Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul
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- Create Date：2021-06-14 07:51:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jamie Ducharme
- ISBN：1250777534
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Summary
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。
Reviews
C
，
Thank You Good Reads Giveaways and H Holt & Co。 for a free hardcover copy of Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul。 All recent graduates James Monsees and Adam Bowen wanted was to quit smoking。 That's when they put their heads together and created Juul AKA Ploom。 This fascinating book with almost 300 pages of research and the many people involved from scientists to the President got my attention， each chapter goes by years 2004-2019 describing Juul's rise to the top and down。 With cigarette sale Thank You Good Reads Giveaways and H Holt & Co。 for a free hardcover copy of Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul。 All recent graduates James Monsees and Adam Bowen wanted was to quit smoking。 That's when they put their heads together and created Juul AKA Ploom。 This fascinating book with almost 300 pages of research and the many people involved from scientists to the President got my attention， each chapter goes by years 2004-2019 describing Juul's rise to the top and down。 With cigarette sales going down and e-cigs going up and being one of successful consumer products in recent memory。 The downside was the underage getting addicted which is covered a lot in this book。 I recommend this book。 。。。more
Ken
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Was a very slow read for me， the content was very good it gave a very concise understanding of the progression of vaping and how the juul product affected the industry
Beverly
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I won a copy of "Big Vape" on Goodreads First Reads。 Wow！ The book reads like a novel。 I've never been a smoker， but I have family members who were， and then switched to e-cigarettes。 This is very well written and I would recommend it highly。 I won a copy of "Big Vape" on Goodreads First Reads。 Wow！ The book reads like a novel。 I've never been a smoker， but I have family members who were， and then switched to e-cigarettes。 This is very well written and I would recommend it highly。 。。。more
M。
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It was a good read。
Heather
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This book didn't work for me。 A lot of it was really repetitive， and it was also confusing。 It kept going back and forth between how booming Juul's business was and then like 2 pages later say how they were a disaster and everything was crumbling。 I get that the behind the scenes stuff was often a mess， but I feel like this book painted two totally different pictures of a company and combined them into one and it didn't make sense。 This book didn't work for me。 A lot of it was really repetitive， and it was also confusing。 It kept going back and forth between how booming Juul's business was and then like 2 pages later say how they were a disaster and everything was crumbling。 I get that the behind the scenes stuff was often a mess， but I feel like this book painted two totally different pictures of a company and combined them into one and it didn't make sense。 。。。more
Colleen
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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。 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。 。。。more
Em Meurer
，
Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juulby Jamie Ducharme🌟: 4 / 5 📚: Two grad students with a Silicon Valley startup seek to change the way smokers quit ignite a new epidemic of addiction and change the face of the tobacco industry。💭: For a book that I got exclusively because of the title， this book was surprisingly， genuinely good。 It’s what I would describe as Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup， with a marketing spin and a millennial focus。 There’s a perfect storm of ID bros Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juulby Jamie Ducharme🌟: 4 / 5 📚: Two grad students with a Silicon Valley startup seek to change the way smokers quit ignite a new epidemic of addiction and change the face of the tobacco industry。💭: For a book that I got exclusively because of the title， this book was surprisingly， genuinely good。 It’s what I would describe as Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup， with a marketing spin and a millennial focus。 There’s a perfect storm of ID bros setting out to “disrupt the industry，” too-good-to-be-true marketing， and the controversy and legal scandal that it all ignites that makes this nonfiction read like a thriller。For those who are wary of book-length long form reporting， I totally see the hesitation that would come with this book。 I really picked it up as a joke， and based on the summary， I probably wouldn’t have read it， if I’m being completely honest。 However， this book is paced super well and often gently reminds you what had happened previously and who the big players are， so it never truly felt too much like a “too long; didn’t read” article。 It’s engrossing in a way that a lot of long form articles about scandals are， and I found myself thinking “wow， I hate that I’m really loving a book about vaping” more than once。 If you’re in the market for an audiobook that’s both interesting enough to keep you from getting bored but not wild enough to make you distracted from doing other things， I would definitely recommend this one。 The narration is excellent， and I had a hard time putting it down。 。。。more
Andrew Breza
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I have experience with the topic of this book。 During the period it describes， I was writing policy news under contract with the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and my wife was a public health lobbyist active in tobacco control。 Electronic Smoking Device policy was part of both of our daily lives。 Big Vape fills in behind the scenes details about what was going on at Juul that I did not know。 Overall， this is a timely corporate history about the rise and fall of an intensely controversial compan I have experience with the topic of this book。 During the period it describes， I was writing policy news under contract with the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and my wife was a public health lobbyist active in tobacco control。 Electronic Smoking Device policy was part of both of our daily lives。 Big Vape fills in behind the scenes details about what was going on at Juul that I did not know。 Overall， this is a timely corporate history about the rise and fall of an intensely controversial company。Most of the book is meticulously researched and well supported by facts。 One major exception is the author's acceptance of the company's origin story as a pair of smokers who were just trying to find a way to help people quit cigarettes。 Ducharme doesn't consider the possibility that the company was simply founded to make money。 The book details how the founders poured over documents from older tobacco companies and then copied their youth marketing strategies， yet somehow it still assumes altruistic motives。（Thanks to NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review。） 。。。more
Rebekah Rowe
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It was a thorough history of the company and how much it has impacted adolescents。 However， I would have liked more discussion of the health impacts that have already been seen。 In my opinion， we shouldn’t be glamorizing a product that is so addictive and harmful。
Patrick Pilz
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Not sure if you plan on spending the upcoming long weekend at the beach， in the woods on on top of a mountain， but a good read should be along for the ride。Jamie Ducharme releases tomorrow one of the great reads of narrative non-fiction this year。 The story of Juul， a great business idea with noble intentions going sideways in all aspects of business， in the most horrible ways you can imagine is a reminder of how even the best and most exciting ideas do not guarantee the best outcome。If you like Not sure if you plan on spending the upcoming long weekend at the beach， in the woods on on top of a mountain， but a good read should be along for the ride。Jamie Ducharme releases tomorrow one of the great reads of narrative non-fiction this year。 The story of Juul， a great business idea with noble intentions going sideways in all aspects of business， in the most horrible ways you can imagine is a reminder of how even the best and most exciting ideas do not guarantee the best outcome。If you liked "Bad Blood"， you will here the next big story heading to courtrooms near you。 。。。more
Ginni
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Review to come。（I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway。）
Amber Stewart
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An important book， very informative。 It was interesting and I would definitely recommend it。
Stacy
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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review。 3。5 starsBig Vape tells the story of Juul and the e-cig market。 Well researched and methodical， Jamie Ducharme does a very good job of laying out the rise and fall of Juul。 I wish the author had more firmly asserted that while the original goal was to reduce health risks， the fact that the company's marketing was towards teens， lots of in school programing done， not refiling retrofitting of the Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review。 3。5 starsBig Vape tells the story of Juul and the e-cig market。 Well researched and methodical， Jamie Ducharme does a very good job of laying out the rise and fall of Juul。 I wish the author had more firmly asserted that while the original goal was to reduce health risks， the fact that the company's marketing was towards teens， lots of in school programing done， not refiling retrofitting of the pods with the FDA， the company chose time and again to grow at the expense of others。Excellent narration by Sean Patrick Hopkins。 。。。more
Susan Walker
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This is a fascinating read about the history and ramifications of vaping。 The corporate aspect was particularly interesting。
Kerry
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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 lo 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。 。。。more
KarnagesMistress
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I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways。 It is an advance reader's edition。 I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways。 It is an advance reader's edition。 。。。more
Jesse
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Gripping and thorough examination of the flaws and missteps made by Juul Labs during its rise to prominence。 Highly recommend！
Marcia
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Big Vape by Jamie Ducharme was a very easy listen。 I was able to follow the narration without any issue， which isn’t always the case with a non-fiction title。 The voice of the narrator was enjoyable to listen to and I liked the linear flow of the book。 The reader was able to meet the principle players and learn about the company， it’s history， the development and mission all in what felt like a novel form。 I didn’t know much about vaping before listening to this book， but I always assumed it was Big Vape by Jamie Ducharme was a very easy listen。 I was able to follow the narration without any issue， which isn’t always the case with a non-fiction title。 The voice of the narrator was enjoyable to listen to and I liked the linear flow of the book。 The reader was able to meet the principle players and learn about the company， it’s history， the development and mission all in what felt like a novel form。 I didn’t know much about vaping before listening to this book， but I always assumed it was the same as smoking。 I never thought it was a “safer” alternative to smoking。 But I was shocked by how many teens were vaping。 I am ashamed to say I had never talked to my 13 year of son about this topic until the first day I started listening to this book。 I got about 75% finished with it and that night had a conversation about vaping with my son。 I should not have been surprised to learn many students at his middle school have been caught vaping this year。 6th & 7th graders？ Crazy。 An important book and a timely one。 I will be watching the upcoming court cases with interest。 。。。more
Regina
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*Now available！*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 b *Now available！*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。comIG: @confettibookshelf 。。。more
Jayne
，
In the beginning， there was a puff of smoke。 Juul's story is something out of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" and "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire"。 Authored by Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme， "Big Vape" is a fast-paced， well-researched book about how two Stanford graduate students developed an idea for a new and enticing e-cigarette that would help people stop smoking。 Instead， they jumpstarted an industry that created a pervasive new public health problem: youth vaping。The book is " In the beginning， there was a puff of smoke。 Juul's story is something out of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" and "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire"。 Authored by Time magazine reporter Jamie Ducharme， "Big Vape" is a fast-paced， well-researched book about how two Stanford graduate students developed an idea for a new and enticing e-cigarette that would help people stop smoking。 Instead， they jumpstarted an industry that created a pervasive new public health problem: youth vaping。The book is "unputdownable" and reads 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"。 WHY？ 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。 。。。more
Lyndsay
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