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Summary: The dark side of American capitalism
Review: Eric Schlosser's expose is more than a shocking account of what goes on in the fast food and related industries. It is also an analysis of the consequences of unregulated power, and the failure of markets. It is shocking because the reality betrays our values, and when a system of private interests and free markets is responsible, we feel powerless. Schlosser's book takes the first step and reveals a world not intended to be seen. Like Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE, which he refers to in the book, Schlosser lets us discover what the true cost of cheap food is, but only if we wish to find out.He begins with the origins, with Carl Karcher of Carl's Jr., the McDonald brothers, Ray Kroc, and Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and we see how suburbanization, car culture, and an entrepreneurial spirit mixed to spread fast food across the nation after World War II. We learn how McDonald's developed their child marketing strategies and how it has resulted in the debates today over corporate sponsorship of schools. Then a chapter on workers, the people behind the counters, why certain demographic groups tend to work for fast food restaurants, the experiences they have and the risks they face. Finally, he writes about how the industry has become so successful, the subsidies they get, and the hype they create. This is just the first half, and as absorbing as the book is until this point, it is the second part, away from the restaurants and to the other industries that support the fast food industry, that is mind blowing. From how potatoes become fries and the chemical flavor factories that create their taste, to the modern production of beef and poultry, to the exploited workers in the meatpacking and sanitation industries, to E. coli 0157:H7 and the meat industry's reaction to it, to the levels of obesity and cultural change in other countries, each page provides entertainment as well as horror. Through all these topics, Schlosser keeps his eye focused. All of these nightmarish descriptions and stories are connected to the fast food industry and the unrelenting impetus for more product at less cost. The question of the book is whether or not more product actually results in more cost. Amputations, disease, environmental damage, and inhumane treatment of animals are externalities not included in the price of a hamburger. I was surprised by the epilogue. Despite his sardonic tone, and the almost cynical content, Schlosser provides in the end a way out. He suggests that things don't have to be the way they are; at least one tool of leverage we have is our status as consumers and voters. In any case, Schlosser gives a broad case study of how business is in no way a champion of free enterprise, innovation, and progress. They demand that government not intervene, but they also demand subsidies in various forms with no conditions. They manipulate and deceive. They resist change. And they can suck out the dignity of human beings to the point where their bodies are physically and emotionally incapacitated. I am sure that even Karl Marx would be shocked by the town of Greeley, Colorado as described here, and Sinclair would probably be disappointed that almost a century after THE JUNGLE, a book like FAST FOOD NATION had to be written.
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Summary: Eye opening look at part of American culture
Review: I have to admit, Fast Food Nation was a bit different than I intially expected. I thought the book would mostly cover the nutrition of fast food but actually spend a significant amount of time on the business practices of fast food companies and their related industries (such as meat packing, etc). Regardless, the book was a great read that I couldn't put down. Schlosser uses many first hand accounts and stories to give context to the information presented. At first this seems somewhat biased as most of the stories come from the "little guy" (fast food franchise owners, ranchers, etc), but is pretty well balanced with the opinions of "big business". The stories provide an interesting history of the industry and help put a face on many of some of the more significant players. Personally, I found the most disturbing part of the book to be the business practices of companies in the fast food and meat packing industries. The nutrition aspect wasn't too much of a surprise since restaurants make that information available. Overall, it has significantly changed my view of the fast food industry.
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Summary: Review
Review: This book is one of the best book i have ever read. It will open your mind about all the things that happen in Fast Food restaurant. For all of the poeple that eat fast-food you better brace your self because after you read this book you are going to be vegeterian. You also are going to read about how employees
get treated and things they have to go through.
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Summary: UN-Happy Meal! GET IT?!?!
Review: FAST FOOD NATION effectively compiles all kinds of unsettling data in making its case for fast food regulation. Unfortunately, as the epilogue unfolds, the book switches from investigative report to blatant editorial. Personally, I think this hurts its cause. Muckraking is far more accessible when it's confined to provocative fact-listing. When it morphs into pure advocacy, it can't help but feel like propaganda. That said, I still recommend FAST FOOD NATION to everyone, be they fat or thin.
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Summary: Riveting, frightening : should be school compulsory reading
Review: This book is outstanding and a must read. 1) It is extremely well researched and thorough - I have actually compared some of the data with other sources ; they match. 2) It is more than just about fast foods. It is about the society we have built: its dangers, its plagues, its hazards, and the people who damage it because their only concern is their short term selfish gain. The author explains at great length the perversion of a system which was originally created by people who where not part of the money-establishment : self made men with no or little education, hard workers with sound values who believed they could add value.
Then he shows how through time this system, this industry has become corrupt by progressively shifting too much power into the hands of a very few (food processors...) helped in their craziness by greedy politicians (congressmen...). We are becoming a nation of obese and we are increasingly exposed to various food hazards largely thanks to the lies and the evil of large corporations that will stop at nothing to increase their profits and eliminate competitors (examples given in the book: not only the McDonalds of the world but the food esp meat processing & packing industry). This is also a telling story of how our country is no better than some of the worst third world countries in dealing with its labor force : false records, no job security, inhumane working conditions, huge rate of accidents, systematic policy of hiring migrant workers because they cannot defend themselves, they cannot join unions, no medical insurance...and so forth. Some readers may get upset by the numerous references made to shady deals and corruption explicitly mentioning the GOP. Let's face the facts : in the Midwest Republicans have been in charge for decades and that they tried by every means to cling to that power is not a real surprise (it may have turned out differently in another industry and part of the country). What is more surprising is the inability of the Federal Gvt to introduce and enforce the simplest of measures. I was taken aback by the complete lack of regulations in this industry and as a result the hazards that we, who live in this country, are faced with. With all the talk from the USDA... I was stunned to see that they turn their head away at such major issues. Beyond the fast food industry this book is also about the country we want : do we really aspire to the creation of these huge irresponsible corporations even if it means the death of all other businesses, if it means corruption and corrupt governments, if it means that people get poorer and poorer while a handful get insanely rich. The author explains convincingly how the consolidation everywhere in these industries has led to a complete and desastrous change in the society : reliance on immigrants, death of the farmers, destruction of the local communities, the spreading of crime everywhere and a foolish sprawling of cities in every direction... Read this book. It should be compulsory reading in elementary, middle and high schools to protect our children who are being exposed to the lies of Burger King, McDonalds...every day : our children are the people the fast food industry is preying on the most because they don't know better, they have no idea what happens behind the scenes. Read it and act on it if you don't want to live in a country where people die and get permanently sick and disabled because of the foolishness of a few. Buy a copy and send it to our president and our congressmen. If they don't know they have to know. If they do know then it is time they realize we know too and we want them to make the system change.
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Summary: Goodbye fast food
Review: This book was very informative on the issues with fast food corporations and told horror stories of what goes on in the meat packing industries. It really shows how corrupt they are. Unlike other books that complain about the evils in our society, Fast Food Nation simply investigates and reports on what's going on. If you want to continue eating fast food, don't read this book!
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Summary: Became a vegetarian because of this book
Review: I already knew that this country was a victim of Ronald McDonald but I had no idea how horribly the animals are treated in slaughterhouses - maybe the word 'slaughter' should have given me an idea. Because of this book, I am now trying to become a vegetarian. I cannot, with a good conscience, contribute to a world of cruelty and death to get a a 99 cent burger. We don't need this garbage that the fast food chains are selling us. There are other alternatives and this book inspired me to seek them out.
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Summary: A Life Chaning Experience!
Review: Most of what this book exposes, I already kind of knew in the back of my head- but like so many others I chose to ignore it. Now I can't. What I did not already suspect was shocking. Who knew I spent my whole life eating meat from cannable-fed livestock, and that it has almost always been infected with fecal matter? As if that wasn't horrible and disgusting enough, it also introduces the rare yet possible side-effect of death. The afterward in the edition I read is even more alarming. I had no idea that mad-cow might possibly have an average incubation period of over 40 years! Not to sound like a doomsday nut, but it's certainly not impossible for it to become worse than the plague. Over the years I've seen propaganda from the ultra-left like the McLibel pamphlets (found one on my windshield once). But the outrageous claims (many were made up) had the opposite effect on me because I saw right through it as nothing but psycho animal-lovers lying to promote their own vegetarian agenda. Schlosser's book, however, has done nothing short of making me think before I eat. The only problem I have with this book is how partisan it appears. No, it's not that bad, but it's enough to be made an issue. Even though everything he says is clearly true (read the footnotes, learn what libel means), this will undoubtadly turn off many people who identify themselves as Republicans. While some attempt was made to seem non-partisan, Schlosser should have gone out of his way (even if it was a stretch) to show examples of wrongdoings by some Democrats and provided more examples of Republicans who oppose the evils of agribusiness without having to go back to Teddy Rosavelt in 1906. I'm sure there are at least some Republicans who strongly opposes deregulation of food safety even if they are a minority in the party. I shouldn't say it's a problem for me personally. I myself am a progressive and none of the political facts suprise me one bit. But this book is far more important than the petty partisan politics we hear everyday in the news. Many people in this country treat their party as if they were a fan of a sports team. Those who don't, may still find the book contemptuous for they may regard the author in that light (which is understandable). I just feel that the Democrat-leaning aspect makes it less accessable and less accepted by everyone as a whole- despite how accurate and important it really is. Any Republican who read this will take it in with cynicism and skepticism, and I find that very unfortunate because everyone needs to read this book.
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Summary: Changed the way I eat
Review: The book is incredibly well-researched and provides good insight into the origins of the fast-food industry and the resulting "fattening" of America. If this book is too much, I would recommed the movie "Super Size Me." After reading this book, I have not been able to bring myself to eat at the golden arches or Burger King.
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Summary: Entertaining Investigative Bestseller About the Industry
Review: When I bought this bestseller I thought it was mainly about McDonalds since it has a pictures of some McDonalds fries on the book cover, but this is not a book just about McDonald's per se, but about the industry as a whole including economics, food supplies, and the labor problems and working conditions at the restaurants and at the suppliers. The author Eric Schlosser is a journalist, an excellent writer, and does a good job at keeping our attention. Each chapter is entertaining, almost a page-turner, and he follows the 270 page main text with 100 pages of notes and comments. There are some things that are a bit unfair about the book. I think the author goes into many issues in great detail that are only marginally related to fast food. The author uses Colorado as a case study and for example the decline of small ranches in the western plains and the economics of beef producing is only marginally tied to fast food as is the issue of mad cow disease. Similarly the author takes us step by step through a cattle slaughter house and describes possible injuries to workers, and that has almost no relationship to fast food - in my opinion - but is a general problem of the meat industry. Having said that, what the author does with great clarity is to describe fast food operations and how the food is produced. He presents a brief history of the national chains, and discusses (not in this order) franchising, SBA financing, profit margins on things like French fries, the structure of the corporations, marketing to children, television adds aimed at children, market penetration in schools and sports, influencing - believe it or not - the textbooks in the classroom, salaries, teen workers, intentional employer induced employee turnover, migrant labor, bussing in of illegal aliens, ghettoes of illegal workers on the high plains, federal and state government financial subsidies of worker "training", crime and violence in the workplace, child labor, automation and training, standardization, economics of food production, animal wastes, political lobbying and donations to politicians, the minimum wage, and the production problems of potatoes, beef, and chicken. Of course he discusses calories and fat content. There are many interesting passages along with lots of facts and figures on the fast food business. It is all a very worthwhile read and an eye opener with some very dramatic parts. One of the things that sticks out for myself is the relationship between the franchiser and the franchisee. I had always been under the impression that there was a fair degree of security in the purchase of a national fast food franchise. But apparently, and according to the book, there is a high degree of financial risk involved, many hours of long hard work for the franchisee, and surprisingly a high percentage go bankrupt or lose their franchises. So if you are considering such an undertaking, do your research before entering a franchise contract even with a major national name brand, and do so with some caution. It is not so rosy and your fate is tied to the fate and often the whims of the franchiser. Also, some brand names cannot provide the owner with a living wage with single fast food outlet. Great book Jack in Toronto
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