Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jell-O Girls: A Family History | 2018 | Allie Rowbottom | Buy |
Jell-O Girls: A Family History (2018) is Allie Rowbottom’s debut book, a memoir that traces the Jell-O brand through the lens of her own family. Rowbottom’s great-great-uncle was one of the early owners of the Jell-O patent, selling the trademark in 1899 for just $450 before the product became a household name worth millions.
The book is not really about Jell-O itself, though. Rowbottom uses the brand’s history as a way to examine how American culture has placed demands on women, from the domestic ideals promoted in early Jell-O advertisements to the personal struggles of the women in her family line. She weaves together corporate archives, family letters, and her own experiences growing up with a mother battling illness.
Jell-O Girls was well received by critics and appeared on several best-of lists in 2018. It established Rowbottom as a writer interested in the places where personal history meets cultural forces.