The birth of America’s shopping addiction.
Why do you have to have the latest iPhone? Is it really that much better than the last model? How did we end up with 57 kinds of peanut butter? Who buys reduced-fat, super-chunk, peanut butter balls? What makes celebrities irresistible? Even when we want to look away, we just can’t. How come “just say no” never works? Not with booze, not with drugs, and not with sex. How did we end up with so many subscriptions? Do you even know how many you have? When was the first “girl’s night out”? And why can’t guys dream up anything better than a sports bar? And worst of all: Why is there so much click-bait?!
What if I told you that the answer isn’t greedy corporations or deceitful advertisers? It’s not big tech, artificial intelligence, social media, or hidden algorithms either. The answers have been hiding in plain site for over 100 years.
The desire to make our own choices is hardwired into our brains, but it was not until the Roaring 20s that the combination of mass production, mass finance, and mass marketing made choice-making the American drug of choice.
Booze, Babe, and the Little Black Dress retells the epic stories of the decade that addicted all of us to the shopping experience.
Is that a good thing? A bad thing? Or something in between?
Read on…and choose for yourself.
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!
What others are saying…
The book’s strength lies in its engaging, accessible style that captures the titillating, over-the-top cultural milieu of the decade. And while it’s generally optimistic in tone, the book doesn’t ignore the dark side of consumer culture, noting the environmental impacts of mass consumption and how modern shopping has become “a drug that’s addicted the American public.
– Kirkus Reviews
In “Booze, Babe, and the Little Black Dress,” Jason Voiovich glibly reveals the bones and origins of consumer culture. The colorful characters and funny anecdotes he uses to explain the tectonic plates of modern America isn’t merely fascinating—it’s also strangely empowering. 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.
– Andrew Heaton, comedian and podcaster
