Kids study US history, but do they know what life long ago was really like? The past was full of yuckiness. The sounds, smells, filth, bugs, rats, poor hygiene, lack of dental and medical care, and bad food are not portrayed at today's historic sites, in movies, or in most books about US history. Yet this kind of stuff appeals greatly to kids. The purpose of this book is to de-sanitize the past, present it as it actually was, and help kids come to an understanding of how people put up with it-or didn't even notice.
"Those who like gross stuff will get a kick out of reading about the stinky living conditions, bug-infested and rotting food that people ate, the lack of dental and other personal hygiene, and other icky bits of eighteenth-century American history."
Booklist
"This is a colorful and entertaining look at the grosser aspects of American history. . . . It will be an excellent addition to any collection!"
Library Media Connection
"Images of bugs scuttling over period illustrations and photos of pests and artifacts add vividly evocative notes to this rousingly unappetizing survey of the time's fashions, living conditions and (lack of) sanitary practices....Riveting as well as enlightening."
