ABSTRACT
The main themes and issues at the heart of Homeward Bound—gender, the home, domestic culture, politics, sexuality—fit seamlessly into May's scholarship. These continuing preoccupations mark her body of work as unified and coherent. She has carved out a niche within the discipline of American studies that addresses issues of womanhood, the family, sexuality, and the home. A favorable review of May's recent study on birth control, America and the Pill, calls her "one of the best and most penetrating historians of family life and sexuality". May remains a well-respected academic, and Homeward Bound—a frequently referenced and highly influential study—is her most significant work. It brings her scholarly concerns together and frames the interests of her overall career in an exemplary manner. The aspects of American history May investigates in Homeward Bound reflect the research interests she has pursued throughout her career.
