"The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard is the only book I've read that has actively given me mental and emotional tools to resist advertising. It tells the s

"The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard is the only book I've read that has actively given me mental and emotional tools to resist advertising. It tells the story - with many deep, detailed examples - of how advertising went from information to persuasion across the mid-1900s, and there are some truly gross moral acts/steps along the way. It can be a little dry at times (and some has of course been superseded by Surveillance Capitalism), but if you want to acquire a genuine disgust reflex for modern advertising, I strongly recommend it.