Homeward Bound

March 4, 2013
Journalist Matcher explores the trend toward domesticity that some American women have embraced in the past decade: the rise of homeschooling and “attachment” parenting; domestic blogging; knitting circles; homegrown vegetables, canning, and bread made from scratch; the burgeoning online craft marketplace; neohomesteading; and more. Speaking for those in their 20s and 30s who are “longing for a more authentic, meaningful life in an economically and environmentally uncertain world,” Matcher investigates the implications of this “New Domesticity.” A lively and perceptive reporter, she provides a historical overview of homemakers, from the frugal housewives of colonial times to the Radical Homemakers of the early 2000s, and interviews a variety of enthusiasts from around the country—Etsy entrepreneurs in the South, food bloggers in the West, homesteaders on the East Coast, practitioners of attachment parenting in Chicago, and others. The book overstates its case when portraying these trends, none of which are particularly new or mainstream, as “a profound shift in the way Americans view life,” and it could have been better edited to eliminate some repetition, clichés, and the occasional sweeping generalization: not all baby boomer parents are “stressed-out divorced.” Nevertheless, Matcher offers a valuable and astute assessment of the factors that led to the current embracing of domesticity and the consequences of this movement. Agent: Allison Hunter, Inkwell Management.