The Cigarette: A Political History.

AuthorJohnson, Kofi

Milov, Sara. The Cigarette: A Political History. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2019. 394 pages. Paperback, $20.95.

The Cigarette: A Political History is a fascinating book in which the author, Sarah Milov, tells the story of smoking in the United States. She meticulously presents a struggle between the cigarette oligarchs on one side and the "heroic scientists" activists on the other side. The study is based on Milov's interactions with farmers, laborers, and those in social movements to produce an insightful book to aid in understanding of the story tobacco's rise and fall. The study demonstrates that cigarette companies are not juggernauts as usually portrayed, they are fragmented and vulnerable.

The objective of the book is to get the inner working of the cigarette companies and the truth out about how the chief executives and their lobbyists manipulated Congress to slow down and weaken efforts to cut down cigarette use despite the overwhelming evidence of the harm it causes. The book focuses on the following aspects, such as how America subsidized exportation of cigarette to foreign countries, the anti-smokers who championed for clean air campaigns, and the exploitation of farmers for the benefits of the cigarette industry. She also discusses the control and techniques that were used to determine prices to control supply and distribution, and the roles of the government and judiciary in this social movement.

In the thirties, government officials and tobacco farmers worked to ensure that regulations were used to promote tobacco rather than protect consumers. As evidence began to surface, the cigarette was linked with cancer. Consequently, the authorities decided to enforce regulation in the name of better health. What turned the tide...

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