It's hard to overestimate the complexity of the factors that dictate something as simple as where; and in what sorts of structures; people live. Urban planning; business; labor; ethnicity; architecture—each influences the types of structures people live in; and the sorts of lives they lead within them.Joseph C. Bigott takes on all of these fields in From Cottage to Bungalow; a sophisticated study of domestic structures and ethnic working-class neighborhoods in Chicago during the critical period of 1869 to 1929; when the city attracted huge numbers of immigrants. Exploring the meaning of home ownership in this context; Bigott develops two case studies that combine the intimate lives of ordinary people (primarily in Chicago's Polish and German communities) with broad analysis of everything from real estate markets to the very carpentry practices used to construct houses. His progressive methods and the novel conclusions they support chronicle not only the history of housing in Chicago; but also the organizations of people's lives; and the ways in which housing has affected notions of who is—and who is not—a worthy American citizen.
#633507 in Books Pearson 2012-08-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.70 x .60 x 9.00l; 1.20 #File Name: 0205934439312 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Kindle Edition needs some workBy D. Mossor is proud of the Kindle edition of this book; and I have no idea why. They state:Print Replica Kindle books maintain the rich formatting and layout of their related print editions and offer many of the advantages of standard Kindle books. Features include:Notes and highlightsSearch; copy and pasteZoom and panPop-out linked table-of-contentsThis is a problem - on 7" tablets or a first-gen iPad; it is impossible to read without zooming and panning. I would like to read it on my laptop; as it says in the description that it is available for all platforms; but when I try it tells me it can only be read via a Kindle app on a mobile device.Now that I see they've released a Kindle Fire app for PCs; I'll try that tonight and see if it's any better.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Breadth and DepthBy MichaelSubtracting a star for the lack of insight on indigenous religions. It is harder to go in depth but can give better understanding into the development of religion. Perhaps this is for a different textbook. The other chapters have such depth; however; and it is sad for it to end; so to speak.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Although it did have a good bit of information in itBy YogglesThis "book" reminded me more of a magazine rather than a higher educational reference book. Although it did have a good bit of information in it; I don't like feeling as if my intelligence is being insulted and or the material being "dumbed-down" in order to appeal to the younger generation of college goers.
