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Keith Wailoo's fascinating study, Pushing Cool, powerfully uncouples the connection between African Americans and menthol cigarettes, laying bare the intricate history that led to this seemingly natural connection. Wailoo demonstrates that Black communities were subject to the convictions of advertising analysts, scientists, psychologists, and civil rights groups, all motivated by the economic dictates of Big Tobacco. Charting menthol smoking from its origins in the 1920s to its urban, racialized definition by the late 1960s, Pushing Cool weaves together a history of political economy, social activism, and advertising. Menthol began as a cigarette pitched to Americans who sought throat comfort. With a brand such as Kool gaining traction during the Great Depression, menthol became increasingly popular as a “cooler” option to relieve smoker's cough. By the 1950s, with Americans more fearful of cancer, menthol cigarettes became even more important in health messaging, yet racial associations could be detrimental to tobacco brands during the push for integration. While some African Americans appreciated Philip Morris's favorable hiring practices, white reactionaries balked at the company's politics. Wailoo asserts that while the 1950s were a pivotal moment for polling, market research, and psychologists interested in the Black tobacco preference, there would never be a sustained commitment to “racial branding” at that moment (p. 107).
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