# Books about childrens' role in society? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-childrens-role-in-society/784725 "2017-04-18T18:43:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-childrens-role-in-society/784725/1 "2017-04-18T18:43:15Z")
I’d like to read a book about childrens’ role in society. Like how their roles have changed over generations (for example pre-child-labor laws versus today), how and when marketing became aimed at kids, how much influence kids had on television, radio and movies. Maybe some interesting facts about kids in society from the dawn of time til now. I haven’t been successful in finding any books like this via Google searches. I get essays or history books for kids. Can anyone recommend anything? I’d most like to read a US-centric book (because I have personal experience of being a kid in the US) but if there is something more general I’d be interested too. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-childrens-role-in-society/784725/2 "2017-04-18T22:55:46Z")
I had a book years ago on this very topic. It’s a bit out of date-- published in 1975. [_The Little Darlings: A History of Child Rearing in America_ by Mary Cable](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684142198/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sout?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sout-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0684142198&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2) ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-childrens-role-in-society/784725/3 "2017-04-19T00:50:59Z")
I have two suggestions, but they’re both not exactly what you’re looking for. [Free-Range Kids](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B002NOGFGO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) by Lenore Skenazy; some of it is kind of how-to and self-helpy, but she also has some sensible insights about how helicopter parenting has evolved. And [Our Kids](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00LD1OQLY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) by Robert Putnam. It’s about the changing role of class in society, the opportunity gap, and has case-studies following lots of different families. It focuses on the change from the 1950s to today. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-childrens-role-in-society/784725/4 "2017-04-19T02:05:56Z")
A landmark sociology text is _Pricing the Priceless Child_ by Viviana Zelizer. It “traces the evolution in Americans’ and Europeans’ treatment of young children . . . it was first published in 1985, and it has become a signature work for its record of how the meaning of childhood changed over time” > **[How Children Went from Worthless to Priceless - Priceonomics](https://priceonomics.com/the-price-of-a-child/)** > > Children are our future, but it’s only recently that they’ve been valued as such. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-childrens-role-in-society/784725/5 "2017-04-19T02:32:43Z")
Thanks for the suggestions so far - these are much more than I was able to find on my own!