How Long to Read Bad Habits

How Long Does it Take to Read Bad Habits?

It takes the average reader 6 hours and 32 minutes to read Bad Habits by John Chynoweth Burnham

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

The vast majority of Americans have, at one point or another, gotten drunk, smoked, dabbled with drugs, gambled, sworn, or engaged in adultery. During the 1800s, "respectable" people struggled to control these behaviors, labeling them "bad" and the people who indulged in them unrespectable. In the twentieth century, these minor vices were transformed into a societal complex of enormous and pervasive influence. Yet the general belief persists that these activities remain merely harmless "bad habits," individual transgressions more than social problems. Not so, argues distinguished historian John C. Burnham in this pioneering study. In Bad Habits, Burnham traces the growth of a veritable minor vice-industrial complex illustrating the special heritage shared by these vices. As this vice complex grew, activities that might have been harmless, natural, and sociable fun resulted in fundamental social change. When Burnham set out to explore the influence of these bad habits on American society, he sought to discover why so many "good" people engaged in activities that many, including they themselves, considered "bad." What he found, however, was a coalition of economic and social interests in which the single minded quest for profit allied with the values of the Victorian saloon underworld and bohemian rebelliousness. This combination radically inverted common American standards of personal conduct. Bad Habits, then, describes, in words and pictures how more and more Americans learned to value hedonism and self-gratification - to smoke and swear during World War I, to admire cabaret night life, and to reject schoolmarmish standards in the age of Prohibition. Tracing the evolution of each of the bad habits, Burnham tells how liquor control boards encouraged the consumption of alcohol; how alcoholic beverage producers got their workers deferred from the draft during World War II; how convenience stores and accounting firms pursued profits by pushing legalized gambling; how "swinging" Playboy bankrolled a drug advocacy group; how advertising and television made the Marlboro man a national hero; how drug paraphernalia were promoted by national advertisers; how a practical joker/drug addict caused a shortage of kitty litter on Long Island; and how the evolution of an entire sex therapy industry helped turn sexual experience into a new kind of commodity. Altogether, a lot of people made a lot of money. But what, the author asks, did these changes cost American society? This illustrated tour de force by one of the most distinctive and important voices in social history reveals John C. Burnham at his provocative and controversial best.

How long is Bad Habits?

Bad Habits by John Chynoweth Burnham is 385 pages long, and a total of 98,175 words.

This makes it 130% the length of the average book. It also has 120% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Bad Habits Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 8 hours and 56 minutes to read Bad Habits aloud.

What Reading Level is Bad Habits?

Bad Habits is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Bad Habits?

Bad Habits by John Chynoweth Burnham is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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