Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Rank: 354

Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad.

That's a lengthy list of charges, but here Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning.

Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from California's subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many fast food's flavors are concocted.

Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate.

He also uncovers the fast food chains' disturbing efforts to reel in the youngest, most susceptible consumers even while they hone their institutionalized exploitation of teenagers and minorities.

Editorials

	From Publishers Weekly
	In this fascinating sociocultural report, Schlosser digs into the deeper meaning of Burger King, Auggie's, The Chicken Shack, Jack-in-the-Box, Little Caesar's and myriad other examples of fast food in America. Frequently... read full editorial
	From Library Journal
	What McDonaldization has done to our health, economy, and culture; from a National Magazine Award winner. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
	From Booklist
	Everyone frets about the nutritional implications of excessive dining at America's fast-food emporia, but few grasp the significance of how fast-food restaurants have fundamentally changed the way Americans eat. Schlosser... read full editorial

Customer Reviews

	Fast food Disgusting
	(Los Angeles, California United States) March 24, 2004 - 4.0/5 stars
	This book really opened my eyes to the world of fast food. frankly, at this point, i am seriously considering becoming a vegetarian. I would not suggest reading this book if you like eating your Big Macs, but if you really... read full review
	Fast Food Nation = War on Drugs
	(Perrysburg, Ohio) December 15, 2004 - 3.0/5 stars
	While this book is very interesting, I agree with others that it is not particularly balanced. I could easily spin fast food restaurants as "being brave enough to provide job opportunities for the poor..". But my real issue... read full review
	good writing, bad ideology
	(New York, NY United States) June 9, 2004 - 3.0/5 stars
	I hate fast food. I look with pity and derision on those that consume it daily and those who find it to be their misfortune to work in such environments. But I am not a liberal. I do not buy into the idea that people... read full review

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