About this item
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.
About the Author
"The Corridor" is Tom McGrath's first novel. (Watch out - a second is almost finished!) In writing, Tom combines his passions for good science and good storytelling. The environmental science in the book is current and accurate, with the exception of the "lead characters" - and who knows whether these fierce predators might be out there. For 43 years, Tom was a professor of biology at Corning Community College, where he taught college biology, genetics, and field courses; developed creative approaches to teaching; directed the college's honors program, and was the first professor in the State University of New York system to be awarded both the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Professional Activity.Tom was also an active researcher. He developed and served as principal investigator for The Bahamian Reef Survey, which was sponsored by Earthwatch Institute and engaged more than 500 citizen scientists over more than a decade. He published numerous scientific papers on that research and delivered presentations at Oxford University (in the same hall where Darwin once lectured!) , Harvard University, the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Norwalk Aquarium, and numerous other venues for a wide variety of audiences. But Tom's interests are broad, and two of his defining characteristics are his voracious curiosity and unstoppable humor. He is an avid reader, an inveterate punster, a sometime birdwatcher, and a keen photographer. In times past, he has been involved with more than 20 amateur theater productions as an actor, director, or producer; sung in a barbershop quartet; led nature hikes, and created the family vacation motto: "Maximize the experience!" He now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida and has spent some time exploring the Everglades and some of the state's other ecosystems. He and his wife feel astonishingly lucky to live near their children and their charming and brilliant (of course) granddaughter, Marlo. Tom can be reached at Tom.McGrath.stpete@gmail.com. He is happy to speak on the biology of the Everglades and the science embedded in this novel, and also to talk with book groups.
