Rating: 
Summary: A Liberal Looks at Fast Food....
Review: Within the first 30-40 pages of this book, I realized that Eric Schlosser's obvious contempt for innovative, successful people would be a primary theme throughout the book, and I was, for the most part, correct.... I had hoped "Fast Food Nation" would have more actual information about the fast food industry. While it does contain a few interesting nuggets of history, statistics and background of various fast food chains, Schlosser seems more interested in pursuing his leftist agenda - he goes off on tangents about urban sprawl and generally goes out of his way to blame Republicans for all the woes of the universe (the Reagan administration comes under fire and takes responsibility for standards and regulations that Schlosser feels are too relaxed but curiously, standards that remain relaxed under the Clinton administration are the fault of Rebublicans in Congress). Schlosser spends a good chunk of the book describing the horrors of the meatpacking industry - none of this will be new information to anyone with even the most cursory interest in the topic - and blaming Republicans (again) for most of the dangers workers in the meat industry face. He villifies fast food and the government for not imposing tougher safety laws and standards of cleanliness for the meat produced in these plants. After all this, Schlosser makes a curious (contradictory?) statement towards the end of the book which claims (in effect) that none of these proposed standards will do any good unless the fast food worker pays attention to their own personal hygiene. Then he devotes approximately one paragraph to discussing their behavior: spitting in food, dropping food on the floor and then serving it to customers etc. I suppose, according to Schlosser's socialist leanings, these underpaid, semi-literate workers are to be considered exploited "victims" and as such, not responsible for their actions. Ah well.. Bottom line: Not much new information here - don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: glaring omissions
Review: Fast Food Nation, as the title suggests is a book about the fast food industry in America. However, it covers a lot more than fat, grease and grime. It digs into the heart of the industry and spans all the way from the meatpacking factory to the checkout counter. This book does confirm everything you always thought was bad about the fast food industry. The introduction is a little disconcerting because the author freely admits to eating plenty of fast food whilst researching the book. Once you reach the end, you start to question how this is possible. The book is welll researched book however I think it relies excessively on anecdotes that are only loosely related to each other and the title of the book. The author seems to get side tracked a bit and none of the revelations are that profound. No mention of what happens when you buy a McDonald's cheeseburger and take it home and leave it for a year (it doesn't go mouldy!) In any case I can't see how Schlosser could fail to mention the effects of switching from beef tallow to vegetable oil. This results in the production of trans fatty acids which are far more toxic than the saturated fat found in beef tallow. Trans fatty acids lower HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and increase LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). I can't really recommend this book. If you freely acknowledge that fast food is very unhealthy then you won't really find this useful. On the other hand if you're wolfing down McDonald's a few times a week then maybe you should give this book a thorough read.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy a box full and hand them out everywhere you go...
Review: This book is a nice angle on the commercialization of darn near everything. It shows how the concept of 'fast food' has bred, or at least encouraged entire industries and habits that are not only detrimental to health and the environment, but deadly and destructive. This book should be read by everyone who shops in a store in the US.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone in America should read this
Review: I read Schlosser's article in Rolling Stone back in 1999, and quit eating hamburger then. I have not been back to McDonald's since reading his book, and I will not return. I wish everyone in America would read his book and find out what they are really eating, and what they are feeding their children!
Rating:
Summary: Off topic, highly subjective diatribe on American culture
Review: I picked up this book with great expectations. I was sadly disappointed. I expected to learn about how the fast food industry prepared and delivered its products. Though there is good information in the book, Schlosser obviously had a stong agenda to discredit anyone and anything associated with fast pace America. Though Walt Disney had nothing to do with fast food, Schlosser went on ad infinitum attacking Disney because of his apparent employment of some German WWII vets and how he handled an artists' strike. Schlosser clearly despises the founders and the culture that arose from this era. If you are to believe Schlosser, you are left with the impression that all of these men (Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, Harlan Sanders at KFC and Walt Disney) were greedy, petty, cynical, shysters who could have cared less about the people they served and the world they lived in. Having read other material on some of these people I knew that, though Schlosser was not actually lying, he presented facts in such a way that could lead the reader to false conclusions. For example, in talking about Disney he said, "Walt Disney neither wrote, nor drew the animated classics that bore his name." While technically true, at this stage in Disney's career, he no longer had time to do the actual drawing. He oversaw all aspects of the Disney classics but he did not literally draw them himself. What he fails to tell you is that Walt Disney made his start by creating and drawing many of the famous Disney characters, like Mickey Mouse. If you didn't know better, though, you would think Disney never drew anything, that he was simply a great pitch man. I have never been a fan of fast food and rarely frequent any of these establishments. The main reason for picking up the book was to learn just how bad these hyper-processed foods really are for your body. Unfortunately, instead I got a diatribe on just how lousy America and much of its culture is. Schlosser got so far off topic and presented the subject matter in such a subjective manner that I can not recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: Important to read
Review: This book reminds me alot of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," in how it's composed of old fashioned muckraking and unsettling facts. The author simply puts in the facts, rarely adding opinion to the book, and lets interviews and history speak for themselves. The title of this book could be somewhat misleading: the book covers much more than the fast food industry, including Disney's abuses of power and the general way our country is turning into a monoculture. What's very interesting to me is how the book depicts the men behind corporations such as McDonalds. Eric Schlosser tells their life stories and puts in many quotes, revealing the classic American character of many of the corporation founders. The pursuit of dominance through fast food is another way of pursuing the American Dream that went too far. After reading this book, I've found it very difficult to eat fast food with any kind of clear conscience. There are sections quoted from corporation memos proving that the companies try to hook very young children on fast food, and that they remain customers for their adult lives. This book really should be required reading.
Rating:
Summary: You'll Never Eat the Same Way Again
Review: Brilliantly conceived, this book explores fast food from every angle: labor, food processing, environmental concerns, and more. This is a compelling and, for me, life-changing book. I can't eat the way I did before. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Get real Eric Schlosser!
Review: Being a health conscious individual, I was anxious to read this book. Unfortunately, the author reminds me of my 20 year-old ecology-major daughter who wants to save the world. Maybe I'm growing cynical in my older age, but I have a problem blaming all of America's woes on the fast food industry. Sure, this industry hires the young and uneducated (it was my first job 32 years ago)and doesn't pay health insurance but it offers beginning employment where there might be none. Schlosser goes on to expect the fast food industry to save the farmers, change the meat-packing industry and basically take responsibility for its entire supply chain. Give me a break. Go to business school Schlosser and you will see how ridiculous your suggestions are.
Rating:
Summary: Very insightful
Review: This book is a must-read for anyone who has grown up watching fast food take hold in this country. It isn't a book about the perils of eating fast food necessarily, but rather an amazing look at how the fast food industry has influenced so many different aspects of American and even world-wide industries. It really does make you think twice about things when you pass the golden arches.
Rating:
Summary: I quit eating McDonald's after reading this book!
Review: I was so McGrossed out after reading Eric Schlosser's chapter on meat processing plants that I've now sworn off McDonalds hamburgers and other fast-food chains (I still have a weakness for their fries but I've cut down a lot on eating those as well.) There's another section in the book on the abuse the long-suffering chicken goes through to end up as a tasty nugget on our plate.However, this book is NOT merely propaganda for the anti-meat movement in this country. Schlosser takes us even closer by introducing us to the exploited mexican workers who often work at these dangerous plants for less than minimum wage and without insurance. Timely and well-researched, "Fast Food Nation" also delves into the obesity problem this country now suffers as a direct result of our fast-food life and how chains like McDonald's deliberately market to children to get their parents to load up on unhealthy meals. This book was so absorbing, shocking, and fascinating that I wouldn't be surprised if most people went vegan if they knew how their food was really prepared. If you're like most Americans who now eat out at restaurants or food chains 3-4 times a week, you should read this.
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