A History of the Sleepover

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the history of the sleepover—and why they have become so complicated for parents today.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• Parents have strong feelings about sleepovers. Niki referred to this Glamour roundup of sleepovers in pop culture, and Natalia drew on this Atlantic article. We all drew on this history of slumber parties and folklore from JSTOR Daily. 

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia recommended Annie Abrams’ forthcoming book, Shortchanged: How Advanced Placement Cheats Students.
• Neil shared Elizabeth Hinton’s American Historical Review essay, “The Last Great Battle of the West.”
• Niki discussed Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.