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Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul
A propulsive, eye-opening work of reporting, chronicling the rise of Juul and the birth of a new addiction
It began with a smoke break. James Monsees and Adam Bowen were two ambitious graduate students at Stanford, and in between puffs after class they dreamed of a way to quit smoking. Their solution became the Juul, a sleek, modern device that could vaporize nicotine into a conveniently potent dosage. The company they built around that device, Juul Labs, would go on to become a $38 billion dollar company and draw blame for addicting a whole new generation of underage tobacco users.
Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme follows Monsees and Bowen as they create Juul and, in the process, go from public health visionaries and Silicon Valley wunderkinds to two of the most controversial businessmen in the country.
With rigorous reporting and clear-eyed prose that reads like a nonfiction thriller, Big Vape uses the dramatic rise of Juul to tell a larger story of big business, Big Tobacco, and the deadly cost of a product that was too good to be true.
It began with a smoke break. James Monsees and Adam Bowen were two ambitious graduate students at Stanford, and in between puffs after class they dreamed of a way to quit smoking. Their solution became the Juul, a sleek, modern device that could vaporize nicotine into a conveniently potent dosage. The company they built around that device, Juul Labs, would go on to become a $38 billion dollar company and draw blame for addicting a whole new generation of underage tobacco users.
Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme follows Monsees and Bowen as they create Juul and, in the process, go from public health visionaries and Silicon Valley wunderkinds to two of the most controversial businessmen in the country.
With rigorous reporting and clear-eyed prose that reads like a nonfiction thriller, Big Vape uses the dramatic rise of Juul to tell a larger story of big business, Big Tobacco, and the deadly cost of a product that was too good to be true.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published May 25, 2021
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May 25, 2021
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In 2005, two Stanford University grad students - and smokers - founded a company to disrupt the nicotine marketplace by creating a ‘healthier’ device that would tempt people away from combustible cigarettes. Fifteen years, millions of vapers, and hundreds of lawsuits later, “they would be remembered not as public health saviors, but as merchants of addiction.”
So writes Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme in her journalistic chronicle Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul. The book follows in the footsteps of John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood and numerous other inside story looks at Silicon Valley unicorn startups. These “rise and fall” tales can be mesmerizing and often translate well to the small screen. In fact, Big Vape has already been optioned by Amblin Television for a documentary series.
The addicting (sorry) piece of Juul’s story is how much these guys screwed things up. Most notably, they clearly targeted candy-colored advertisements to kids, and they allowed Big Tobacco (Altria Group, fka Philip Morris Companies) to acquire a 35% stake. These missteps led not only to a teen vaping epidemic, but also to their ouster. Juul Labs is now run by Big Tobacco executives. It’s also losing its hip factor and being replaced by newer, cooler brands, so it seems Juul might be going up in smoke.
Big Vape is an informative exposé, though I do wish it had been structured somewhat differently. It’s primarily told in chronological order, but the introduction of lawsuit documents peppered throughout make it feel choppy and repetitive at times. As one example, I believe we’re told that Mango flavor accounts for a third of Juul pod sales on at least three occasions.
I still recommend Ducharme’s book for fans of this genre, but those who don’t read much nonfiction can catch up on a streaming service with the docuseries sometime soon.
My thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for my gifted advance copy via NetGalley. The audiobook is confidently narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins and clocks in at 10.5 hours.
Blog: www.confettibookshelf.com
IG: @confettibookshelf
In 2005, two Stanford University grad students - and smokers - founded a company to disrupt the nicotine marketplace by creating a ‘healthier’ device that would tempt people away from combustible cigarettes. Fifteen years, millions of vapers, and hundreds of lawsuits later, “they would be remembered not as public health saviors, but as merchants of addiction.”
So writes Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme in her journalistic chronicle Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul. The book follows in the footsteps of John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood and numerous other inside story looks at Silicon Valley unicorn startups. These “rise and fall” tales can be mesmerizing and often translate well to the small screen. In fact, Big Vape has already been optioned by Amblin Television for a documentary series.
The addicting (sorry) piece of Juul’s story is how much these guys screwed things up. Most notably, they clearly targeted candy-colored advertisements to kids, and they allowed Big Tobacco (Altria Group, fka Philip Morris Companies) to acquire a 35% stake. These missteps led not only to a teen vaping epidemic, but also to their ouster. Juul Labs is now run by Big Tobacco executives. It’s also losing its hip factor and being replaced by newer, cooler brands, so it seems Juul might be going up in smoke.
Big Vape is an informative exposé, though I do wish it had been structured somewhat differently. It’s primarily told in chronological order, but the introduction of lawsuit documents peppered throughout make it feel choppy and repetitive at times. As one example, I believe we’re told that Mango flavor accounts for a third of Juul pod sales on at least three occasions.
I still recommend Ducharme’s book for fans of this genre, but those who don’t read much nonfiction can catch up on a streaming service with the docuseries sometime soon.
My thanks to the author and Macmillan Audio for my gifted advance copy via NetGalley. The audiobook is confidently narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins and clocks in at 10.5 hours.
Blog: www.confettibookshelf.com
IG: @confettibookshelf
December 3, 2021
In the beginning, there was a puff of smoke.
Juul's story is something out of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", with a plotline similar to "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire".
Authored by Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme, "Big Vape" provides a well-researched chronicle of how two Stanford graduate students developed an enticing new product that was supposed to help people stop smoking and decrease lung cancer rates.
Instead, Juul's cofounders ended up jumpstarting the youth vaping industry and created a pervasive new public health problem.
The book is fast-paced and "unputdownable"; reading like a nonfiction thriller.
Ducharme's research was presented in a clear, concise chronological order; making the story of how the Stanford grads' "big idea" grew into a $38 billion-dollar company, very easy to follow.
Before listening to this book, I knew very little about the vaping industry. I was unaware that Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner (2017-2019), was originally on "Team Juul". Dr. Gottleib is a cancer survivor and viewed Juul as a less dangerous option for smokers than regular cigarettes.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb's opinion was reversed, however, when it was revealed that Juul's marketing campaigns were targeting youth (and not adults) and new research emerged on Juul's deleterious health effects.
With youth vaping increasing by 78%, Gottlieb authorized the largest "nationwide undercover blitz" in the FDA's history; issuing large fines to retailers who were illegally selling Juul and other e-cigarettes to minors. Regulators also pressured Juul Labs to stop selling many of its popular flavored brands that appealed to youth and this negatively impacted their revenues.
Will all of these regulations make Juul disappear in a puff of smoke? TBC.....
I listened to the audiobook. Narrator Sean Patrick Hopkins did a superb job with the book's narration.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars.
Juul's story is something out of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", with a plotline similar to "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire".
Authored by Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme, "Big Vape" provides a well-researched chronicle of how two Stanford graduate students developed an enticing new product that was supposed to help people stop smoking and decrease lung cancer rates.
Instead, Juul's cofounders ended up jumpstarting the youth vaping industry and created a pervasive new public health problem.
The book is fast-paced and "unputdownable"; reading like a nonfiction thriller.
Ducharme's research was presented in a clear, concise chronological order; making the story of how the Stanford grads' "big idea" grew into a $38 billion-dollar company, very easy to follow.
Before listening to this book, I knew very little about the vaping industry. I was unaware that Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner (2017-2019), was originally on "Team Juul". Dr. Gottleib is a cancer survivor and viewed Juul as a less dangerous option for smokers than regular cigarettes.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb's opinion was reversed, however, when it was revealed that Juul's marketing campaigns were targeting youth (and not adults) and new research emerged on Juul's deleterious health effects.
With youth vaping increasing by 78%, Gottlieb authorized the largest "nationwide undercover blitz" in the FDA's history; issuing large fines to retailers who were illegally selling Juul and other e-cigarettes to minors. Regulators also pressured Juul Labs to stop selling many of its popular flavored brands that appealed to youth and this negatively impacted their revenues.
Will all of these regulations make Juul disappear in a puff of smoke? TBC.....
I listened to the audiobook. Narrator Sean Patrick Hopkins did a superb job with the book's narration.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars.
January 21, 2022
The whole Juul thing was such a big mess! It genuinely could have been a great alternative for smokers of traditional cigarettes, but the company screwed themselves over through a combination of naivete and greed. I wouldn't say Big Vape was astoundingly written or anything like that, but it was absorbing, informative, and impressively balanced.
September 2, 2021
A very readable business history of the rise and relative fall of Juul as a force in vaping and tobacco. The author sets up the core mistake as aligning to close to cigarette manufacturers both implicitly (in creating hip, youth friendly marketing) and explicitly (in courting and eventually agreeing to a tobacco company buying a major share in the company. The goal of prioritizing a corporate cash out over a public health mission is also criticized, with the culmination of all of these decision being extensive parent controversy, angry regulators, disillusioned staff ("I thought I was working for a tech company not a tobacco company!"), and laws that kneecapped vaping to make it less attractive to kids. While the narrative isn't riveting, it is still a very interesting story.
June 17, 2021
An absolutely fascinating read about the rise and fall of the most well-known vaping company. Although technically nonfiction, it reads like a page-turning fiction thriller. The comparisons to Bad Blood are apt, but, if anything, I find Ducharme’s prose even easier to follow. Quite an impressive debut! [Disclaimer: I am friends with the author, but would have left the same review regardless.]
August 29, 2021
The "move fast and break things" approach that so many startups have doesn't work well when it comes to people's health. Would it be great to have a product that acknowledges smokers' desire for ritual and comfort? Of course. Is there any consumer product more dangerous than combustible cigarettes? Probably not. Does that mean that Juul is safer than combustible cigarettes? Nobody knows! Still! After years on the market!
The idea of a no-calorie flavored substance that you can have with you all day is tempting to me. So I can see how young people got hooked. I hadn't realized that many of them thought that Juul was only flavoring and vapor. Those kids didn't understand that the product contained nicotine, and they didn't know that nicotine is addictive.
The last third of the book was especially interesting to me because of the medical mystery aspects. Hundreds of teenagers were hospitalized with severe lung damage from vaping. They were vaping THC that contained Vitamin E oil, but most of them had started by juuling nicotine. So there was genuine confusion over how and why healthy young people got so sick.
I got a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach when I read about the Chippewa lady's testimony at the congressional hearing. The idea that people at Juul approached at least seven Native American nations and tried to get them to switch to Juul almost for free . . . when it is commonly known that Native Americans often report higher rates of addiction than people from other groups . . . I don't think anything about it is illegal, but it seems immoral to me.
I love retronyms, which are words that have to be invented to describe old technologies once new technologies emerge. So the word hardcover came into use after the paperback or softcover was invented. Before that, a book was a book. Relatively recent retronyms include acoustic guitar, opposite-sex marriage, terrestrial radio . . . and now combustible cigarettes (sometimes called analog cigarettes).
The idea of a no-calorie flavored substance that you can have with you all day is tempting to me. So I can see how young people got hooked. I hadn't realized that many of them thought that Juul was only flavoring and vapor. Those kids didn't understand that the product contained nicotine, and they didn't know that nicotine is addictive.
The last third of the book was especially interesting to me because of the medical mystery aspects. Hundreds of teenagers were hospitalized with severe lung damage from vaping. They were vaping THC that contained Vitamin E oil, but most of them had started by juuling nicotine. So there was genuine confusion over how and why healthy young people got so sick.
I got a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach when I read about the Chippewa lady's testimony at the congressional hearing. The idea that people at Juul approached at least seven Native American nations and tried to get them to switch to Juul almost for free . . . when it is commonly known that Native Americans often report higher rates of addiction than people from other groups . . . I don't think anything about it is illegal, but it seems immoral to me.
I love retronyms, which are words that have to be invented to describe old technologies once new technologies emerge. So the word hardcover came into use after the paperback or softcover was invented. Before that, a book was a book. Relatively recent retronyms include acoustic guitar, opposite-sex marriage, terrestrial radio . . . and now combustible cigarettes (sometimes called analog cigarettes).
June 18, 2021
This was a surprisingly well-written and thoughtful take on an issue I am quite well versed in. I work as a Prevention Specialist in a substance abuse treatment facility. I have sat through countless webinars on vaping. But this was a fresh perspective.
I like that it was written as a business biography. I think a lot of decisions were made that way and are best understood through that lens.
It wasn’t amoral. Rather, it wasn’t coming with pitchforks. It took an empathetic angle on the people behind a public health crisis. I think this is more damning, actually. If they are evil, there’s no chance for them to be anything else. If they just didn’t care or care enough, I think there is real culpability there.
So, all in all, it was an entertaining and interesting telling of a subject—no matter how much you know already.
I like that it was written as a business biography. I think a lot of decisions were made that way and are best understood through that lens.
It wasn’t amoral. Rather, it wasn’t coming with pitchforks. It took an empathetic angle on the people behind a public health crisis. I think this is more damning, actually. If they are evil, there’s no chance for them to be anything else. If they just didn’t care or care enough, I think there is real culpability there.
So, all in all, it was an entertaining and interesting telling of a subject—no matter how much you know already.
June 20, 2021
Ducharme's prose is eminently readable, and the story is an interesting one about how a couple of young men had a good idea about how to make the use of nicotine less harmful but then got pulled in (some might say addicted) to the idea of making boatloads of money in the style of so many tech startup companies. Really more a corporate story than a public health one. Seems like a book that could have been written by Walter Isaacson or Michael Lewis but instead was written by Jamie Ducharme, Derryfield alum! We're so proud!
July 17, 2021
I’m enjoying a lot of financial/corporate investigative nonfiction lately, and this was a solid entry. Could definitely have been quite a bit shorter, though, I found myself (ebook) scrolling through skimming a lot of repeated points and argument already made. I would perhaps have felt less critical had I not just recently read Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, which truly thoroughly earned every one of its many pages. Regardless, this was an interesting delve into a lot of history I didn’t know about Juul and the growth of e-cigs as a category.
June 3, 2021
A very important history of the creation of Juul, "Big Vape" is a depiction of how its harmful Juul's lack of thoughtful direction sabotaged an invention that could have been revolutionary in reducing adult nicotine use. If only this company had slowed down so its product could have been marketed and regulated properly to begin with.
June 20, 2023
A lightly less exhausting version of the devil’s playbook; this gives much more benefit of the doubt to the founders and employees of juul that they knew (or the lack thereof) they were causing social harms but enjoying the fruits of it anyway.
You can have your own thoughts about that, but if you were looking for a preachy analogue to bad blood for Juul, this is not it.
You can have your own thoughts about that, but if you were looking for a preachy analogue to bad blood for Juul, this is not it.
August 23, 2021
I came into this book knowing almost nothing about Juul, vaping, and the broader e-cigarette category: I knew that a teenage relative of mine had recently been caught vaping, and that this was something of a new epidemic in high schools, but that’s about it. Big Vape was a great crash course in the history of this nascent industry, especially as it came up in the shadow of Big Tobacco. I thought Ducharme’s reporting covered an excellent blend of science, policy, business, and the human factor behind it all.
The saga left me with the distinct impression that, while Juul Labs may have not been explicitly malicious or overtly targeting children, they were certainly negligent. I will be curious to follow how their PMTA application unfolds and what further censure they receive.
I heard this book recommended on an NPR podcast and I am sure glad I picked it up! I think fans of “Bad Blood” would really like this book—or anyone who likes salacious nonfiction with a science-y bent!
The saga left me with the distinct impression that, while Juul Labs may have not been explicitly malicious or overtly targeting children, they were certainly negligent. I will be curious to follow how their PMTA application unfolds and what further censure they receive.
I heard this book recommended on an NPR podcast and I am sure glad I picked it up! I think fans of “Bad Blood” would really like this book—or anyone who likes salacious nonfiction with a science-y bent!
May 24, 2024
"The Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul" by Jamie Ducharme is a captivating dive into the story of Juul Labs, the company that revolutionized vaping. Ducharme does an excellent job of tracing Juul’s origins, from the brainchild of James Monsees and Adam Bowen to a cultural phenomenon with sleek, tech-savvy design and clever marketing that hooked many, especially young people.
The book doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Juul’s success. It digs into the controversies, like the surge in youth vaping and the ensuing public health and regulatory battles. Ducharme’s balanced approach highlights both the innovation behind Juul and the serious consequences it brought.
What I found particularly engaging were the personal stories and interviews woven throughout the book. They add a human touch to the broader industry and regulatory discussions, making the narrative both informative and compelling.
If you’re interested in the intersection of technology, health, and corporate responsibility, this book is a must-read. Ducharme’s insightful writing makes "The Big Vape" a standout, shedding light on how a small startup could ignite such a significant public health debate.
Disclaimer: These views are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.
The book doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Juul’s success. It digs into the controversies, like the surge in youth vaping and the ensuing public health and regulatory battles. Ducharme’s balanced approach highlights both the innovation behind Juul and the serious consequences it brought.
What I found particularly engaging were the personal stories and interviews woven throughout the book. They add a human touch to the broader industry and regulatory discussions, making the narrative both informative and compelling.
If you’re interested in the intersection of technology, health, and corporate responsibility, this book is a must-read. Ducharme’s insightful writing makes "The Big Vape" a standout, shedding light on how a small startup could ignite such a significant public health debate.
Disclaimer: These views are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.
January 6, 2022
I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway!
I thought this book was interesting and well-researched, and had a lot of information about a topic I didn't know much about. I think it did a good job of keeping the narrative/chronological thread without getting excessively bogged down with minor details.
A couple things that I think could have improved the book would be a clarity of the author's argument and possibly some informational pictures at some points. Most of the book seems pretty neutral and factual, but sometimes there will be a sentence or a word that is clearly very opinionated, which always caught my attention or took me out of the narrative. The epilogue makes the stronger point that Juul was an ostensibly promising way to help smokers but was mismanaged, but I think that argument should have been made more prominent as the guiding thesis of the book. As far as pictures go, since so much of the controversy around Juul revolved around the appearance of the device and its marketing, it would have been nice to have a couple pictures of relevant examples throughout the book.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to someone wanting to know more about how vaping became popularized.
I thought this book was interesting and well-researched, and had a lot of information about a topic I didn't know much about. I think it did a good job of keeping the narrative/chronological thread without getting excessively bogged down with minor details.
A couple things that I think could have improved the book would be a clarity of the author's argument and possibly some informational pictures at some points. Most of the book seems pretty neutral and factual, but sometimes there will be a sentence or a word that is clearly very opinionated, which always caught my attention or took me out of the narrative. The epilogue makes the stronger point that Juul was an ostensibly promising way to help smokers but was mismanaged, but I think that argument should have been made more prominent as the guiding thesis of the book. As far as pictures go, since so much of the controversy around Juul revolved around the appearance of the device and its marketing, it would have been nice to have a couple pictures of relevant examples throughout the book.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to someone wanting to know more about how vaping became popularized.
May 18, 2021
First....I've never smoked more than a puff or two as a teenager and I'm very glad that is the extent of my nicotine experience! One of my friends was a long-time smoker and truly wanted to quit. Before she tried vaping she used nicotine gum. She finally quit, but I think it was a matter of will power, not vaping or chewing nicotine. I wasn't surprised at the author's research that shows how many teens are becoming addicted to vaping because I often see a cluster of youngsters vaping near the local high school and I see vaping litter in the parking lot.
September 5, 2021
This is a very interesting look at the company Juilliard from its inception up to and including its current status. I thought it was so interesting to follow the history of the company from being a dream of two Stanford university graduate students to a market leader in the field of vaping products. The author does a great job of pointing out the major decisions the company made over the years and the results of those decisions.
November 16, 2023
Interesting to read the story behind Juul. I was vaguely aware of the EVALI outbreak and teen vaping phenomenon but didn't know the story behind the company or the rise of vaping. I didn't really pay attention to the news cycle as everything was going down. My son ended up listening to the book with me as well.
July 19, 2022
James Monsees and Adam Bowen were two graduate students who dreamt of a way to quit smoking. Hence forth "Juul". The rise and fall of a multi billion dollar company. Thankyou goodreads for this free book.
December 17, 2022
An interesting read about the rise and fall (?) of a big company. The story reads more like a novel than just a chronology of events.
November 17, 2022
The story of Juul is pretty interesting, but I think it would work better as a documentary.
June 20, 2021
“All those years of loving and hating smoking in equal measure had crystallized into one moment of recognition. Enough was enough. If they couldn’t find a way to quit smoking, they would invent one for themselves.”
As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it. I am a Respiratory Therapist, which means I am a lung specialist 🫁 . There has been a lot of talk within the field about the horrors of e-cigarettes, so reading about how they came to be was high on my priority list.
“Most smokers don’t actually want to quit. They just don’t want to die.” **this is an absolute fact‼️ 🚬
Two Stanford grad students, James Monsees and Adam Bowen, dreamed of a way to quit smoking. Enter Juul, a modern device designed to vaporize potent doses of nicotine while alleviating the negatives associated with smoking 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 (the initial target audience) like carcinogens, odor, and health risk. Fabulous! This sounds great in theory, right? But, and this is a big but, they then go and make it smell like pineapple and cotton candy and mango. I am not entirely sure what they thought would happen 🙄. So now we have children addicted to nicotine that smells like candy, and they are needing lung transplants and getting popcorn lung (VERY bad) as teenagers. Oye.
According to the research in this book, it all just comes down to money. Doesn’t everything though? This book digs deep into the original good intentions, and how money and the tobacco industry and dash of corruption and even more money collided to create yet another health crisis related to smoking and nicotine. Nice job guys 🤦🏼♀️.
Juul quickly became a $38 billion dollar company. When the kids started dying, though, moms got PISSED, politicians got involved, and Juul’s worth tanked. “If you could have asked for a worse outcome, aside from bankruptcy, I’d love to hear it. That’s a tragedy.”
Thank you to Netgalley, Henry Holt publishing, Macmillan Audio and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it. I am a Respiratory Therapist, which means I am a lung specialist 🫁 . There has been a lot of talk within the field about the horrors of e-cigarettes, so reading about how they came to be was high on my priority list.
“Most smokers don’t actually want to quit. They just don’t want to die.” **this is an absolute fact‼️ 🚬
Two Stanford grad students, James Monsees and Adam Bowen, dreamed of a way to quit smoking. Enter Juul, a modern device designed to vaporize potent doses of nicotine while alleviating the negatives associated with smoking 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 (the initial target audience) like carcinogens, odor, and health risk. Fabulous! This sounds great in theory, right? But, and this is a big but, they then go and make it smell like pineapple and cotton candy and mango. I am not entirely sure what they thought would happen 🙄. So now we have children addicted to nicotine that smells like candy, and they are needing lung transplants and getting popcorn lung (VERY bad) as teenagers. Oye.
According to the research in this book, it all just comes down to money. Doesn’t everything though? This book digs deep into the original good intentions, and how money and the tobacco industry and dash of corruption and even more money collided to create yet another health crisis related to smoking and nicotine. Nice job guys 🤦🏼♀️.
Juul quickly became a $38 billion dollar company. When the kids started dying, though, moms got PISSED, politicians got involved, and Juul’s worth tanked. “If you could have asked for a worse outcome, aside from bankruptcy, I’d love to hear it. That’s a tragedy.”
Thank you to Netgalley, Henry Holt publishing, Macmillan Audio and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2021
Safine Ashirova and I recently interviewed the author on the David Feldman Show, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUa-I...
A very interesting look behind the curtain at the famous, or shall we say infamous, e-cigarette giant Juul. For people reading this review who are considering picking up the book, let me just lay out what this work is and is not:
This book is NOT a diatribe against the e-cigarette industry, and takes no position on whether e-cigarettes are a good way for current cigarette smokers to transition to less harmful alternatives.
This book IS an examination of Juul, from its creation, through its explosion on the market (and in schools), through the takeover of the company by BigTobacco, and to the current lawsuits that the company is facing.
Through this work, you'll see all of the successes and (many) failures along the way and will get to decide for yourself, using all of the information Jamie includes here, whether the main motivation for creating Juul for the two cofounders was to create a legitimate public health tool to help current smokers, or simply to create a product with a ton of lucrative growth potential.
My main nitpick is that I really could have used a bit more of the science and technical information that was alluded to in this book. If that was integrated here, it would have probably been a 5* book for me (a strong 4.5* at least), but even without it, this is a strong 4* book worth reading.
A very interesting look behind the curtain at the famous, or shall we say infamous, e-cigarette giant Juul. For people reading this review who are considering picking up the book, let me just lay out what this work is and is not:
This book is NOT a diatribe against the e-cigarette industry, and takes no position on whether e-cigarettes are a good way for current cigarette smokers to transition to less harmful alternatives.
This book IS an examination of Juul, from its creation, through its explosion on the market (and in schools), through the takeover of the company by BigTobacco, and to the current lawsuits that the company is facing.
Through this work, you'll see all of the successes and (many) failures along the way and will get to decide for yourself, using all of the information Jamie includes here, whether the main motivation for creating Juul for the two cofounders was to create a legitimate public health tool to help current smokers, or simply to create a product with a ton of lucrative growth potential.
My main nitpick is that I really could have used a bit more of the science and technical information that was alluded to in this book. If that was integrated here, it would have probably been a 5* book for me (a strong 4.5* at least), but even without it, this is a strong 4* book worth reading.
June 17, 2021
I received a copy of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.
This is not just a book about Juul (though the company is the focus). It's also about the rise of e-cigarettes as an industry. The author doesn't dive real deep into any other aspects of the industry other than what Juul was directly involved in.
It was interesting to see a broad picture of the beginning of the industry and Juul's role throughout, however the book seemed a bit repetitive at times while also being a tad dull. There's no deep conflict only superficial conflict between characters (real people) that were undeveloped. Ducharme had to rely on previously reported news, court documents and anonymous sources (for the most part) which, to me, was a detriment to the overall story line. I didn't feel like I really knew, or cared, about anyone throughout the book, which made reading feel like a chore at times. Might have been a better study after numerous court cases had been settled in the future.
The good; the author has a complete notes section and explains/notes sources when she can. Big picture-wise the book was interesting, especially to someone who knew nothing about e-cigarettes going in, other than brand names and items headlining news articles/shows.
This is not just a book about Juul (though the company is the focus). It's also about the rise of e-cigarettes as an industry. The author doesn't dive real deep into any other aspects of the industry other than what Juul was directly involved in.
It was interesting to see a broad picture of the beginning of the industry and Juul's role throughout, however the book seemed a bit repetitive at times while also being a tad dull. There's no deep conflict only superficial conflict between characters (real people) that were undeveloped. Ducharme had to rely on previously reported news, court documents and anonymous sources (for the most part) which, to me, was a detriment to the overall story line. I didn't feel like I really knew, or cared, about anyone throughout the book, which made reading feel like a chore at times. Might have been a better study after numerous court cases had been settled in the future.
The good; the author has a complete notes section and explains/notes sources when she can. Big picture-wise the book was interesting, especially to someone who knew nothing about e-cigarettes going in, other than brand names and items headlining news articles/shows.
October 1, 2021
3.5 stars
Until I read this book, I had assumed vape companies were 100% in business to make money. Not that that's not true, however it made me feel a little better to read about the human element to how this industry began.
James and Adam met as grad students studying engineering product design. Repeatedly running into each other on smoke breaks, they quickly became friends. They also both lamented the fact they were addicted to smoking and wished there was a less unhealthy way to go about it.
From there an idea was born and started being developed as their thesis.
After a few products that became minor successes in the brand-new world of vaping, these two crazy kids got it right with the development of Juul.
From then on, however, the author details how many things Juul got wrong along the way to becoming the monster company it grew to be in its heyday.
The author interviewed former employees, did a ton of research on the political and regulatory aspects of the business, and was able to write a seemingly unbiased book. In the afterword, she does throw some much-deserved shade at the company and its leadership.
I won this book from First Reads.
Until I read this book, I had assumed vape companies were 100% in business to make money. Not that that's not true, however it made me feel a little better to read about the human element to how this industry began.
James and Adam met as grad students studying engineering product design. Repeatedly running into each other on smoke breaks, they quickly became friends. They also both lamented the fact they were addicted to smoking and wished there was a less unhealthy way to go about it.
From there an idea was born and started being developed as their thesis.
After a few products that became minor successes in the brand-new world of vaping, these two crazy kids got it right with the development of Juul.
From then on, however, the author details how many things Juul got wrong along the way to becoming the monster company it grew to be in its heyday.
The author interviewed former employees, did a ton of research on the political and regulatory aspects of the business, and was able to write a seemingly unbiased book. In the afterword, she does throw some much-deserved shade at the company and its leadership.
I won this book from First Reads.
June 28, 2021
Great reporting and well put together
2 thoughts:
1. These guys claimed they didn't want to addict anyone and yet they sought a declining market (US smokers)? Come on! The only way you are going to build a good business in a market that sells addiction is to addict new people. You can claim conversion all you want but let's just be honest that no company would honestly limit themselves only to a small shrinking pool of customers. Also, why would you make the nicotene several times more potent than a cigarette if you are trying to protect the smokers? Why would you be avoiding regulation if you are here to protect people for public health? It's a classic situation of actions speak louder than words
2. Hilarious to me that these guys didn't think of anything original. They scalped the mechanism idea from a guy in Asia, they leaned heavily on old tobacco marketing tactics and they even borrowed logos so closely from tobacco companies they had to redesign their canister.
Great book and a must read
2 thoughts:
1. These guys claimed they didn't want to addict anyone and yet they sought a declining market (US smokers)? Come on! The only way you are going to build a good business in a market that sells addiction is to addict new people. You can claim conversion all you want but let's just be honest that no company would honestly limit themselves only to a small shrinking pool of customers. Also, why would you make the nicotene several times more potent than a cigarette if you are trying to protect the smokers? Why would you be avoiding regulation if you are here to protect people for public health? It's a classic situation of actions speak louder than words
2. Hilarious to me that these guys didn't think of anything original. They scalped the mechanism idea from a guy in Asia, they leaned heavily on old tobacco marketing tactics and they even borrowed logos so closely from tobacco companies they had to redesign their canister.
Great book and a must read
April 14, 2022
I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program.
"Big Vape" is, indeed, about the "incendiary rise" of the Juul device against the background of other changes that were happening in the industry around e-cigarettes, vaping culture, and public health crises, and how the Juul and its predecessors differed, changed the game, and became the primary scapegoat in the youth vaping epidemic that preceded and was perhaps hindered by a larger pandemic that has cast a shadow over nearly every aspect of our lives.
This was a relatively engrossing read for me. Having grown up with a smoker whose habit was so constant that *I* was accused of smoking when my clothes reeked of it just from sharing vehicle space, I never had the draw of picking up a cigarette, and so no interest in devices billed as alternatives for those looking to kick the habit - no one who doesn't smoke would ever consider a nicotine patch, and I doubt even Violet Beauregarde would pick up a piece of Nicorette, so to me, a Juul is similarly unappealing. But because I know some who have tried to use vaping devices to quit a smoking habit, I was interested to read the story of the history of the most well-known one, so far. I was definitely surprised to hear just how much of the culture within the company was that stereotypical Silicon Valley one, with an attitude that seemed to be "break things just to see what comes from the broken pieces" and "do what we think makes sense and ask forgiveness after the fact if appropriate". Honestly, prior to reading this book I probably did have a slightly positive impression of the company for providing a tool designed to get smokers to quit. However, having read how they perhaps at best learned nothing from the tobacco marketing campaigns of the past and at worst intentionally followed in the footsteps that hooked previous generations on cigarettes; how cavalier the company was about the rules around the application process through the FDA (including effectively ignoring restrictions against product modifications); and how founders were in the process of developing an app that could both improve the user experience as well as utilize data about Juul use to exploit an addiction, it's hard to have an overall positive opinion of the company and its product anymore. While it may well have been created with good intentions by a pair of grad students whose own smoking habits led them to want something better, somewhere along the path it seems they lost focus of those health-conscious motivations in favor of increasing the popularity and thus profitability of their device. And Jamie Ducharme's writing clearly captures the attitudes at both ends of the company's life and culture.
I'm glad I read this one. I do feel more aware of some of the hazards of devices like this, not just related to vaping but also that may come with devices created to solve what seems to be one problem, while taking the approaches you find within tech start-ups.
"Big Vape" is, indeed, about the "incendiary rise" of the Juul device against the background of other changes that were happening in the industry around e-cigarettes, vaping culture, and public health crises, and how the Juul and its predecessors differed, changed the game, and became the primary scapegoat in the youth vaping epidemic that preceded and was perhaps hindered by a larger pandemic that has cast a shadow over nearly every aspect of our lives.
This was a relatively engrossing read for me. Having grown up with a smoker whose habit was so constant that *I* was accused of smoking when my clothes reeked of it just from sharing vehicle space, I never had the draw of picking up a cigarette, and so no interest in devices billed as alternatives for those looking to kick the habit - no one who doesn't smoke would ever consider a nicotine patch, and I doubt even Violet Beauregarde would pick up a piece of Nicorette, so to me, a Juul is similarly unappealing. But because I know some who have tried to use vaping devices to quit a smoking habit, I was interested to read the story of the history of the most well-known one, so far. I was definitely surprised to hear just how much of the culture within the company was that stereotypical Silicon Valley one, with an attitude that seemed to be "break things just to see what comes from the broken pieces" and "do what we think makes sense and ask forgiveness after the fact if appropriate". Honestly, prior to reading this book I probably did have a slightly positive impression of the company for providing a tool designed to get smokers to quit. However, having read how they perhaps at best learned nothing from the tobacco marketing campaigns of the past and at worst intentionally followed in the footsteps that hooked previous generations on cigarettes; how cavalier the company was about the rules around the application process through the FDA (including effectively ignoring restrictions against product modifications); and how founders were in the process of developing an app that could both improve the user experience as well as utilize data about Juul use to exploit an addiction, it's hard to have an overall positive opinion of the company and its product anymore. While it may well have been created with good intentions by a pair of grad students whose own smoking habits led them to want something better, somewhere along the path it seems they lost focus of those health-conscious motivations in favor of increasing the popularity and thus profitability of their device. And Jamie Ducharme's writing clearly captures the attitudes at both ends of the company's life and culture.
I'm glad I read this one. I do feel more aware of some of the hazards of devices like this, not just related to vaping but also that may come with devices created to solve what seems to be one problem, while taking the approaches you find within tech start-ups.
March 17, 2022
It feels as though the author was overwhelmingly biased and wanted to present a positive picture of Juul founders (James Monsees in particular). Its likely he may have been paid especially considering the other book about Juul came out on the same day as this one and the other book sort of looks harshly on the founders of Juul ("The Devil's Playbook: Big Tobacco, Juul, and the Addiction of a New Generation" by Lauren Etter). This might have been their way to balance the narrative presented by Etter.
Juul was an incredibly well run company operationally speaking, especially under Kevin Burns (obviously with a product nobody other than folks trying to quit cigarettes should have been using).
The parts about the lung damaged kids was interesting especially the background from the doctors. Author did a good job narrating that (although I still suspect he was trying to deflect blame from Juul).
The American regulatory quirks and the Trump admin related madness that initially helped and then hurt Juul were also rather interesting to read about.
"With James gone only a few months after Adam had packed his bags, Juul’s transformation was complete. A company built on grad school ambition to change what it meant to consume nicotine had become enmeshed with that which it had sought to disrupt. The men who innovated their way out of a smoking habit had been replaced by the executives who had sold the products that hooked them in the first place. Two friends who succeeded in crafting a device that could tempt people away from one of the deadliest consumer products in history would be remembered not as public health saviors, but as merchants of addiction.... James Monsees and Adam Bowen designed arguably the best e- cigarette the world had ever seen. Beautifully constructed, eminently usable, and scientifically sophisticated, the Juul was perhaps the first e-cigarette that actually stood a chance of dethroning combustible cigarettes. It cracked the code of delivering “smoke” without fire, and it did so in a way that people found irresistible. As soon as they saw it, smokers noticed the difference between Juul and the low-tech e-cigarettes that came before it." - The author was either paid by the Juul founders/had direct access to them as sources with there being some quid pro quo. The writing is just too fishy/slanted to believe.
If you're someone really interested in Juul this will make a fine read but also read "The Devil's Playbook: Big Tobacco, Juul, and the Addiction of a New Generation" by Lauren Etter. If you have to pick just one though I'd say read the other one and not this. It was a very slow read, I had to resort to getting this done in small number of pages a day just to finish.
Juul was an incredibly well run company operationally speaking, especially under Kevin Burns (obviously with a product nobody other than folks trying to quit cigarettes should have been using).
The parts about the lung damaged kids was interesting especially the background from the doctors. Author did a good job narrating that (although I still suspect he was trying to deflect blame from Juul).
The American regulatory quirks and the Trump admin related madness that initially helped and then hurt Juul were also rather interesting to read about.
"With James gone only a few months after Adam had packed his bags, Juul’s transformation was complete. A company built on grad school ambition to change what it meant to consume nicotine had become enmeshed with that which it had sought to disrupt. The men who innovated their way out of a smoking habit had been replaced by the executives who had sold the products that hooked them in the first place. Two friends who succeeded in crafting a device that could tempt people away from one of the deadliest consumer products in history would be remembered not as public health saviors, but as merchants of addiction.... James Monsees and Adam Bowen designed arguably the best e- cigarette the world had ever seen. Beautifully constructed, eminently usable, and scientifically sophisticated, the Juul was perhaps the first e-cigarette that actually stood a chance of dethroning combustible cigarettes. It cracked the code of delivering “smoke” without fire, and it did so in a way that people found irresistible. As soon as they saw it, smokers noticed the difference between Juul and the low-tech e-cigarettes that came before it." - The author was either paid by the Juul founders/had direct access to them as sources with there being some quid pro quo. The writing is just too fishy/slanted to believe.
If you're someone really interested in Juul this will make a fine read but also read "The Devil's Playbook: Big Tobacco, Juul, and the Addiction of a New Generation" by Lauren Etter. If you have to pick just one though I'd say read the other one and not this. It was a very slow read, I had to resort to getting this done in small number of pages a day just to finish.
June 18, 2021
Narrator - Sean Patrick Hopkins
Genre - Non Fiction
Rating - 4 out of 5 stars
Narration Rating - 5 out of 5 stars
I was a little disappointed about this book. All because of an assumption made by me. When I read the title I thought it was going to about all different types of vaping not just about the rise and fall of Juul. As a former vaper myself I thought it would be a good look into all aspects of vaping but I quickly realized it was all about Juul which I have never used.
With that being said this was a very interesting book. I learned a lot about the technology of Juul and the consequences of vaping. I also learned some interesting things about Juul and how their company rose and fell quite rapidly. Even to the point that most of the major players are not even involved with the company anymore. Also that they struggled with the same things I struggled with when I was vaping.
I loved the narrator. He made what could have been a very boring book very interesting. With a quick tempo (I always listen to review books at 1x speed.) Also he was very upbeat through the whole thing.
All in all I would strongly recommend this book to people who have considered vaping, teens, and parents that may have found out their child is vaping. I wish I would have read/listened to it before I started vaping that is for sure.
Reviewers Note - I vaped for years to try to quit smoking. I never did quit smoking and now have lung damage as a result of vaping. I do not of some of the more severe side effects that were described in the book but I now have to have a rescue inhaler on me at all times and am taking the same daily drug that COPD patients have to take. Even though I don’t have COPD. I am back to smoking regular cigarettes and some of the damage has reversed. I don’t cough as much and my chest does not constantly hurt. Some may ask why I didn’t just quit both. I will say this, nicotine is very addictive. I was hooked from my very first cigarette and now smoke about a pack a day. It is not easy to quit but I have several times for long periods of time and after listening to this book will be taking another try at it in the near future.
Genre - Non Fiction
Rating - 4 out of 5 stars
Narration Rating - 5 out of 5 stars
I was a little disappointed about this book. All because of an assumption made by me. When I read the title I thought it was going to about all different types of vaping not just about the rise and fall of Juul. As a former vaper myself I thought it would be a good look into all aspects of vaping but I quickly realized it was all about Juul which I have never used.
With that being said this was a very interesting book. I learned a lot about the technology of Juul and the consequences of vaping. I also learned some interesting things about Juul and how their company rose and fell quite rapidly. Even to the point that most of the major players are not even involved with the company anymore. Also that they struggled with the same things I struggled with when I was vaping.
I loved the narrator. He made what could have been a very boring book very interesting. With a quick tempo (I always listen to review books at 1x speed.) Also he was very upbeat through the whole thing.
All in all I would strongly recommend this book to people who have considered vaping, teens, and parents that may have found out their child is vaping. I wish I would have read/listened to it before I started vaping that is for sure.
Reviewers Note - I vaped for years to try to quit smoking. I never did quit smoking and now have lung damage as a result of vaping. I do not of some of the more severe side effects that were described in the book but I now have to have a rescue inhaler on me at all times and am taking the same daily drug that COPD patients have to take. Even though I don’t have COPD. I am back to smoking regular cigarettes and some of the damage has reversed. I don’t cough as much and my chest does not constantly hurt. Some may ask why I didn’t just quit both. I will say this, nicotine is very addictive. I was hooked from my very first cigarette and now smoke about a pack a day. It is not easy to quit but I have several times for long periods of time and after listening to this book will be taking another try at it in the near future.
July 7, 2021
James Monsees and Adam Bowen were smokers and they didn't like the idea of dying for their habit but the social interaction as well as the addiction to nicotine, gave them a focus of change. They spent years tinkering to create a non-combustible delivery system that would provide the nicotine in adequate levels while not incinerating the tobacco and getting all the other carcinogens. They felt that it could provide the assistance needed for adult smokers to break the cigarette habit.
It was a great idea. If they had not made so many missteps along the way - advertising using models (a la early cigarette advertising), giving discounts to influencers, attempting to provide education regarding smoking verses vaping to high school teenagers, getting on the wrong side of the FDA as well as accepting investments from the tobacco industry, Juul might have been the technological device that broke the tobacco addiction.
But between the missteps above - which often backfired, bringing Juul to the attention of regulators and anti-smoking coalitions - along with the explosion of teens managing to get ahold of Juul devices and pods (despite all that Juul attempted to do with age restrictive on-line gateways to prevent underage purchases) which led to a new wave of teenage nicotine addicts. Which wasn't helped by the counterfeit knock-off pods created by various greedy groups that managed to get ahold of THC liquid (cannabis derivative) and mix it with vitamin E acetate resulting in the EVALI crisis.
The founders eventually went their own ways, leaving their creation in the hands of Altria (former Philip Morris). Juul - despite all the good it could have done - displays what can happen when a great idea is subverted by poor long-term planning, inexperience with national regulations and really bad decisions regarding actions and marketing. It would be to the advantage of anyone who may be planning on opening their own company to read this - especially if they are wading into the waters of a new and innovative idea. Even more so if it might spark the interest of federal regulators.
Definitely an interesting and well researched book.
2021-138
It was a great idea. If they had not made so many missteps along the way - advertising using models (a la early cigarette advertising), giving discounts to influencers, attempting to provide education regarding smoking verses vaping to high school teenagers, getting on the wrong side of the FDA as well as accepting investments from the tobacco industry, Juul might have been the technological device that broke the tobacco addiction.
But between the missteps above - which often backfired, bringing Juul to the attention of regulators and anti-smoking coalitions - along with the explosion of teens managing to get ahold of Juul devices and pods (despite all that Juul attempted to do with age restrictive on-line gateways to prevent underage purchases) which led to a new wave of teenage nicotine addicts. Which wasn't helped by the counterfeit knock-off pods created by various greedy groups that managed to get ahold of THC liquid (cannabis derivative) and mix it with vitamin E acetate resulting in the EVALI crisis.
The founders eventually went their own ways, leaving their creation in the hands of Altria (former Philip Morris). Juul - despite all the good it could have done - displays what can happen when a great idea is subverted by poor long-term planning, inexperience with national regulations and really bad decisions regarding actions and marketing. It would be to the advantage of anyone who may be planning on opening their own company to read this - especially if they are wading into the waters of a new and innovative idea. Even more so if it might spark the interest of federal regulators.
Definitely an interesting and well researched book.
2021-138
October 26, 2023
I picked up this book at my local library on a whim, hoping it would give me the courage and information required to quit my vaping addiction. Results TBD.
I finished this book in one sitting, which is pretty impressive for such an information-rich book that I read as a physical copy. (I was also stranded at work for 6 hours with nothing else to entertain me but this book.) It's has in-depth coverage of the history of Juul, its legal battles, and public perception as the leader in the e-cigarette market.
I think this book would have been better if it had been shorter. The author often repeats points over and over, to the point of annoyance. She must have written "Mango was the most popular flavor of Juul available, accounting for 30% of their total sales" at least a dozen times in this book. She often repeats a lot of key phrases or sentences, without adding anything extra or different to the information. She does a great job of culling over old interviews, legal documents, court transcripts, and individual quotes. She has a very thorough (55 pages!) list at the end, citing all of her sources.
I wish this book had more information regarding the potential health impacts of vaping. She discusses a few anecdotal examples of teenagers who experienced lung issues/failure due to vaping, but there's not a lot of explanation of the pitfalls of vaping, besides addiction. The main focus of the story seems to be how Juul was originally (supposedly) founded as a safer option available to people who smoke combustible cigarettes, but quickly lost its vision once the money started rolling in. It does a good job of showcasing the terrible, manipulative, capitalistic advertising ploys that Juul used to sell their products. The book covers how their original advertising (inspired from now banned tobacco ads fro the 1960's) lured in the younger generation and made vaping seem sexy and safer to teenagers. A large portion of the book is focused on just how much teenagers loooove to vape and how Juul is directly responsible. It was an interesting read but again, it felt flat, repetitive, and lacking some of the substance I was hoping for in the book.
I finished this book in one sitting, which is pretty impressive for such an information-rich book that I read as a physical copy. (I was also stranded at work for 6 hours with nothing else to entertain me but this book.) It's has in-depth coverage of the history of Juul, its legal battles, and public perception as the leader in the e-cigarette market.
I think this book would have been better if it had been shorter. The author often repeats points over and over, to the point of annoyance. She must have written "Mango was the most popular flavor of Juul available, accounting for 30% of their total sales" at least a dozen times in this book. She often repeats a lot of key phrases or sentences, without adding anything extra or different to the information. She does a great job of culling over old interviews, legal documents, court transcripts, and individual quotes. She has a very thorough (55 pages!) list at the end, citing all of her sources.
I wish this book had more information regarding the potential health impacts of vaping. She discusses a few anecdotal examples of teenagers who experienced lung issues/failure due to vaping, but there's not a lot of explanation of the pitfalls of vaping, besides addiction. The main focus of the story seems to be how Juul was originally (supposedly) founded as a safer option available to people who smoke combustible cigarettes, but quickly lost its vision once the money started rolling in. It does a good job of showcasing the terrible, manipulative, capitalistic advertising ploys that Juul used to sell their products. The book covers how their original advertising (inspired from now banned tobacco ads fro the 1960's) lured in the younger generation and made vaping seem sexy and safer to teenagers. A large portion of the book is focused on just how much teenagers loooove to vape and how Juul is directly responsible. It was an interesting read but again, it felt flat, repetitive, and lacking some of the substance I was hoping for in the book.
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