
The 2023 Hughes Prize for an accessible book in the history of science is awarded to Keith Wailoo for the book Pushing Cool. Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of the Menthol Cigarette.
Prof Wailoo will be giving a free online lecture about Pushing Cool on 17 October 2023, at 3 pm GMT.
For booking details see: https://www.bshs.org.uk/hughes-prize-winner-2023-keith-wailoo-pushing-cool
The Jury of the BSHS Hughes Prize said:
Among an extraordinarily strong field of shortlisted books, Keith Wailoo’s revelatory Pushing Cool: Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of the Menthol Cigarette stood out for its originality and timeliness. In telling the story of menthol cigarettes’ targeted marketing in African American communities, Wailoo draws on meticulous research to uncover the enmeshment of social sciences, racial exploitation, and corporate interests, with catastrophic consequences for public health in the United States. Lucidly written, with incisive commentary on present-day issues of racism, commerce, and public policy, the book speaks powerfully to experiences and audiences beyond the academic.