Triumph of the Yuppies - by Tom McGrath (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In Triumph of the Yuppies, Tom McGrath presents the first-ever book-length history of the Yuppie phenomenon, chronicling the roots, rise, triumph and (seeming) fall of the "young urban professionals" who radically altered American life between 1980 and 1987. By the time their obituary was being written in the late 1980s, Yuppies-the elite, uber educated faction of the Baby Boom generation-had become something of a cultural punchline. This was understandable: a species that regularly drank white wine spritzers deserved to be mocked. But amidst the Yuppies's preoccupation with money, work, and career success; their colonization of previously working class neighborhoods in various American cities; their self evident self absorption; and their obsession with having just the right status signifying stuff, from BMWs and VCRs to American Express cards and Cuisinarts, there was something serious happening, too, something that continues to have profound ramifications on American culture four decades later. Based on new interviews with people at the center of the action in the '80s, this book brings to life the ascendance of this Yuppie elite. It chronicles educated Boomers' transformation from idealists in the late 1960s to careerists in the early 1980s, and charts how marketers, the media, and politicians pivoted to appeal to this influential new group. And it shows how Yuppie values impacted the broader culture-from gentrification in cities and an obsession with money and career success to an indulgent materialism. Most significantly, it shows how the me first mindset typical of Yuppieness helped created the largest income inequality in a century. Brimming with lively and nostalgic details (think Jane Fonda, The Sharper Image, and laughable tidbits of Yuppie culture), Triumph of the Yuppies is a portrait of America just as it was beginning to come apart-and the origin story of the America we live in today"--

Book Synopsis

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2024

The "entertaining and insightful" first history of the Yuppie phenomenon, chronicling the roots, rise, triumph and (seeming) fall of the young urban professionals who radically altered American life between 1980 and 1987 (New York Times bestselling author Ben Mezrich).

By the time their obituary was being written in the late 1980s, Yuppies--the elite, uber-educated faction of the Baby Boom generation--had become a cultural punchline. But amidst the Yuppies' preoccupation with money, work, and the latest status symbols, something serious was happening, too, something that continues to have profound ramifications on American culture four decades later.
Brimming with lively and nostalgic details (think Jane Fonda, The Sharper Image, and over-the-top fashion), Triumph of the Yuppies charts Boomers' transformation from hippy idealists in the late 1960s to careerists in the early 1980s, and details how marketers, the media, and politicians pivoted to appeal to this influential new group. Yuppie values had an undeniable impact on the worlds of fashion, food, and fitness, as well as affecting the broader culture--from gentrification and an obsession with career success to an indulgent materialism. Most significantly, the me-first mindset typical of Yuppieness helped create the largest income inequality in a century.
Tom McGrath's masterful cultural history reveals how Yuppies reshaped American society. It is a portrait of America just as it was beginning to come apart--and the origin story of the fractured country we live in today.

Review Quotes

"Engaging, well-researched and breezy... a reminder of the havoc the boomer generation has wrought--and will continue to wreak, since it now plans to live forever. But the book also provides a useful reverse roadmap for reviving a more humane existence."
--Bloomberg

" A witty and occasionally sobering account of the era in which the haves and the have-nots broke up for good."--Boston Globe

"Highly readable...McGrath questions where Yuppies came from, whether they've really disappeared, and how much impact they had in the overall direction of the country. He doesn't miss a beat."--New York Post

"Tom McGrath offers a lively popular history of the 1980s centered on the rise and the eclipse of the Yuppies."--Shelf Awareness

"A beguiling look at an era that inaugurated an ever-widening rift between a self-satisfied elite and a resentful working class."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Insightful and immensely entertaining."--Kirkus (starred review)

"If you want to understand why the economic disparity, polarized politics, and rampant excesses of the Reagan eighties still haunt these Divided States of America, Triumph of the Yuppies is a Rosetta Stone. Make room on your bookshelf for Tom McGrath's ideal companion volume to Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, Steve Gillon's Boomer Nation, David Brooks' Bobos in Paradise, and Susan Faludi's Backlash."

--David Friend, author of The Naughty Nineties

"If Sharper Image stores were still around, they could offer their coolest gadget ever: a time machine that looks like a book. Tom McGrath smoothly transports us back to the neon-lit moment of sushi, suspenders, and junk bonds that fascinatingly illuminates the darker economy we live with today."--Benjamin Wallace, author of the New York Times bestseller The Billionaire's Vinegar

"A wonderful read! Equal parts entertaining and insightful, McGrath charts the rise and fall of the Yuppies with a cast of larger-than-life characters. You'll come for the nostalgic trip through the eighties--and stay for the sharp social commentary that underscores how Yuppies created the world we live in today."--New York Times bestselling author Ben Mezrich

"In Triumph of the Yuppies, Tom McGrath brings us right down memory lane in a highly readable, highly enjoyable way. For readers born into the Yuppie generation, or who are just curious what it was all about and why it matters, this is the book for you!"--New York Times bestselling author William Cohan

About the Author

Tom McGrath wasthe editor-in-chief of Philadelphia magazine, as well as chief content officer of Metro Corp., the parent company of Philadelphia and Boston between 2010 and 2020. Under his leadership, the magazines won more than fifty awards for editorial excellence. In 2022, he was named Writer of the Year at the National City and Regional Magazine Awards. He's written two previous books: MTV: The Making of a Revolution, and, with John Basedow, Fitness Made Simple.