Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation (Classic Reprint)

Considered Shocking When Originally Published In 1928, Coming Of Age In Samoa Became The First Book In The Field Of Anthropology To Capture The Imagination Of The General Public. And For Its Ingenious Young Author, Margaret Mead, It Marked The Beginning Of Her Long Career As One Of The Most Innovative Thinkers And Remarkable Women Of Our Time. For Her Landmark Study, The TwentyThreeYearOld Dr. Mead Had Set Out To Determine Whether The Stress Experienced By Most American Children Is A Natural Result Of Growing Up. So She Traveled Along To The ThenUnspoiled Islands Of Samoa, Living Among The Youth To Compare Their More Primitive Culture To Our Own. To Truly Understand A Different Culture, She Would Later Remind Us, Every Word, Grunt, Scratch, Stomachache, Change Of Apparel, Snatch Of Song....Is Relevant. Surprisingly, She Discovered That Samoan Children In The 1920S Generally Felt Contented And Secure Despite The Absence Of A Nuclear Family Structure. While Their Society Was Highly Productive, The Samoans Made Few Distinctions Between Work And Play For Either Child Or Adult. And, Though Regularly Exposed To Sexual Activity, Illness And Even Death Of Their Elders, The Children Did Not Grow Up Depressed, Traumatized Or Depraved. As The Eminent Anthropologist Franz Boas States In The Foreword To Coming Of Age In Samoa, The Results Of Her Painstaking Investigation Confirm The Suspicion... That Much Of What We Ascribe To Human Nature Is No More Than A Reaction To The Restraints Put Upon Us By Our Civilization. Until Her Death In November 1978, Dr. Mead Continued Her Eloquent Appeal For Every ChildS Right To Know And To Choose Freely An Appeal As Relevant Today As It Was Fifty Years Ago.