Booze, Babe, and the Little Black Dress: How Innovators of the Roaring 20s Created the Consumer Revolution
– Learn MoreEpic stories from the decade that taught Americans how to vote with their wallets.
“The more you read, the less you feel like a sheep in the thrall of Madison Avenue, and more like a tiny, private tycoon bending the market to your whims.”
What did Al Capone, Babe Ruth, and Coco Chanel all have in common? Al Capone understood that working men just wanted to enjoy a beer after a long day at work…and that working women wanted exactly the same thing. Babe Ruth understood that people wanted a show, not just a game…even if they would never see him play. Coco Chanel understood that women wanted freedom from tight corsets, flowing gowns, and complex updos…even if (especially if) that meant showing some skin. Each one understood what their customer wanted and found a way to give it to them.
We’ve heard amazing stories like these so often over the past 100 years that they’ve become…well, normal. But that’s only because no one alive today remembers what life was like before the so-called “Roaring 20s” – the most misunderstood decade in American history. Capone, Ruth, and Chanel were indeed unique, but they were not alone. Dozens of innovators used the same approach to systematically change every aspect of our daily lives in a 10-year orgy of societal transformation unknown before or since.
The 1920s ushered in nothing short of a Consumer Revolution – one just as transformative as the Industrial Revolution that preceded it or the Information Revolution that followed. Consumer culture not only changed what we buy and how we buy it, but more important than that, it changed how we see ourselves and our role in society. We’re more than healthcare patients, college students, social advocates, and citizens. We’re consumers…and we demand to be treated as such.
Our world – for good and for ill – would never be the same.
What you can expect in this book:
- Fun, fast-paced, and fascinating stories about colorful characters of the 1920s.
- Learn the origins of everything from frozen food to diaphragms.
- Empower yourself to make better consumer choices…starting today.
This book will help you rediscover your power to change the world!