Book Review: Triumph of the Yuppies by Tom McGrath

The Basics

• Category: History
• Originally Published: 2024
• Pages: 298

Book Summary / What This Book Is About

This is the story of the Young Urban Professionals, aka the Yuppies, which is the highly-educated segment of the Baby Boom Generation, as they came out of the 60s idealism, the 70s introspection, and into the 80s as materialists, the author would argue. The Yuppies were seekers of money, consumer goods, and status. Because the Yuppies came about in the 80s, this book could also be considered a history of the 80s in America through the experience of the Yuppies.

Main Takeaway / The First Thing I Think About When I Think About This Book

The first thing I think about has little to do with the book itself, but just the observation that my parents, although not Yuppies, are a part of the boomer generation, and since I was born in the late 70s, my earliest childhood memories begin in the 80s, right when the book started. So in many ways, I felt like I was creating a clearer picture and greater understanding of the world around my own memories.

If you ask me to tell you one story in the book, it would be the one about 60s radical Jerry Rubin and how he became a capitalist. The book compared him with his fellow Chicago Seven radical Abbie Hoffman. The book compares the two men. Jerry became a realist and decided that to change the world, you need cash. He believed that to be successful with your mission you need to work within the system. In contrast, Abbie made no changes from his 1960s self, except that he went deeper into his leftist political activism and continued to engage in protests supporting socialism, communism, etc., up until he committed suicide in 1989. While once on the same team, these two now-opposing figures participated in a series of debates called “Yippie vs Yuppie” on college campuses where each defended their worldviews. I thought it was refreshing to see two men with two opposing viewpoints engage in civilized debate.

Final Thoughts

I loved reading this book that I was actually sad when it was over, like the way you feel after watching a great movie. As mentioned, although it was about the Yuppies, and how they created an unequal society or whatever, I saw it as an explainer of the culture that I grew up in. I loved reading about certain 80s trends like Jane Fonda workouts and Grey Poupon, learning about how they came about, and then remembering them myself. I often found myself in lost in nostalgia as I read about each year.

Finally, as I write this, I am grief-stricken by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and the murders of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC as well as baby Emmanuel Haro, here in Southern California. What it looks like is societal breakdown, justice not served, and the beginnings of societal collapse. I’m reminded that the answer is found in the Bible. I read the book of Proverbs with my family daily and what I learn is that wisdom begins with the fear of God. Fear of God leads to seeking truth. Fear of God leads to wisdom. Truth and wisdom create justice that’s applied evenly and fairly. How does this relate to Triumph of the Yuppies? I don’t know… maybe just that the money and status seekers that Tom McGrath writes about, are bad because they’re not self-regulated through a biblical worldview, where you see yourself and others as created in God’s image and you have rules to follow outside of the law. If you seek money, status, fame, and power, etc., with only the guidance of your personal moral framework of self-interest, you ultimately create the dystopia that we seem to be headed for right now.