Review by Choice Review
The title suggests that this work is a companion to the 1940 Census, but it functions more as a series of snapshots of American life on the eve of WW II. The text has some value: in particular, the prefatory comparisons of data from the 1940 and 2010 Censuses attest to marked demographic shifts. However, the work lacks coherence and presents several other problems. The volume is divided into five sections: "Profiles," "Historical Snapshots," "Economy of the Times," "All around Us--What We Saw, Wrote, Read and Listened To," and "1940 Census Summary and Comparison Data." The connection between the information in the second through fourth sections and the Census is tenuous, and the "facts" outlined therein are unattributed--and on occasion inaccurate (e.g., on p. 233, "Jean Harlow became a blonde for her role in Hell's Angels"). Almost half of the work's pages are dedicated to the first section: profiles of 26 diverse US households, many with accompanying tables of 1940 data from the city with which the household was most associated. Potentially intriguing, this section falls flat. The bulleted details about each household lack accompanying citations, and many have no connection to the Census. Some material (e.g., a reference to rumors of Carole Lombard's ghost, p. 110) is inappropriate for a professional handbook or historical dictionary. Summing Up: Not recommended. P. J. Jones University of Arkansas
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
In April 2012, the Census Bureau released the 1940 census. Not just the data that had been out since 1941 but the actual forms filled out by the householder or census enumerator. For people doing genealogical research or local history, this is the mother lode. This Is Who We Were: A Companion to the 1940 Census was inspired by this release. Tables compare data from 1940 to previous censuses and to the 2010 census (though some of the tables compare census data to American Community Survey data, making the comparisons less than perfect). To round out the statistics, there are profiles of 26 individuals and families living during this time period. The stories told put a face to the statistics, and they are followed by tables that refer specifically to the geographic area discussed in the profile. Economic data from 1930 to 1940, listing prices and wages, is illustrated by advertisements from the day. Another section reprints articles from that time period that are intended to flesh out our familiarity with the decade. The last 150 pages are reprinted census tables from the 1940 census, followed by an index. The book itself combines the factual information expected from a reference source with an engaging narrative. It is an accessible look back at our past and is a decent compilation of previously published information packaged in a way to make it more available to the general public. For students doing decades assignments, this volume is a nice complement to the Gale American Decades series and volumes in Grey House's Working Americans series, providing data along with narrative. Because it is so readable and researchers will likely want to spend time immersed in the narrative, this would make a good choice to circulate rather than keep in reference.--Hoover, Danise Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Inspired by this year's release of individual records from the 1940 census, this work aims to impart an understanding of what everyday life was like for ordinary Americans during the decade leading up to the 1940 census. The book's five sections juxtapose bulleted lists of quick facts and slice-of-life stories with reprinted census tables, newspaper clippings and excerpts, personal quotes, and photos. The first and largest section profiles 26 Americans, with information gathered under headings of "Life at Home," "Life at Work," and "Life in the Community." Next are "Historical Snapshots" that divide the decade into four eras, listing events that happened throughout that time. Section Three addresses the state of the economy then by providing lists of average U.S. salaries and the costs of selected goods during each of the years in question. The final two sections address "What We Saw, Wrote, Read & Listened To" by presenting a collection of articles, quotes and photos from 1930-1940 and 150 pages of reprinted 1940 census statistical summaries and population tables, originally published by the GPO soon after the census was taken. (These latter resources are available as free downloads from census.gov.) While much of the information found here is interesting, source citations are minimal if provided at all, and there is no bibliography. Countless events and people are referenced without much detail or clear relationship to each other, which, combined with a lack of footnotes, often makes the content seem arbitrary and unsupported. Unfortunately the book does not list the questions asked in the census or explain why they were especially relevant to the population at that time. VERDICT Readers wanting to place the 1940 census into the historical context of everyday America will be better served by David E. Kyvig's much less expensive Daily Life in the United States 1929-1940 (Greenwood, 2004).-Jean Fisher, Tacoma P.L., WA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
