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The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet Hardcover – August 3, 2009
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Spirits are all the rage today. Two-thirds of Americans drink, whether they enjoy higher priced call brands or more moderately priced favorites. From fine dining and piano bars to baseball games and backyard barbeques, drinks are part of every social occasion.
In The Prohibition Hangover, Garrett Peck explores the often-contradictory social history of alcohol in America, from the end of Prohibition in 1933 to the twenty-first century. For Peck, Repeal left American society wondering whether alcohol was a consumer product or a controlled substance, an accepted staple of social culture or a danger to society. Today the legal drinking age, binge drinking, the neo-prohibitionist movement led by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the 2005 Supreme Court decision in Granholm v. Heald that rejected discriminatory curbs on wine sales, the health benefits of red wine, advertising, and other issues remain highly contested.
Based on primary research, including hundreds of interviews with those on all sides, clergy, bar and restaurant owners, public health advocates, citizen crusaders, industry representatives, and more, as well as secondary sources, The Prohibition Hangover provides a panoramic assessment of alcohol in American culture. Traveling through the California wine country, the beer barrel backroads of New England and Pennsylvania, and the blue hills of Kentucky's bourbon trail, Peck places the concerns surrounding alcohol use within the broader context of American history, religious traditions, and governance.
Society is constantly evolving, and so are our drinking habits. Cutting through the froth and discarding the maraschino cherries, The Prohibition Hangover examines the modern American temperament toward drink amid the $189-billion-dollar-a-year industry that defines itself by the production, distribution, marketing, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRutgers University Press
- Publication dateAugust 3, 2009
- Dimensions6 x 1 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100813545927
- ISBN-13978-0813545929
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Editorial Reviews
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"This book deftly combines careful research, excellent storytelling, and strong opinions about strong drink." --William Rorabaugh, author of "The Alcoholic Republic"
"Brings us face-to-face with those who would have us continue down the path of righteousness, and shows us how, far too often, that path can lead to treacherous results." --John M. McCardell, Jr., founder of Choose Responsibility
"This new book is a well-written study of the contemporary liquor industry." -- The Historian (Phi Alpha Theta), Summer 2011.
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Rutgers University Press (August 3, 2009)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0813545927
- ISBN-13 : 978-0813545929
- Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,152,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,550 in Beer (Books)
- #2,842 in Alcoholic Spirits
- #3,493 in Wine (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Garrett Peck is an author, public historian, and tour guide in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His eighth and latest book is "A Decade of Disruption: America in the New Millennium." Peck was involved with the DC Craft Bartenders Guild in lobbying the DC City Council to have the Rickey declared Washington's native cocktail. He researched and pinpointed the site of the Washington Brewery at Navy Yard, and is particularly proud that Green Hat Gin is named after a character Peck wrote about in his book "Prohibition in Washington, D.C.": congressional bootlegger George Cassiday. He has lectured at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Smithsonian, and often speaks at literary clubs, historical societies, and trade associations.
Peck leads history-related tours in the Washington area, including the Temperance Tour of Prohibition-related sites in the nation's capital, which has been featured on C-SPAN Book TV and the History Channel program "Ten Things You Didn't Know About" with punk rock legend Henry Rollins. He also leads the Walt Whitman Tour, WWI, Tour, Jazz History Tour, brewing tours of Alexandria and DC, and many others.
Peck graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and earned a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University. Peck worked more than two decades in telecom marketing and is a former U.S. Army officer. A native Californian, he lives in Santa Fe. www.garrettpeck.com
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Customers find the book enlightening and well-researched, covering diverse topics like the history of alcohol. They describe it as an enjoyable read and a must-have for history enthusiasts.
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Customers find the book enlightening and well-researched. It covers topics like the history of alcohol and its future. They appreciate the author's thorough coverage of the subject, including taxation, religion, and medical evidence regarding drinking.
"...of alcohol, and covers it from every angle, delving into such diverse topics as the history of alcohol (and its potential future); changing social..." Read more
"...The depth of his research is apparent in this knowledgeable non-fiction expose. Garrett is a real joy to read. An absolute must for history geeks." Read more
"Well researched and interesting, a page turner for me!" Read more
Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They say it's a good read and a must for history enthusiasts.
"...it all together in a surprisingly accessible and interesting way for the average reader...." Read more
"...Garrett is a real joy to read. An absolute must for history geeks." Read more
"Well researched and interesting, a page turner for me!" Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2009The author takes on the subject of alcohol, and covers it from every angle, delving into such diverse topics as the history of alcohol (and its potential future); changing social attitudes about consumption; the medical evidence regarding drinking; politics, and the motivation of alcohol taxation; and the impact of religion on alcohol use. Overarching all this is an in-depth discussion of the Temperance movement, and its lasting impact on America's attitude toward alcohol. There's something for everyone here.
The author brings it all together in a surprisingly accessible and interesting way for the average reader. He clearly has his own opinions on this controversial subject, and he's not afraid to share them, keeping the read lively.
The book reveals that almost 2/3 of American adults consume alcoholic beverages. Given that we, as Americans, spend so much time and money on alcohol, it only makes sense to understand more about it. A thorough, well-written book about a fascinating topic. Recommended!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2024The book is well written but the author is in love with alcohol. His chapters show that his favorite alcoholic beverage is anything with alcohol in it: liquors, beer, and wine. However he feels that “moderate drinking” is associated with improved health. This is definitely incorrect given recent studies. One landmark, worldwide study (195 countries and territories) over 26 years (1900-2016) involving 515 researchers looking at 28 million people, published in the Lancet in October 2018 (after the author published this book) found that the only safe level of alcohol consumption consistent with optimal health was ZERO DRINKS A WEEK. They also found that there are NO HEALTH BENEFITS ARE PRESENT WITH DRINKING ANY ALCOHOL. Harvard and MIT Cardiologists in 2023 found that there are NO HEART HEALTH BENEFITS FROM DRINKING ANY AMOUNT OR TYPE OF BOOZE. No one should drink alcohol to help their heart.
In 2018, it was reported that 88,000 Americans died from drinking alcohol! The death toll in 2023 increased massively with 178,000 Americans dying from the use of any type of alcohol.
Studies in 2007 and 2010 found ALCOHOL TO BE THE MOST DANGEROUS DRUG IN THE WORLD.
Alcohol almost killed me after drinking for only 18 months; it left me with several debilitating medical conditions, which WILL SHORTEN MY LIFE!
Fortunately I have been sober for 43+ years continuously since June 26th, 1981. It is my considered medical opinion after my sobriety and 35+ years of medical practice that NO ONE SHOULD DRINK ALCOHOL AS IT IS A LOUSY DRUG. The best way to live is to LEARN TO LIVE ALCOHOL-FREE. I’ve done it for over 43 years and sincerely wish that I HAD NEVER DRANK ANY BOOZE. The World Health Organization now agrees with me that no one should drink booze.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2012Garrett has done his homework. The depth of his research is apparent in this knowledgeable non-fiction expose. Garrett is a real joy to read. An absolute must for history geeks.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2015Well researched and interesting, a page turner for me!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2014I was very impressed with this book. An examination of alcohol in our culture that is frank and compelling addressing many thought provoking issues we have today. I live in Maryland, the backyard of MADD and have witnessed first hand and followed the mission creep of that group and have been an advocate of lowering the drinking age back to 18. I also enjoyed the discussions on the business and marketing aspects of alcohol as well. I really can't stress how well written and researched the author is. Further, you can't help but read this book and see the same arguments the gun control lobby makes that were made during prohibition. The author is a huge advocate of the personal responsibilities that come with personal freedoms.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2012I had been looking for a book on the Prohibition when I stumbled on this book. After reading notes on it I decided to give it a try, and I am really glad I did. It seems the topic had not been covered until this book came out. The author, in my opinion, did a great job informing and entertaining. His style made for a very enjoyable read. I would recommend this to anyone with a curiousity for US History.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2009Garrett Peck's enjoyable and entertaining account takes the reader through the changing mores surrounding the consumption of alcohol in America. The book's broad account takes the reader on tours of whiskey country in Kentucky, California's wine regions, and the history of American beer brewing. The title refers to the continuing effects of Prohibition, in particular the patchwork of federal, state and local laws that still limit the production, sale and consumption of alcohol. Peck also shows that we're drinking less in quantity, but enjoying higher quality, as seen in the decline of the big national beer brands. Peck is probably at his best describing the furious lobbying efforts and the perennial marketing battles as the distillers, brewers and vintners jostle for market share. If you're looking for the reasons behind what and why we drink--and how, when, and where we do it-- you'll probably find the answers here.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2009Garrett Peck has written a highly informative and entertaining account of the liquor industry in the United States. The author provides background on the temperance movement of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and shows how, even today, that movement affects our liquor laws and attitudes. He also provides interesting information about the production of different types of liquor and insights into trends in this important industry. Whether you drink a lot or not at all (or are somewhere in between), you will find "The Prohibition Hangover" enjoyable.