Foul Bodies: Cleanliness in Early America (Society and the Sexes in the Modern World)

It would be truly impossible to articulate that vast depth and expanse that this author/professor has accomplished in her latest book. Nothing has previously been done in such a range and scope that can come to properly compare itself to the brilliant theoretical chain that ties our relationship to clean ideals, or "body work," and our western reality today.This book was not as burdensome as some other academic books often come off as, but rather is fairly accessible and fun to flip through if one has only some spare time to. And don't let the bland cover toss you as it almost did for me!

Great for historical research.

Very interesting if a bit wordy and sometimes repetitive.

The moral laxness of our WASP forefathers has been covered and condemned time and again in other books. I thought this book would be an objective history of personal hygiene, laundry, etc. That information is here, but wedged between sometimes extreme assumptions and conclusions by the author. I like objectivity in history books and that is not evident here.