The Origins of Cool in Postwar America

An “entertaining” study of the enduring concept of coolness, and the mix of cultures and historical events that shaped it ( The New York Times ). Cool. It was a new word and a new way to be, and in a single generation, it became the supreme compliment of American culture. The Origins of Cool in Postwar America uncovers the hidden history of this concept and its new set of codes that came to define a global attitude and style. As Joel Dinerstein reveals, cool began as a stylish defiance of racism