Jeans A Cultural History of an American Icon Book

This book can be an example of how my reading tastes have changed with experience. Years ago, when I was still in high school, I loved this book. I enjoyed how it described the general ideas and history behind some of the biggest jean brands. Yet, now, after years of reading other non-fiction books, I dislike it so much I can’t even finish it. What gives?

I think it is for two reasons: The age of the book, and the writing style.

There is no getting around the fact that this book is old. When it comes to history books, this normally isn’t a bad thing, but here, it is even more pronounced when it approaches the ‘modern day’ of the sale tactics of denim. It was first published back in 2006, which means that it covers trends of the early 2000’s, many of which have fallen out of style some 20 years later. Celebrities are referenced that kids today may not know of, let alone recognize. Also, this book dates itself considerably by having an intro and a conclusion describing the prevalence of customers who are willing to spend $2,000 on a pair of jeans. Coming from someone who survived The Great Recession that occurred just a few years later, this seems laughable to me now. Also, one has to wonder how many of these extravagant brands are still in business after the Financial Crisis of 2008.

Then there is the writing style and formatting. While the writing is just fine, the type font is set in blue ink color, perhaps to reference the color of denim. While I understand the choice stylistically, it does make it difficult for my eyes to read.

Overall, I’m just going to give this book to someone who may enjoy it more than me. Maybe they will enjoy it today as much as I did in my youth.