The 1950s

I am currently reading a book called "Scrubs on Skates" by Scott Young, published in 1952. I think this book is great for a few reasons I will here list.

-the illustrations involve straight-shouldered, tall, pristine hair-cut-ed boys who actually look like men
-the author's note explains how there are differences between the Canadian and American hockey rules (assumedly because the author follows the Canadian ones and some of his readership might follow the American)
-I found this book while researching for a music history class (E.T.A. Hoffman was both a musician/musical critic and an author)
-the language (reminiscent of American Graffiti where Ron Howard's character's big dis to the principal was, "Go kiss a duck!") is absurdly tame and makes me laugh (from our perspective, people in the 1950s seemed a bit repressed)

Here is the line that promped me to write about this book which is actually quite engaging and I have difficulty putting down:

"But Wong and Kryschuk, they were quiet kids, wouldn't say boo to a goose. . . ." (153; Little, Brown and Company, Boston)


I have endless appreciation for the 1950s (and '40s, '30s, etc. but '50s especially) because people had a good sense of propriety. I realize that there was much oppression for women and - in this country - non-Caucasian people in more subtle yet pervasive ways but, on the whole, I appreciate that people still had taste and modesty in terms of how they conducted themselves. I cannot complain that I am a victim of my society and I cannot claim that I am as wholesome as my mid-century predessors were.