Culture Watch

Jo Freeman Reviews: The primary narrative is a biography of a man who spent his life taking photographs in order to document America. It’s not a full biography, as the focus is on the years of 1936-42, when Russell Lee worked for the Farm Security Administration. His life before and after is covered only briefly. It includes a biography of Roy Stryker, who was Lee’s boss and friend. A second theme is a history of the FSA’s Historical Section, headed by Stryker, who sent his photographers on assignments around the country. Their initial task was to document the effects of Depression and drought on rural American in order to justify the expenditure of federal funds to remedy problems. As war approached, their task shifted to documenting America’s strength and prosperity in order to convince enemies that it was a formidable foe. more »

"Bring patriotic cheer when you give unique gifts from the National Archives Store. As the exclusive store of the National Archives Museum, we support the exhibition and educational messaging through the development and presentation of a wide variety of high-quality merchandise highlighting the holdings of the National Archives." more »

Julia Sneden wrote: "I was reared in a household that included both my grandmothers and a great aunt. Their mantra, designed to counter possible vanity, was: “If it’s clean, shiny, and combed, your hair will do.” My hair was usually clean, thanks to the swimming pool, and like most towheads, it shone in the sun “with more than oriental splendor,” like the Parsee’s helmet (per Rudyard Kipling)...Tidy was another matter. My skimpy braids never met a ribbon I couldn't lose. Hair spray helps to deal with its resistance to discipline, and while it has grown longer by fall, it is no help at all in terms of warmth, since by then I have started my annual reverse-season shedding." more »

Jo Freeman Reviews: “All citizens are created equal but some or more equal than others” is the message of this book. Women are not the only unequal citizens in this country, but they are the most numerous. The Equal Rights Amendment was an attempt to bring real equality to women’s legal status after the 19th Amendment gave women the right, but not always the reality, to the franchise. Focusing on the first 40 years of the struggle for the ERA, DeWolf divides proponents and opponents into emancipationists and protectionists... Although this book is on the ERA, it does go into other laws that affected women, especially their employment opportunities. Read it as a general review of public policy on women, especially at the federal level. Then imagine how different things would have been if the ERA had been ratified several decades ago." more »