This story contains affiliate links
It has certainly been far too long since I have had a chance to read anything besides the picture books I read to my kindergartner each night. At last I had a chance to read a grown-up book, carving out as much time here and there as I could to get through this book: The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings. While this book is not anything like a typical parenting book if you are wondering, it is far more interesting – in my opinion.
The author, David F. Lancy, explores child rearing and childhood in various cultures all around the world. I feel like many of us get stuck in the westernized way of life so reading this book definitely open your eyes to so many things. I was amazed by how shockingly different things can vary from place to place. Some you may find yourselves nodding along with some of it and thinking “yes that makes sense,” and other practices will likely find appalling.
I will be honest and tell you that this is not an easy or quick read at all. It’s a long book and I felt it seemed a little more like a text book, but perhaps that is because it is just so jam packed with fascinating information. It is apparent from just reading the first few pages that so much time and research has been put into this book. I enjoyed this book, but I did have to re-read several parts to fully grasp what was being talked about at times.
The author, David F. Lancy is a professor at Utah State University. He has written other books including: Studying Children and Schools, Playing on the Mother Ground: Cultural Routines for Children’s Learning and The Anthropology of Learning in Childhood. This book: The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings is a second edition and was first published in 2015.
The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings
by David F. Lancy
Cambridge University Press
[spacer height=”20px”]
Disclosure: The writer received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are her own. Some links provided in this story are affiliate links. Little Lake County will earn a portion of sales made through these links. Thank you for clicking!
Leave a Reply