Another History Book I'm Reading at the Moment ...

Last week, my school's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta (history honors club) had a book sale. The annual book sale is usually where I can buy history books fairly cheaply, and as in past years, I bought some more history books. One of the books I bought (and started to read) is Growing Old In America, expanded edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978) by David Hacker Fischer. I haven't finished reading the book yet, but from what I have read, this book looks at how Americans viewed the elderly in different time periods and how they treated the elderly in those time periods. In addition, the author explores how attitudes have changed in America from the colonial era to the present (which was the 1970s at the time of my edition's printing).

The book is essentially a social history book, and I thought I would mention this book because as genealogists we are always trying to figure out what our ancestors believed and how they lived. I believe this book will give genealogists an idea of how the elderly were treated and viewed in American history, and thus, possibly suggest what life was like for our ancestors, especially as they aged.