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This examination of fascinating and often funny "epic fails" in American popular culture documents the pitfalls of collective consumption, ranging from fashion faux-pas to Hollywood movie duds to high-tech hardware and software flops.

Although failure is never the objective of human endeavors, poor performances are just as interesting as successful ventures. Indeed, failure, as a social fact, merits a considerable amount of attention: What causes failure? How is it experienced? What is its sociocultural impact? And what role does failure play in American traditions, such as pursuit of "the American Dream"? This book surveys iconic failures in American popular culture in order to answer all of these questions, covering the entertainment industry, technology, sports and leisure, consumer products, and more.

The work explores the rise and often quirky diffusion of each novelty and offers interpretations for their demise in popular culture. The author sheds light on the inherent tension between success and failure, between fame and infamy, in modern American life; and uses the true stories of well-known failures to identify what Americans most strive for and what they most fear. A fascinating read for a wide audience, these true stories of the tenuous and often arbitrary nature of success in America paint a compelling portrait of our post-industrialized society, and underscore the value of striving towards success-even when those efforts result in failure.