American Blue Blood: The Challenge of Coming of Age in Upper-class America

by William C. Codington

In American Blue Blood, William C. Codington brings us the Lightfoot family of Virginia and Philadelphia that for generations has been profoundly aware and proud of its aristocratic heritage. Since the country's founding, however, America has been at war with itself over issues of class, and, when confronted with the opposing democratic social currents of the late 20th century, each Lightfoot family member must decide what is and what is not acceptable as an American. The resulting debate has created deep conflict between the siblings, between spouses, and between the generations.

Tom Lightfoot, a young man starting out in the world, finds that he does not fit in professionally because of his aristocratic heritage, and, socially, he feels alienated as friends and family turn against, abandon, or betray that heritage. At every turn he must struggle to reconcile it with mainstream democratic values. In a larger sense Tom's path to success, and the path to survival for the Lightfoot family as a coherent whole, is a passage through a battle of competing visions for the social framework of our country in the late 20th century.

With few exceptions, narratives of upper class America have been written by outsiders, infiltrators, muckrakers, or hangers-on. This coming-of-age story, edited by William C. Codington, has been written by a genuine insider.

Front cover: “Between them was a portrait of Isaac Leigh, Philadelphia Quaker and abolitionist, whose resemblance to me most of the family agreed was `uncanny.' It was painted by Robert Charles Leslie, an American who studied under Benjamin West in London.”

198 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2004

Reviews

[William C.]

This novel helps us understand why upper class WASP culture (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) lost its exalted place in American society in the decades that ended the 20th Century.

The families portrayed in this novel are inheritors of the WASP culture that founded our country and in later generations founded and populated our exclusive suburban neighborhoods, such as the Philadelphia Main Line where this story largely takes place. Members of this culture created and sent their sons and daughters to exclusive boarding schools and the Ivy League Colleges. They were largely Episcopalian, their telephone book was the Social Register, and they hung out at clubs where tennis was played on grass and where blacks, Jews, and "ethnics" were not allowed.

In the later half of the 20th century the upper class WASP community was marginalized as standardized test scores, not family connections, determined who got accepted at elite schools and colleges. Meanwhile, technology was revolutionizing business and regional family companies all but disappeared. In short, as America moved toward "meritocracy," Old Money WASPs had a hard time competing. Furthermore, the generation of WASPs that came of age in the '60s and '70s had difficulty reconciling the elitism of their own culture with the democratic ideals for which their country was supposed to stand.

American Blue Blood deals with these themes through a Philadelphia Main Line family, the members of which struggle to understand who they are supposed to be in the late 20th Century. The plot is primarily a coming-of-age story, and the characters are well drawn and believable.

This novel is worth a read for anyone interested in understanding what WASP culture once was, what it was up against, and what happened to it. This book is for that person who wants to learn all of the above, but who wants to do it by reading fiction as opposed to the works of University of Pennsylvania sociologist E. Digby Baltzell (The Protestant Establishment, Philadelphia Gentlemen, Puritan Boston Quaker Philadelphia), Robert C. Christopher (Crashing the Gates), Nelson W. Aldrich, Jr. (Old Money), Jerome C Karabel (The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton), etc., etc. All are great books and are also worth reading.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Blue Blood is a wonderfully written coming-of-age story of a member of upper class America. This book will make you rethink the stereotypes associated with the WASP culture and gives great insight to the history behind the American upper class. This book was hard to put down and left me wanting more. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

[Dallin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the insight it gave to the non-existent/existent aristocracy that the United States have. It puts the American Dream into perspective and how attainable it is in the US for everyone - blue bloods and immigrants alike. Although there are families that have been here since the landing of the Mayflower and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, others have come and made a life/name for themselves and achieved this American Dream; they have risen above the previous generations because this aristocracy is not allowed to challenge hard work and dilligence. Family names from various ethnicities and countries have been able to attain the same success that the "Blue Bloods" have attained.

This book was a really interesting read as it follows Tom's struggle to adjust from boarding school to college to real life without a trust fund or connections that were available a generation before him. The Good Ol' Boys network does not work out for him like it does for others in his "class". He is thrown into the employment hunt with everyone else and must make his own connections and land a job all the while enduring sneers and jabs from his peers. He comes to understand the past so much better because he is understanding his present.

I love how we can learn from history the lessons that we need to understand today. How the past shapes our present and how today will shape tomorrow. Understanding where we came from, what we're doing now and what we're going to do tomorrow is what the study of history is all about.

[Yassemin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author was kind enough to give me a copy of this book and thus I will review it accordingly but honestly.

I couldn't get into this book at all. It largely felt like a struggle. This wasnt because of the writing or the way the book was written, that was all perfectly fine but it was the subject matter and the characters that I failed to raise any enthusiasm about. The bottom line being as I am British, I found it hard to understand, appreciate and after a while enjoy reading about. I am sure that American readers will not have this problem as of course the details will be more familiar to them!


Subject matter: I assumed [wrongly:] that clearly class was a main element of this book and it was and that itself wasn't too bad but perhaps as I am British and thus not acquainted with the "American Way" as such, it grew tiresome when various families and lineages were listed off and of which I had no knowledge of.

Characters: Tom was a source of huge dislike for me; he came across snobby, lazy and very much in love with himself. I didnt like him at all. This naturally made me uninterested in everything that he tried to do during the book. I especially hated his thoughts and actions towards Ole, they filled me with disgust. However I have been informed that had I finished the book things would have changed therefore my views on Tom were what I established having got as far as page 110. It is possible he may have become more likeable after this point.

Thus, I unfortunately had to declare defeat and give in. The book was not bad by any means, it just wasnt for me, I am sure it will do Americans who will be more familiar with the details in the book better justice, or Brits who are into and have knowledge of the people and upper class way of life in America also. I didnt so just not for me.