Book Review: Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940

Book Review: Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 The way Americans lived their lives was drastically changed between the years of 1920 and 1940. Many different events and advances in technology happened within the country during this time period. Events such as the stock market crash in 1929, the dust bowl of the 1930’s, and, due to an increase in urbanization, the uprising of major cities. Also advances in technology transpired, such as the invention of the radio and Henry Ford’s assembly line. These events and advances are all illustrated in great detail in the novel, Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940 by David E. Kyvig. His thesis explains that during the two decades, the American life style was changed in such a drastic way that it altered the manner in which the American people lived their everyday lives. Kyvig goes into immense detail about how these two decades changed Americans work and family life, as well as explaining in a great extent how the technological advances impacted the Americans everyday life. All of this is acknowledged and is in place by means to support Kyvigs main thesis. Kyvig uses a couple different main approaches in applying his evidence to help support his thesis. The use of imagery is one of his main approaches. He uses authentic photographs that were taken during the different time periods that can now only be found in such places as the

Library of Congress and the Nation Archives. The authenticity of these photographs really helps emphasize the truth behind what Kyvig is articulating in his thesis. For instance, Kyvig uses a photograph from the National Archives of a tenant farmer’s cabin in Harmony, Georgia (p.15). By placing this authentic photograph in with his facts about the hardships of agriculture in rural America, it allows for more evidence that his facts are actually accurate and not just false statements. Another main approach of evidence that Kyvig uses to help support his thesis is the use of