Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Introduction 1
5. ONE “Marriages Were a Little Different Then”: Marriages upon Short Acquaintance, and Immigrant, Working-Class Life 13
6. TWO The Era of Large Ballrooms and Famous Bands: The Rise of Commercial Leisure and the Making of a Peer Culture 51
7. THREE “The Girls Here Are Like Crazy”: Working-Class Women’s Heterosocial Leisure and Homosocial Fun 82
8. FOUR “That’s Alright, I Have My Gang Here”: Working-Class Male Culture and the Struggle over Gender, Identity, and Dance 115
9. FIVE “And You Know the Old Saying about Familiarity Breeding Contempt”: Working-Class Male Culture, Social Clubs, and Heterosocial Leisure 157
10. SIX “When It Comes to My Marrying, Boy, There Will Be a Lot of Strings Pulled by My Parents”: Familial Conflict, Commercial Leisure, and Weddings 198
11. Conclusion 234
12. Notes 239
13. Bibliography 279
14. Index 289
15. About the Author 293