Fad Mania!: A History of American Crazes

"Bix introduces readers to many of the fads, crazes, and obsessions that captivated 20th century America. Beginning with a brief discussion of the nature of fads and their proliferation, the author explores popular fads in each decade from the 1920s through the beginning of the new millennium. Organized chronologically, this book covers a wide range of topics, ranging from business ventures, to crazy stunts, to music and dance phenomena. The author provides information about the origin, evolution, and passing of each craze, and suggestions of connections to contemporary events. A selective timeline accompanies each chapter, giving valuable context; photographs and other graphics give further grounding. The book does not offer a totally comprehensive study or in-depth analysis, but it does present a well-organized, readable survey of the American experience. This is a solid, fascinating, informational text that could be read to augment or stimulate research. Bibliography. Index. [Editor's Note: Available in e-book format.] Recommended."―Library Media Connection

"A look back at some of the crazes--such an apt word--that swept the United States over the last century. To every time and season, there has been a fad or two. For a very long time, it was the upper crust who determined the mood and spirit of fads, but with the rise in wages and the shortening of the work week, fads became great engines of whoopee. Bix's accompanying narrative to the archival photos is a straightforward affair, because the fads speak for themselves: dance marathons, sitting on flagpoles (for--why not?--21 days), swallowing goldfish (live--eww), pogo sticks and hula hoops, packing telephone booths with college students, 3-D movies, and on and on. Fads fade, though a mighty few have become institutions: yo-yos, Frisbees, rock-'n'-roll, and, alas, chain letters. What lifts Bix's work to a higher level is the way she sets the fads against realities that made escape into unbridled tomfoolery an act of sanity: the Great Depression, two world wars and those that followed, including the Iraq War, assassinations, Columbine and the Oklahoma City bombing. These are scattered throughout the text as elements in timelines, along with moon landings, the Lone Ranger and Bugs Bunny. Current record for phone-booth stuffing? Twenty-five--until inspired readers find the last remaining one to try for 26." --Kirkus Reviews