No direction home : the American family and the fear of national decline, 1968-1980 /

The 1970s are an important but frequently overlooked era of US history, perhaps because of the uncomfortable presence of "national decline" as one of the central organizing concepts for the period. Zaretsky (Southern Illinois Univ.) provides a useful introduction to major themes of the decade. Her book's five chapters address the unhappy conclusion of the Vietnam War, the energy crisis precipitated by the OPEC oil embargo, the economic crisis of the middle class and blue-collar industrial workers, the tricky issues involved with celebrating the national bicentennial in such a climate, and Christopher Lasch's influential The Culture of Narcissism (CH, May'79) . Zaretsky's main contribution lies in showing how national political and economic issues were intimately intertwined with deeply felt concerns about the status and future of the family, and how those concerns shaped the emergence of Ronald Reagan and the newly revived conservative movement. This book is not without flaws. The chapters are excellent but somewhat loosely integrated stand-alone essays, the main theme is belabored a bit repetitiously, and the writing and organization show occasional signs of academic "dissertation-ese." Overall, however, this is an intelligent, subtle, and well-researched work on a complex and significant part of recent US history. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. K. Blaser Wayne State College