power in politics and the dominant force in the
world economy.
Hertz, Rosanna, and Nancy C. Marshall, eds.Working
Families: The Transformation of the American Home.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. Col-
lection of essays examining changes in the struc-
ture of family life in the United States between
1950 and 2000, concentrating on the state of the
family in the 1990’s. Outlines new challenges fac-
ing American families as a result of new ideas
about women’s roles in society, changes in the
workplace, financial demands on families, and
changing expectations regarding child rearing.
Laxer, James.Discovering America: Travels in the Land
of Guns, God, and Corporate Gurus. New York: New
Press, 2000. Considers the United States as propo-
nent of a truly worldwide culture at the end of the
1990’s. Analyzes the country’s character, culture,
and values as they existed at the end of the twenti-
eth century. Explores the importance of emerg-
ing technologies in determining America’s role
on the world stage during this period.
McElroy, John Harmon.Divided We Stand: The Rejec-
tion of American Culture Since the 1960’s. Lanham,
Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Explores trans-
formations in American life during the last half of
the twentieth century, concentrating on changes
brought about by the rejection of many values
once embraced as essential to the American char-
acter. Examines the impact of these changes on
various aspects of life in the United States.
Mannon, James M.Measuring Up: The Performance
Ethic in American Culture. Boulder, Colo.: West-
view Press, 1997. Explores a phenomenon that
emerged during the 1990’s: the increasing pres-
sure on American youth to achieve excellence in
a variety of activities. Relates this phenomenon to
larger social issues that defined the country and
its citizenry during the period.
Montero-Sieburth, Martha, and Edwin Meléndez,
eds.Latinos in a Changing Society. Westport, Conn.:
Praeger, 2007. Examines the changes in Ameri-
can society brought about by the steady influx of
Latinos to the United States during the 1990’s
and the impact of American culture and political
systems on these immigrants. Explains how the
growing numbers of Latinos have helped reshape
the economy and culture of the United States.
Naylor, Larry L.American Culture: Myth and Reality of
a Culture of Diversity. Westport, Conn.: Bergin &
Garvey, 1998. Explores the myths and realities of
American life in the 1990’s, focusing on aspects of
diversity that shaped American values. Explores
social and organizational structures, including
political, economic, and religious systems.
Purdy, Jedediah.For Common Things: Irony, Trust, and
Commitment in America Today. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf, 1999. Examines an attitude prevalent in
America during the 1990’s that tended to slant
citizens’ perspectives in considering important
political and social issues. Claims that a sense of
irony and disengagement, pervasive during the
period, led Americans to shun responsibility for
undertaking positive actions to improve society as
a whole.
Rieder, Jonathan, and Stephen Steinlight, eds.The
Fractious Nation? Unity and Division in Contempo-
rar y American Life. Berkeley: University of Califor-
nia Press, 2003. Fourteen essays focusing on the
conflicts that emerged in the United States during
the last decades of the twentieth century in areas
such as morality, politics, and national identity.
Saunders, William S., et al., eds.Reflections on Architec-
tural Practices in the Nineties. New York: Princeton
Architectural Press, 1996. Contributors explore
the state of architectural practice at the end of the
twentieth century, paying special attention to the
relationship between architecture and environ-
ment, and the impact of social, economic, and po-
litical conditions on the design and construction
of living and working spaces.
Wolfe, Alan, ed.America at Centur y’s End. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1991. Collection of
essays examining major changes in aspects of
American society from the close of World War II
to the beginning of the 1990’s. Individual contrib-
utors focus on personal and community relations,
economics, politics, institutions (including those
providing education, medical care, and informa-
tion), and the impact of rapid change on Ameri-
can society and character.
Woodward, J. David.The America That Reagan Built.
Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2006. Study of trends
in American politics from 1980 to the early years
of the twenty-first century. Argues that conflict
over values and the definition of what it means to
be an American have been the defining issues not
only in political contests but also in virtually every
other conflict arising in the United States during
this period.The Nineties in America Bibliography 1045