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The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet
 
 
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The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet [Hardcover]

Mr. Garrett Peck (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 5, 2009
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 neoprohibitionist 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.
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fair-minded, well-reported and important look at regulatory issues....Anyone interested in reforming antiquated alcohol regulations will get a good deal of pleasure from this book." --American Brewer, Summer 2010

"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. 

"Garrett Peck provides a clear, concise, and stimulating overview about alcohol use and alcohol policy in the United States since Repeal in 1933. The book deftly combines careful research, excellent story-telling, and strong opinions about strong drink."
(William Rorabaugh University of Washington and author of The Alcoholic Republic 20090202)

"The Prohibition Hangover is an excellent book in every way: it is well researched, thoughtful, and entertaining to read. From discussions of policies since Prohibition to Americans'' tastes for drinks throughout the decades, this book will appeal to anyone interested in alcohol."
(Edward Stringham Trinity College and author of No Booze? You May Lose 20090202)

"The adage that ''history repeats itself'' has special meaning when applied to Americans'' experience with alcohol. At various times in our past, Americans have tried Prohibition, and each time learned, or re-learned, the hard lesson that it doesn''t work. Yes, fewer people drink during periods of Prohibition; what ought we to expect, after all? But those choosing to drink, and there are many, drink more irresponsibly and are forced by the law into dangerous, clandestine environments, where health and even life are put at greater risk. For young adults age 18-20 today, a culture of Prohibition has produced these same, utterly predictable results. Kudos to Garrett Peck for advancing this unpleasant yet unassailable truth, and doing so with a convincing combination of fact and style. Impeccably researched and written in a most engaging style, The Prohibition Hangover, brings us face-to-face with those who would have us continue down their own preferred paths of righteousness, and shows us how, far too often, those paths traverse the valley of the shadow of death."
(John M. McCardell, Jr. President Emeritus, Middlebury College 20090309)

"Garrett Peck effectively captures the essence of America''s love/hate relationship with alcohol beverages. While some of his conclusions are controversial, his book is well-written and comprehensive."
(Dan Tearno industry executive 20100601)

"For journalist Peck, Prohibition is like a bad hangover from which the US has never fully recovered, and he proves that the alcohol controversy has never gone away. The author provides an excellent overview of alcohol in the US since the Prohibition Era. He closely examines the development of the wine, beer, and distilled spirits trades, including the rise of wine and whiskey tourism and controversies regarding alcohol advertising. Peck examines the social implications of efforts to combat alcohol, especially the effects of the Mothers against Drunk Driving campaigns. He concludes that there should be more
emphasis on teaching young people about responsible drinking; though it will be controversial, he makes a convincing case to lower the national drinking age to 18. Highly recommended."
(Choice 20110701)

"A well-written study of the contemporary liquor industry."
(The Historian )

About the Author

Garrett Peck is a freelance journalist who has written mostly within the alcohol industry trade circles. He also leads the Temperance Tour of Prohibition-related sites in Washington, DC. The Prohibition Hangover is his first book.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Rutgers University Press (August 5, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0813545927
  • ISBN-13: 978-0813545929
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garrett Peck is a literary journalist and self-described history dork. He is the author of three books: "The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet;" "Prohibition in Washington, DC: How Dry We Weren't;" and "The Potomac River: A History and Guide." He also leads the Temperance Tour of Prohibition-related sites in the nation's capital. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and earned a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University. Peck has worked more than 16 years in marketing and is a former U.S. Army officer. A native Californian, he lives in Arlington, Virginia. www.garrettpeck.com

 

Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Alcohol, August 25, 2009
By 
pinmagic "Neil" (Arlington, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet (Hardcover)
The 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!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Prohibition Hangover won't give you one, December 7, 2009
By 
Paul A. Wilson (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet (Hardcover)
Garrett 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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and informative, December 7, 2009
By 
P. Rothstein (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet (Hardcover)
Garrett 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.
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