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A review by kathleenitpdx
Craze: Gin and Debauchery in An Age of Reason by Jessica Warner
3.0
This book got better as it went along. But I wanted to point out to the author that this is a popular history book. I found the quotes of formal, 18th-century prose not worth the time to try to decipher. In a popular history, it is OK to paraphrase! And then I found she used terms that I am not familiar with, like "fisc". Is this Canadian or British? I can find no definition that seems to fit the context.
I found the experiments in law enforcement interesting--using informers, non-jury "trials", real "activist judges" (both those out drumming up business and those trying to avoid it). You can see how the present British and US systems developed based on some of these experiences of law-makers and citizens.
I found the author's comparison of the response to the gin craze with current responses to various drug problems instructive but I don't feel that they always hold up. I can definitely see that marijuana use has a counter-culture component; and the media has certainly highlighted the impact of meth on children; but not necessarily the obverse. And I understand that meth has had a significant impact in rural areas. (The author seems to think all drug "problems" are in cities). But this book was published in 2002 so maybe she had not had a chance to "study" meth.
I found the experiments in law enforcement interesting--using informers, non-jury "trials", real "activist judges" (both those out drumming up business and those trying to avoid it). You can see how the present British and US systems developed based on some of these experiences of law-makers and citizens.
I found the author's comparison of the response to the gin craze with current responses to various drug problems instructive but I don't feel that they always hold up. I can definitely see that marijuana use has a counter-culture component; and the media has certainly highlighted the impact of meth on children; but not necessarily the obverse. And I understand that meth has had a significant impact in rural areas. (The author seems to think all drug "problems" are in cities). But this book was published in 2002 so maybe she had not had a chance to "study" meth.