How did rescue dogs become status symbols? Why are luxury brands losing their cachet? What’s made F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous observations obsolete? The answers are part of a new revolution that’s radically reorganizing the way we view ourselves and others, that “will be hard for pop-culture readers to put down” (Booklist).
Status was once easy to identify—fast cars, fancy shoes, sprawling estates, elite brands. But in place of Louboutins and Lamborghinis, the relevance of the rich, famous, and gauche is waning and a riveting revolution is underfoot.
Chuck Thompson—dubbed “savagely funny” by The New York Times and “wickedly entertaining” by the San Francisco Chronicle—sets out to determine what “status” means today and learns that what was once considered the low life has become the high life. In The Status Revolution, Thompson tours the new world of status from a small community in British Columbia where an indigenous artist uses wood carving to restore communal status; to a Washington, DC, meeting of the “Patriotic Millionaires,” a club of high-earners who are begging the government to tax them; to a luxury auto factory in the south of Italy where making beautiful cars is as much about bringing dignity to a low-earning region than it is about flash and indulgence; to a London lab where the neural secrets of status are being unlocked.
“Chock-full of fascinating revelations” (In Touch Weekly) and with his signature wit and irreverence, Thompson explains why everything we know about status is changing, upends centuries of conventional wisdom, and shows how the new status revolution reflects our place in contemporary society.
Chuck Thompson is the author of the widely reviewed political screed Better Off Without ‘Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession, as well as the comic memoirs Smile When You’re Lying and To Hellholes and Back. His writing has appeared in Outside, Politico, Esquire, Men’s Journal, The New Republic, and many other publications.
“Witty and incisive … an entertaining and intelligent eye-opener.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“A very funny, surprisingly far-reaching attempt to determine what status means.” —MEN'S JOURNAL
“[Status Revolution] is chock-full of fascinating revelations.” —IN TOUCH WEEKLY
"This will be hard for pop-culture readers to put down." —BOOKLIST
“Thompson is an insightful, wry observer of our times, with a cynical eye for the most foolish of human follies.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS
“A spirited and thoughtful exploration of Big Status, with plenty of laughs and mind-bending revelations along the way. Thompson is that perfect combo of dogged reporter and enthusiastic tour guide, with a healthy dose of contrarian wit. In The Status Revolution, he connects disparate industries and unusual characters in the fun—and always surprising—way that makes him one of my all-time favorites.”
—Sarah Knight, bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck
"Chuck Thompson has tackled this slippery and ineffable topic with great aplomb, emerging with a book that is well-reasoned, beautifully paced, and a whole lot of fun. I feel improved."
—Henry Alford, author of And Then We Danced
"Fusing cultural anthropology, cutting-edge neuroscience and an impressive knowledge of Ferrari interior car design, Thompson has written a highly original book that is both eye-opening and hilarious. This is one writer who can keep a lot of balls in the air."
—Joe Queenan, Wall Street Journal columist and author of Closing Time
“Buckle up and enjoy the hilariously curious, fact-packed global quest to understand why human beings still insist on outranking each other, from brain scientists to small-penis sports cars, purebred dogs, hiphop video directors, nudist hippie totem carvers, philanthropic tax evasion, and fame survivor Rick Springfield.”
—Jack Boulware, co-founder of Litquake
