CityView Magazine

52 March 2022 GOOD READS The importance of home economics class in American history BY DIANE PARFITT W hen I was growing up in the '60s, women basically had four main career choices – secretary, teacher, nurse or full-time homemaker. I knew I always wanted to be a nurse, but there were no nursing- related electives in my high school. I had already taken typing, so I thought I would try home economics. Aer all, the teacher was known to be easy, and my mother had majored in home economics at Greensboro College back in the 1940s. I found the inspiration for this column aer reading "e Secret History of Home Economics." is book helped me realize just how well the skills taught in home ec class prepare a woman to succeed in life. Aer all, it is usually the woman of hearth and home who keeps the fires burning, supervises the children, cooks healthy meals for the whole family and maintains order amid chaos. Nowadays, many women have built successful careers in businesses and in professions by utilizing these same organization skills. In honor of Women's History Month, here are some books about women who made an impact on society thanks to such skills. 1. "The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed The Way We Live" by Danielle Dreilinger Few people realize that the formalized study of home economics dramatically increased opportunities for women in the 20th century. Not only did it improve the drudgery of housework for women, but it also provided career opportunities as professors, chemists, engineers and businesswomen. Dreilinger tells how black colleges were able to enroll women in classes normally closed to them, such as chemistry and other sciences. She describes women's contributions to nutrition, health, exercise science, and child development and education. One such nutritionist, Bea Finkelstein, developed much of the food for the early American space program. Some people do not realize that home ec is still being taught in many colleges as "Family and Consumer Sciences Education." 2. "There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America" by Amy Argetsinger My husband and I attended a Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas years ago to support our friend from Fayetteville, Miss North Carolina Brooke McLaurin. Although she did not win, we were in awe of all the hard work and long hours that the contestants endured. is is not just any old beauty pageant, as we learn from author Argetsinger. She tells us about the scandals, the financial turmoil, the winners who become superstars, and many others who use the competition to advance their education, launch a successful career or promote a worthwhile social cause. For most contestants, the Miss America Pageant starts them on a path of lifelong success. 3. "Amazons, Abolitionists, And Activists: A Graphic History Of Women's Fight For Their Rights," by Mikki Kendall (author), A. D'Amico (illustrator) Women have struggled for equal rights for all of human history, throughout almost every culture on Earth, fighting for the right to own property, the right to vote, to get an education and to work, exercise bodily autonomy and almost every other right that men have always enjoyed. In this graphic novel-style book, we learn about some of the key figures and events that occurred in the fight for women's rights from antiquity to modern times. is is a fun and delightful way for readers of all ages and genders to learn their story. 4. "Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder" by Caroline Fraser Most of us either watched "Little House on the Prairie" or read some 1 3 5 2 4 6

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