This Fourth Volume in the highly successful Working Americans 1880-1999 series focuses on American children, decade by decade from 1880 to 1999. This interesting and useful volume introduces the reader to three children in each decade, one from each of the Working, Middle and Upper classes.

Like the first three volumes in the series, the individual profiles are created from interviews, diaries, statistical studies, biographies and news reports. Chapters also contain important supplementary materials including News Features as well as information on everything from Schools to Parks, Infectious Diseases to Childhood Fears along with Entertainment, Family Life and much more to provide an informative overview of the lifestyles of children from each decade.

Sample Profiles cover the lifestyles of: An orphan in Memphis in 1882, following the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878 that infected 90 percent of the city’s population. It was the third outbreak in ten years; Going to Coney Island is a dream come true for this New Jersey child of middle class parents in 1900. The experience will be discussed along with life as the child of a successful merchant; This eleven year old is the nephew of a beer baron in New York City in 1921 who is also the owner of the New York Yankees; Being a child of wealth in 1933 suddenly becomes dangerous following the Lindbergh kidnapping. This child must leave school and is kept away from crowds and friends as fear over more kidnappings spread.

This interesting account of what life was like for Children in the Working, Middle and Upper Classes will be a welcome addition to the reference collection of any high school, public or academic library.