Customer Reviews

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

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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!

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.

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.

The subject of alcohol in America has so many facets that it would be hard to know where to begin to write a book about it, but Garrett Peck has done just that in his comprehensive look at the history and current state of alcohol use, mores and laws in the United States. Prohibition is a good central idea and that is his starting point.

Author Peck has written one terrific book. The eighteenth amendment to the Constitution propelled the nation through thirteen years of "The Noble Experiment", a phrase to which this period is often referred. Peck then turns to current day usage through chapters regarding spirits, beer and wine. Tidbits of wonderful wisdom pop out. Who knew that even though the Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century brought their wine with them that wine didn't catch on for decades because of the rise of the temperance movement. Through this first part of the book the author relates how whiskey is distilled, why beer drinking is on the decline (even thought it still represents the larger percentage of the alcohol we drink) and how small wineries survive. His guide through Napa and Sonoma is among the best parts of the book. Peck also describes the business aspects of the sale and distribution of beer, wine and spirits, which I found fascinating as one who is not particularly knowledgeable in that field.

The second half deals more with laws and social consequences of alcohol. There is a requisite chapter called "Alcohol and Your Health" and he even gets into the religious side of the acceptance or rejection of alcohol by mainstream American churches. Although he remains a reporting observer for most of the book, he infuses his own thoughts, especially when it comes to Sunday blue laws, dry counties, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the argument for lowering the legal drinking age to eighteen. (He refers to the fact that Portugal has no drinking age and their citizens have fewer problems with alcohol abuse)

What makes "The Prohibition Hangover" so good is not just the factual side of his presentation nor is it simply his conclusions. Peck is a good writer, a good thinker and a great teacher. After reading his book, you feel as if you've gone through a semester course with him...enjoying him all along the way. Garrett Peck has produced a wonderful book on a subject we all know something about and he fills in many of the blank spaces about things we don't know. I highly recommend it.