We cannot understand the United States in the twentieth century, the "century of the child," without understanding the prominent part that children and adolescents have played in the American story. Much has changed for young people during this century, and this is the first work to examine those developments from the turn of the century to today.

Designed to be a ready-reference tool, the work is divided into four chronological chapters - 1900 to 1920, 1921 to 1940, 1941 to 1960, and 1961 to the present - and each chapter contains six sections: at home, at play, at work, at school, health, and children and the law.

Each chapter offers copious detail and fascinating narrative about children's lives. The reader can learn about all of the topics in a particular era or focus on one topic and follow it through the decades.

Topics discussed range from events of historical significance to cultural fads: from the teddy bear to the Barbie doll, from child labor in sweatshops to teenage workers at McDonald's, from the one-room schoolhouse to the SATs, and from childhood scourges to the eradication of many childhood diseases.

Growing Up in Twentieth-Century America will be invaluable to social studies and American history teachers, librarians, and students. The many tables and statistics included in the book will aid the reader and researcher. Each chapter concludes with a narrative bibliography of recommended works of interest on the topics discussed, and a selection of photos complement the text.