie Coontz
This is also spectacular and revealing. Have you ever thought about the fact that when marriage was a new(ish) thing, saying "forever" meant probably another 15 years?

Hmm, I guess I really like Stephanie Coontz!