Introduction
1. The Birth of a Notion
2. The Growing Pains of an Adolescent Culture: The Codes for Love, Seduction, and Sex
3. Living on the Axis: The Codes for Beauty and Fat
4. First Comes Survival: The Codes for Health and Youth
5. Moving Beyond the Biological Scheme: The Codes for Home and Dinner
6. Working for a Living: The Codes for Work and Money
7. Learning to Live with It: The Codes for Quality and Perfection
8. More is More: The Codes for Food and Alcohol
9. Just Put that Alibi on My Gold Card: The Codes for Shopping and Luxury
10. Who Do These Upstarts Think They Are?: The Codes for America in Other Cultures
11. Parting of the Red Sea Optional: The Code for the American Presidency
12. Never Growing Up, Never Giving Up: The Code for America
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Index
