For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It [Paperback]

Mark Pendergrast (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2000

For God, Country and Coca-Cola is the unauthorized history of the great American soft drink and the company that makes it. From its origins as a patent medicine in Reconstruction Atlanta through its rise as the dominant consumer beverage of the American century, the story of Coke is as unique, tasty, and effervescent as the drink itself. With vivid portraits of the entrepreneurs who founded the company—and of the colorful cast of hustlers, swindlers, ad men, and con men who have made Coca-Cola the most recognized trademark in the world—this is business history at its best: in fact, “The Real Thing.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Detailed and marvelously entertaining." -- Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Mark Pendergrast was born in Atlanta and is a graduate of Harvard University. A business journalist, he has published articles and reviews in a number of magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, the Sunday Times (London), and Financial Analyst.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 16 and up
  
• Paperback: 664 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; Enlarged 2nd edition (March 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465054684
• ISBN-13: 978-0465054688
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am the author of six books of critically acclaimed non-fiction. The latest is JAPAN'S TIPPING POINT: CRUCIAL CHOICES IN THE POST-FUKUSHIMA WORLD, a short book on a huge topic. Can Japan radically shift its energy policy, become greener, more self-sufficient, and avoid catastrophic impacts on the climate? In the post-Fukushima era, Japan is the "canary in the coal mine" for the rest of the world. I arrived in Japan exactly two months after the Fukushima meltdown. This book is the account of my trip and my alarming conclusions. INSIDE THE OUTBREAKS, is a history of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service. The others are UNCOMMON GROUNDS, the history of coffee, FOR GOD, COUNTRY & COCA-COLA, the history of the soft drink, MIRROR MIRROR, a history of mirrors, and VICTIMS OF MEMORY, a book about so-called recovered memories. One critic called me "the ultimate freelance journalist with an eclectic mind." I suppose he meant that I write about whatever interests me. I prefer to call myself an independent scholar, since my books are heavily researched. I joke that I should have earned an honorary Ph.D for each of them in their respective subjects. What my books all have in common is that they cover subjects that matter. In my small way, I hope to make the world a somewhat saner, safer place. I'm not sure if my children's book, JACK AND THE BEAN SOUP, will make the world a better place, but I hope it makes it a bit more humorous. The book is a fractured fairytale -- basically, an elaborate fart joke, though it does explain how evil came to the earth and the origin of thunder! I live in Vermont with my wife and dog, and I like to hear from readers. For more information on my books, see www.markpendergrast.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great history of Coke - but where are the photos?, July 31, 2000

By 

KC "KC" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It (Paperback)

Since my father was in the soft drink business for over 30 years -- he was a chemist for The Coca-Cola Company when I was born, and I believe we were the only kids on the block allowed to consume all the soda pop we desired, since we had cases of it in our garage -- I have always had an interest in the history of soda pop, and of The Coca-Cola Company in particular. I believe that even if the reader of this book was only marginally interested in Coke, he or she would be swept up in this well-researched and written book. Mark Pendergrast is a terrific writer -- this book reads like a compelling novel, and will be VERY difficult for the first-time reader to put down! I especially enjoyed the chapters on Coke's influence during WWII, as well as the "New Coke" debacle of the 1980's (the chapter is titled "The Worst Marketing Blunder of the Century"). Not to mention that the world-famous "secret formula" is revealed in this book as well! The only bone I have to pick with this edition is the lack of photos (which were in the first edition of this book). In a historical work like "For God, Country, and Coca-Cola" a photographic reference is absolutely necessary! Still a great read, though!P.S. I'm ordering a copy for my dad (who was a collegue of Coke president & CEO Roberto Goizueta in the 50's and 60's) - I know he'll get a kick out of it!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it, and the drink will no more mean the same to you!, September 12, 2000

By 

Murtaza Shehabi (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It (Paperback)

There is very little thought given to the role a "bottle of soda" plays in our lives. Reading the book, one can appreciate that brands like Coca-Cola, mean more than just a drink. How "brand-emotions" subconsciously carve a place inside you. The content is very well researched and has adequate information to grip the reader's attention to acquire more knowledge of, one of America's strongest and most successful brand names!

The events that followed its invention - simply lead you to believe that "Coke" was BORN to be great. The first real global company I ever knew!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very good historical work, with good perspective, October 23, 2003

By 

J. Green (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It (Paperback)

Basically, this is a book on the history of Coca-Cola, with some really good information on the cola industry as a whole. Well-researched, and well-written, I enjoyed this book. It was especially interesting to see the honesty in regard to the cocaine and caffiene content issues that Coke had to deal with, and later the "New Coke" fiasco. My only complaint would be with the length and that its a bit slow moving. The people involved certainly aren't very likeable, but the author does a good job of putting everything into a proper historical context. It even has the "secret formula" for the drink, which I found interesting just to know what I'm drinking.