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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
THIS BOOK RULED!!! Honestly I wish I had written down everything I learned that a woman did FIRST but since I didn't think to do that, my review is just going to be a bunch of my favorite quotes from the book. I wish I could copy-paste the book here but sadly that would go over my allotted character count. If you like drinking (like me) and women (also like me), READ THIS!
"Men want women uninhibited, but only when they can control them. Men will tolerate a drinking woman only if her inhibition is in service to them."
"...for hundreds of years, the only place women could gather to drink, relax and socialize was in a neighbor's kitchen, surrounded by other wives and mothers. There is a long-standing tradition of driving women to some sort of behavior, then mocking them for it. (Sort of like making beauty a woman's most powerful and important currency, then laughing about how long it takes her to get ready.)"
"The ability for beers, wines and spirits to get geographical indication is part of what makes them magical. It's one of the exciting things about drinking, being able to taste and smell the very essence of a place. The soil, the weather, the water, the dedication and skill of the people there. Maybe it's a place that you love, or maybe it's a place that you long to see. Either way, while you're sitting down with a glass, you can experience that place in a small, yet intimate, way."
"Hoffman-La Roche—the manufacturer of Rohypnol—launched a campaign that would forever change the way women act when they go out to drink. The Watch Your Drink! campaign was part of Hoffman-La Roche's lobby for decreased regulation. Their approach was twofold. One, they insisted that alcohol itself was the real problem... Two, they put the onus on women to protect their own drinks and avoid assault. There was an air of Well, if you left your drink unattended... Spiking someone's drink sounds innocuous, but it is nothing short of evil. Hoffman-La Roche did not, however, launch a Don't Assault Women, You Pieces of Garbage! campaign." this was so interesting and I didn't know that the manufacturer of Rohypnol basically shaped modern fears around going out for women >:(
"No matter what you're having, you can toast knowing that women had a part in its history. Saying that some types of alcohol are better, more noble, more masculine to drink than others is just outright silly. Women can look around a brewery, a vine-yard, a distillery, a liquor store, a bar and know that they belong there just as much as anyone. All drinks are girly drinks." HELL YEAH
"Men want women uninhibited, but only when they can control them. Men will tolerate a drinking woman only if her inhibition is in service to them."
"...for hundreds of years, the only place women could gather to drink, relax and socialize was in a neighbor's kitchen, surrounded by other wives and mothers. There is a long-standing tradition of driving women to some sort of behavior, then mocking them for it. (Sort of like making beauty a woman's most powerful and important currency, then laughing about how long it takes her to get ready.)"
"The ability for beers, wines and spirits to get geographical indication is part of what makes them magical. It's one of the exciting things about drinking, being able to taste and smell the very essence of a place. The soil, the weather, the water, the dedication and skill of the people there. Maybe it's a place that you love, or maybe it's a place that you long to see. Either way, while you're sitting down with a glass, you can experience that place in a small, yet intimate, way."
"Hoffman-La Roche—the manufacturer of Rohypnol—launched a campaign that would forever change the way women act when they go out to drink. The Watch Your Drink! campaign was part of Hoffman-La Roche's lobby for decreased regulation. Their approach was twofold. One, they insisted that alcohol itself was the real problem... Two, they put the onus on women to protect their own drinks and avoid assault. There was an air of Well, if you left your drink unattended... Spiking someone's drink sounds innocuous, but it is nothing short of evil. Hoffman-La Roche did not, however, launch a Don't Assault Women, You Pieces of Garbage! campaign." this was so interesting and I didn't know that the manufacturer of Rohypnol basically shaped modern fears around going out for women >:(
"No matter what you're having, you can toast knowing that women had a part in its history. Saying that some types of alcohol are better, more noble, more masculine to drink than others is just outright silly. Women can look around a brewery, a vine-yard, a distillery, a liquor store, a bar and know that they belong there just as much as anyone. All drinks are girly drinks." HELL YEAH
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Incredibly disorganized and painfully glib, and in later chapters, rather snobbish and judgmental (Zima isn't my thing, either, but it feels incredibly rude to repeatedly insult someone for liking something so benign). The bigger issue is there's zero footnoting -- just a generic list of sources that include, and I wish I was making this up, the encyclopedia -- which probably explains the numerous factual errors from the time of the Egyptians through to today. This could have, should have been better, because there's a lot to say about the current state of sexism in the liquor and hospitality industries worth discussing, but unfortunately, this book just isn't it.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
this was the most fun i've had reading a nonfiction book in the longest time! i adore the way this was written - it definitely won't be for everyone, especially those who expect more "proper" historical texts. but as someone who doesn't read too many heavy historical nonfiction books, the casual tone that this book was written in, along with the fascinating facts about the history of women and their influence in the alcohol industry, made this fun, digestible, easy to follow along, and very interesting! the author was able to tell it in a way that almost felt like you were two girlfriends catching up on centuries of history. and the women? iconic. women quite literally run the world.
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
Overall this was a good overview of the history of women and alcohol. However, I don't think it's fair to call this a World History, it's more of an overview of women and alcohol across cultures. There's also a larger focus of white women and alcohol with spurts of women around the world throughout each chapter which after the 40% mark started to feel disingenuous. It would have worked better if the chapters were by region and there was more time spent with each culture. In some instances, there is a brief mention of a culture with their technique then we move on quickly and back into the main focus of the chapter.
absolutely loved this. I keep thinking of people I want to share it with.
It is so rich and well researched. A her story not just of women in alcohol but women's place in the world.
As a female bartender for 20 years from mid 90's in NYC I had forgotten, until reading this, how unusual that actually was. that women were generally hired as servers, not bartenders. My bosses were pretty pioneering in that regard - understanding that women behind the bar invited women customers to come in and feel safe.
Loved it! Thanks to Mallory O'Meara. x
It is so rich and well researched. A her story not just of women in alcohol but women's place in the world.
As a female bartender for 20 years from mid 90's in NYC I had forgotten, until reading this, how unusual that actually was. that women were generally hired as servers, not bartenders. My bosses were pretty pioneering in that regard - understanding that women behind the bar invited women customers to come in and feel safe.
Loved it! Thanks to Mallory O'Meara. x
informative
I enjoyed all these stories of women making their industries. Each time men came in to take away their business, income, and autonomy.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
It was interesting, but minimal with regard to the “world” components. Very much heavy on the western components, which may be due to the author’s limited access to research & documents (IDK) but it was kind of disappointing in that area.
Also written very colloquially, which may be cute for some readers, but not really my style.
Also written very colloquially, which may be cute for some readers, but not really my style.