Zimmerman, Jean. Made from Scratch: Reclaiming the Pleasures of the American Hearth. New York: fp/Simon and Schuster, 2003. 288 pp.

In Made From Scratch: Reclaiming the American Hearth, journalist Jean Zimmerman tackles the subjects of homemaking and domesticity in the United States. The book offers both an historical look at these topics as well as a discussion of Americans' current relationship with domesticity and the home. Predictably there are chapters on food and cooking, cleaning and housework, and sewing and quilting, as well as some lessexpected topics, such as the history of home economics classes in American public schools. The unexpected bits of information—such as the history of Jell-O and a discussion of Colonial Williamsburg and the American fascination with historical reenactments—are some of the most interesting and enjoyable of the book. For many Feminist Teacher readers, however, one of the major components of Zimmerman's argument—that domestic work is important and should be valued—will seem an obvious point. Moreover, while Zimmerman is clearly passionate about her topic, her goal of charting the decline of domesticity in the United States in order to demand its revival is not without serious flaws.