The Kallikak Family (Annotated)

Enriched Edition. A Study in the Heredity of Intellectual disability, Learning disabilities, and Mental illnessBy Henry H. Goddard

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Length2h 43m

About this audiobook

Published in 1912, The Kallikak Family presents Henry H. Goddard's notorious case study of "hereditary feeble-mindedness," tracing two alleged lines descended from a Revolutionary War soldier: one through an illicit union with a woman Goddard labels feeble-minded, the other through a respectable marriage. Written in the confident, documentary style of Progressive Era social science, with charts, moralized anecdotes, and institutional observation, the book belongs to the literature of early intelligence testing and American eugenics. Its narrative force comes less from evidence—much of which later scholarship has discredited—than from its attempt to convert family history into social policy. Goddard was a prominent psychologist at the Vineland Training School in New Jersey and an influential importer of the Binet-Simon intelligence tests to the United States. His work with institutionalized children, his belief in fixed mental heredity, and the reformist anxieties of the period shaped this book's assumptions and its troubling prescriptions. This volume is recommended to readers not as sound science, but as an essential primary text for understanding how psychology, statistics, class prejudice, and eugenic ideology converged in modern social thought. This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience. - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.

Family Psychological