HEARTLAND TOBACCO WAR

In their new book, Heartland Tobacco War, Michael Givel, and Andrew Spivak describe how, before 2001, the efforts of the tobacco industry in Oklahoma, USA, were largely triumphant. Progress in tobacco control occurred at a 'glacial pace' between 1915 and the early 2000s. In their well researched book, the authors detail how-through retention of former state legislators with inside knowledge as lobbyists-the tobacco industry had 'complete hegemony' in tobacco-related legislation. . . . Givel and Spivak tell an interesting story that provides important lessons for the achievement of further progress in tobacco-control legislation in Oklahoma and other U.S. states despite the tactics and resources used by the tobacco industry. * The Lancet * Heartland Tobacco War is an exceptional contribution to the literature on the politics of tobacco regulation. Givel and Spivak draw upon valuable and unique ethnographic, media, government, and industry sources to tell an important story about Oklahoma's struggle for clean indoor air and other vital measures. Their narrative is captivating and adeptly illustrates complex intersections of bureaucracy, legislation, and public relations that will be of interest to policymakers, social science scholars, and anyone interested in how progress is made in public health policy -- Shannon Monnat, Pennsylvania State University