Finding Betty Crocker
It's totally true, Betty Crocker is a myth. She may look lifelike (and quite motherly) on that box of Hamburger Helper, but get over it, she's only a figment of an adman's imagination. What's Hamburger Helper? If you don't know, well, then you definitely need to read this book.

This engaging "biography" of an American cultural icon explains how some early advertising executives got the idea to sell more flour and other products. They decided to answer women's never-ending questions about baking, cooking, and the household in general. They thought up a fictitious master homemaker (our own Betty Crocker) as an expert author, cook, and expert, and she quickly turned into the Martha Stewart of her generation (and far beyond). She even had her "own" radio show for a time! Today, Betty Crocker's imaginary face graces everything from convenience foods to cookbooks, and some people may still believe she really exists. However, when you read this fascinating book, you'll find out, that's just not the case.

Learn about the history of Betty Crocker when you pick up this book, but more importantly, learn a little bit about the psychology of big-time marketing, and how marketing executives manipulate the truth to create their own brand of history. You'll also learn how a cultural icon like Betty becomes more than a household word, she becomes the representative of a generation. If you grew up in the 1950s or 60s in America, Betty was as American as "apple pie," which says something about Americans and what they choose to believe in. This book is a fascinating glimpse into food history, and author Susan Marks proves Americans will buy just about anything, even a biography about a woman who's never existed.