Where the Wild Things Were Boyhood and Permissive Parenting in Postwar America

"An ambitious study, deftly grounded in a generous sampling of popular culture, influential figures of the era, historical scholarship, and his own experience, Henry Jenkins' magisterial Were the Wild Things Were invites us on a journey through the many permutations of the permissive imagination. What are you waiting for? Accept his invitation!" (Philip Nel, author of Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books) "Impeccably researched; a significant and original contribution to our understanding of baby boom era childhood, and especially boyhood. One of Henry Jenkins's greatest strengths is his ability to show concrete circuits of influence and exchange between childrearing experts and the popular fiction he analyzes. Considering biographies of writers, producers, illustrators, and animators as well as production histories of the texts he analyzes, Jenkins demonstrates the dynamic and reciprocal relations between intellectual and popular culture." (Lynn Spigel, Northwestern University)