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

Henry Jenkins examines the contentious national conversation surrounding childhood and parenting in postwar America. Through an analysis of iconic works from 'The Cat in the Hat' to 'The Twilight Zone,' he reveals how cultural trends in parenting, particularly the rise of permissiveness, shaped our understanding of children. The book explores how the language of parenting advice literature influenced popular fictions of the era. Jenkins demonstrates how boy protagonists came to embody both the ideals and contradictions of permissive child-rearing.