Rating: 
Summary: Never again
Review: Ok, I give up. After reading this book about what's in my Happy Meal I will never eat at a fast food restaurant again. Schlosser is a great investigative reporter and, in my opinion, this book rivals the Upton Sinclair novels I read in high school. While the profiles of the beef and potatoe industry were both frightening and revealing, the real value to me was the change in the American diet that has occurred as a result of this industry. The increase in the amount of sugar consumed in the U.S. was enough to make me change my dietary habits forever!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not surprising results from book
Review: To start, I rate things as 3 stars when they are average, or when they meet but do not exceed my expectations. The scale goes up and down from there. Fast food nation seemed interesting at the start, but is mostly a book with few surprises and a lot of anecdotal stories. I'm not surprised that fast food places have a lot of part time workers. I'm not surprised they don't make much money. I'm not surprised fast food is bad for you..... The book contradicts itsself, for example when the author states in one portion how the equipment is virtually idiot proof to run, in large part for the safety of the employees. Then later recounts a story of someone who ran a potentially dangerous machine. Or when the author complains the part time labor doesn't get paid enough, then complains when they volunteer to work more hours for more money. Mostly, the book is a left of center look about the fast food industry doing a public dis-service simply by existing, without providing theoretical alternatives. The author documents many factoids, yet when he makes his biggest boldest statements he backs them up with anecdotal stories and not researched data. The author presents his information, but often does not offer meaningful analysis into it. For example he cites a percentage for how many fast food restaurants are robbed by employees/ex-employees. Yet he does not compare the percentage to other robberies (like banks) that are also inside jobs. Meaningful comparitive analysis is important Generally, the book seemed to complain too much, and offer too few alternatives. Knowing some of the information is interesting, but when finished with the book, you ask yourself "now what" or "how can I act on this to better my life and community?" and there the bok did not help.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: If you don't purchase this book, borrow it from a friend, from the library, I dont care, JUST READ THIS BOOK. The American people have been decieved and not informed for too long about what fast food companies, slaughterhouses, and the American government are allowing our children and people to eat. Make informed decisions for you and our children, find out what is really in the hamburgers.
Rating: 
Summary: I've spent my last dollar at McDonald's...
Review: Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" aspires to far more than a 300-page list of the unsavory practices and revolting ingredients in your "tasty" Big Mac. The book convincingly argues that the rise of the fast food industry is a model for -- and the perhaps the catalyst behind -- the forces of globalization, mass marketing, corporate collusion, and everything else that's wrong with big business today. Schlosser begins by noting the fast-food proclivities of the staff at an ultra-secure military base lodged inside a Colorado mountain. It's a good metaphor, and an apt starting point for his expose: fast food has literally penetrated the deepest reaches of American life. He ends up at a McDonald's in Plauen, Germany, a city ravaged by the fall of Communism. In between, he details the insidious cost-cutting practices of the meatpacking industry, the brainwashing forces of advertising, and the horrific dangers of working in a slaughterhouse. Schlosser's style is a mix of informative and empathetic. He combines his statistics with stories of the lives destroyed by fast food. At heart, he's an idealist: he believes that his readers will stop forking over their dollars to McDonald's, Wendy's, etc. I wasn't much a fast food fan before, but he's won me over. However, I agree with other readers that he makes virtually no mention of the vegetarian lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: Why not have the salad?
Review: This book is not the anticapitalist rant that one might have expected, but rather a business case about the fast food industry. It starts by reviewing the impact this industry has on its suppliers, and shows very cogently that the consolidation of the fast food industry has also led to the consolidation of the suppliers of meat and potatoes, key inputs in the industry. Basically, there are less and less slaughterhouse operators, and there is more and more pressure to cut costs (this is unavoidable when the number of buyers -fast food and supemarket chains- is also dropping). Schlosser shows the dismal living and working conditions of a mostly illiterate, migrant worker population. If human pain and misery weren't enough, he also gives us the repulsive way in which cattle are brought up and slaughtered, and the many opportunities for infection that line the way from pasture to restaurant table. His depiction of the artificial smells and tastes industry is brilliant. I didn't know that most of the taste of the French fries served in fast food joints is chemical in nature, and that those fries might also have tasted of chocolate or mint. He is less interesting when he reviews the way a typical fast food chain works (perhaps because we are closer to that experience), but nonetheless it is worth knowing that this industry is the biggest employer of young, unqualified workers in the US, and that it is grueling work (which might explain the vacant stare of many "Would you like fries with that" drones. And surely many of us had misgivings about the food, given the way it's probably handled, away from our view? The fact that the "training" that fast food workers receive is deductible even though it's totally useless outside of the industry should be prima facie indication of the power of the industry as a lobby. No one can fault Schlosser's statements that the fast food chains have materially reduced the variety of the eating experience, that whenever they move in, obesity follows in their wake, and that they are built on the sweat and blood of immigrants and teenagers (not to mention the mistreatment of animals and the frequent belly-aches of consumers). Did you know that recalling contaminated meat is virtually imposible unless done with the meat packer's consent? I sure didn't. Clearly, the enforcement of health and safety regulations in slaughterhouses is imperative, and it is a shame that health and safety inspectorates do not have sufficient personnel or funds to do their jobs properly. Isn't people's safety important, and should we be able to trust that the food we buy from well-established chains is fit to eat? It is also sad that well-heeled lobbyists manage to control the flow of information about the industry. I have been doing my bit for the past ten years, and have abstained since from the artery-choking, animal fat-saturated, manhandled and misshapen [junk-food]. Why not do the same? Why not eat something nutritious, something that might titillate your taste buds or open to you the door to new culinary-cultural experiences? Or if you can't afford it, or don't have the time for it, why not just have the salad (no fries or coke, thank you very much).
Rating:
Summary: A WELL DONE PIECE - WITH CONCERNS
Review: A bit of a disturbing book! It has certainly changed my eating habits. The book was well done and certainly brought out some good points. I was a bit troubled though as to the authors unrelenting "everything is bad in America, blah, blah, blah" bit. Sounded a bit too 60ish for my taste. If indeed, things are as bad as the author indicates, and the "ship is sinking fast," why is it our country is so successful? Why is EVERYONE trying to imigrate here and not the other way around? If this place is really all that bad, it must be really, really bad everywhere else in the world! That being said, I did very much enjoy the book. It was well done and was certainly an eye opener. I liked the author's style. Recommend it as a nice read and points are brougt up that we should all give some though to.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: This book would have been much better if Mr. Schlosser was not slanted one way; the left only. He failed to mention the legislation that the Democrats have passed to ruin FDA inspections. He should have reported both parties inequities or left them out. The book could have gone deeper into the improprieties of the fast food industry, instead of just scratching the surface. The book was a good read with out the political slant; It could have been excellent with leaving it out or including it all.
Rating:
Summary: Provides the "true" cost os a 99 cent burger......
Review: You may currently think that big, oversize burger you will order at some point only costs 99cents. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser will change your mind about that. It details not only the "costs" associated with the lethal dose of fat and chemicals inside that burger, but also the human toll that producing that 99 cent burger entails, through the full "food chain" of the cattle, agriculture, fast food, and meat packing industries to your stomach. It is not a pretty tale. Schlosser vividly delineates the exploitation, the inhumanity and the cruelty that the producers and distributors of "fast food" engage in to keep that 99 cent burger cheap. Everyone involved-a few fat cat owners of the process aside-pays a very dear price to provide you with that cheap, destructive meal. The power of this book is not in how it makes you aware of just how bad that burger is for you-others have done that and most anyone who can think knows deep down that burger, fries and shake isn't a healthy choice. The power of this tremendous expose is in how it illustrates just how bad that meal choice is for thousands of other people as well. This is not so much an examination of food production or health issues as it is a tale of self-inflicted suffering. A truly great book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but does not mention the vegetarian option
Review: Excellent book. Contains tons of details, lots of research. I turned vegetarian this year and this book will help my resolve. It is scary to read about the chemicals used as flavoring, exploitation of teen labor, suppression of unions,treatment of animals. Extensive documentation and research supports all his findings. Another book I suggest for people considering vegetarian/vegan option is "Mad Cowboy", not as good as "fast food nation" but good. One thing I did not like about "fast food nation" is that the author did not mention "vegetarian life style" as an option. He talks about organic farming and "free range meat", but does not mention a change to organic, vegetarian/vegan lifestyle as an option. The reason, I believe is, we completely ignore the moral/ethical aspect of eating meat and will not read any material that mentions that it is wrong to eat meat. (crazy people, we are) Great book.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Expose of American Culture
Review: I first read this book as a common consumer, who grew up on McDonalds. As a child, the first symbol I learned to recognize was that of the golden arches. As an adult, reading this book and considering all the destructive aspects of the fast food industry (most specifically, the McDonalds empire) has motivated me to take action. Schlosser blends his extensive research with an engaging narrative style, and this is a book that can (and should) be read by both children and adults. Working at a summer camp, I handed this book to my campers, who have mobilized our small community to strike against McDonalds and such chain fast food stores. This book can mobilize any reader to changing the system, and I highly recommend it.
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