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Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States

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Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States

By: Kenneth T. Jackson  

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Lowest New Price: $11.53
List Price: $16.95

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Description:
In America, in contrast to almost anywhere else in the world, the good life means traveling a long distance to get to work. How and why this came to be our cultural norm is the subject of this long-awaited book.
Because more than two-thirds of all dwellings are single family homes surrounded by an ornamental yard, suburbia is the most distinctive physical characteristic of modern American society. Crabgrass Frontier is the first book to trace the growth of suburbs in America from their origins in the 1820's--in Brooklyn Heights opposite Manhattan--until the present day. Combining social history with economic and architectural history, the book discusses suburban communities in every section of the country as well as making comparisons with Europe and Japan.
Jackson considers such intriguing questions as why transportation technology changed the shape of American cities more than European ones, why the family room and the television set replaced the stoop and the street as the focus of social interaction, how the evolution of the garage reflected increasing affection for the automobile, how federal housing programs undermined inner city neighborhoods, and how government policies insured the collapse of the nation's once superb mass transit system. The book shows not only that Americans have long preferred a detached dwelling to a row house, rural life to city life, and owning to renting, but also that suburbanization has been as much a governmental as a natural process.
About the Author:
Kenneth T. Jackson is a Professor of History at Columbia University and the author of The Ku Klux Klan in the City.

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Important - After "Streetcar Suburbs", which was published in the 1980s, this is the first major study on American suburbanization since. A well-founded, well-structured and well-written book.

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
A great glimpse into the history of the suburb - While often overloaded with details, anecdotes, and apocrypha, Crabgrass Frontier is a passionate, informative investigation into the history of the suburb, both in America and elsewhere. The author clearly researched his stuff thoroughly, though one might wish for a bit LESS detail sometimes (his "evidentiary anecdotes" often get in the way of the narrative flow).

The sheer volume of detail and data make this a great book for the historian or history student (in college).
The passion of the author, and the light writing style, makes this a great book for the historical dabbler as well.

A good read, if at times a bit weighty.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
came quickly - Needed book for a college course, and the campus bookstore did not have it. It came within 10 days of order, standard shipping. could not ask for more.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A classical look at the suburbs of the United States - Jackson writes one of the seminal studies in urban history relating to the suburbs. The end conclusion is that suburbs have not been beneficial to the United States. This tracks things from the start of suburbanization to the downfall of downtowns. Race relations are a big part of the book as is the heralding of the automobile. Jackson writes very well and the book is wonderfully organized. If you are starting out in urban history this is an essential book to start off with. For those interested in post world war 2 American life this is also a must read.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
great book - Even though the book was written a while ago, it's still really good. I think the chapter on credit and housing was fascinating.

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