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Summary: You will never think of the hamburger in the same way.
Review: The book delves into dozens of side stories at a level of detail not needed to support the core message. However, the stories are well written and as exciting as the body... like eating a chocolate croissant that is heavy on the bread (it still taste great).My main complaint with the book is its cover. I was hoping to be less addicted to fast food after reading the story, but the book's cover of golden French fries made me crave (and buy) fries like never before. I never realized how much impact the fast food industry has had on our nation. I am not about to write my congressman, but I will definitely visit "In & Out" instead of the other chains next visit to the U.S.
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Summary: There were parts of this book that made me cry.
Review: Having grown up in Omaha Nebraska and having a small farm of my own I was shocked by how bad things are now. The meat packers in Omaha in the 1960s were forced out by the non-unions. It completly changed Omaha. I grew up on beef but I will never eat beef again after reading this book. Its not just the fast food issue but the complete disregard for life that these companies show. Human and cattle. This book is not for anybody that cares. It would make the Nazi party happy(better extermination) but not any thinking human being. The writing is superb and the characters unforgetable. Who will ever forget Kenny? This book belongs on Oprah's bestseller list. And this writer has shown that change needs to be made and made quickly. A must read. A book that should be read in every class room and by every elected official. Shame that McDonalds, Burger King etc. will not change intill there profits fall. They do not care about human life just there God; MONEY. Bravo Eric Schlosser!
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: This is a very well written and documented book. However, the media portrayed it as an assault on the fast food industry. Aside from the first and last chapters of the book, the fast food industry was barely mentioned. Rather, this book takes an in-depth look at food production in general, and the meat-packing industry in specific. The author scratches the surface of hiring practices among fast food companies, but the practice of hiring teenagers and the elderly is hardly restricted to fast food joints--check out any retail outlet and temp agency in America. They are all preying upon people who are willing to accept slave labor, and since there are an abundance of such people, we all suffer. Overall, the book is worth reading, but be prepared for detailed reading. Seriously, I don't know very many people who will read this book cover-to-cover.
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Summary: Need to be vegetarian
Review: I really didn't want to know a lot of this stuff, this book is , however fascinating.I read it through in two sittings.Most of this information is disturbing, but the American public often turns a blind eye to anything that opposes the consumerism that is so well ingrained in our psyche. Overall, I felt better informed about the processes that bring our food to the table. I now wince when I hear Paul Harvey talk glowingly about "Archer-Daniels Midland" "Supermarket to the world".
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Summary: We need more True Warriors like Mr. Schlosser...
Review: Eric Schlosser is what I call a true warrior. meaning a person with strrong morals and principles and a courageous streak. It must have taken a lot of courage to go up to these boardrooms and witness the anti-worker jibes by some of the industry's top executives. It took him even more guts to go through the New Jersey Turnpike and start sniffing around the chemical plants producing ummm... natural flavors. It's even more tragic that McDonald's and the others were begun by independent, high-spirited entrepreneurs with a few dollars in their hands, like most Americans. Today they're largely run by laptop-using Harvard grads who have never visited a farm of meat-packing plant or fast-food franchise and 'don't know if a potato grows in a tree or underground' according to one quote. The exploitation of workers, especially teenagers behind the counter and illegal immigrants within the meat houses, is self-explanatory. Even more infuriating is the fact that entire families are getting overweight from unhealthy food that is directly geared to them and their children. Or the fact that the industry has taken advantage of Washingtons's food inspection mistakes to block nearly all new laws regarding food safety. Or the fact that many small businesses are being squeezed out by these retail giants in many sectors. It may not be long before franchises (at least they're independently managed) are replaced by corporate managers running individual chain restaurants and their employees from the safety of their office buildings. The fast-food quagmire is only one serious example of how our entire retail industry has been homogenized and monotonized almost beyond distinction. Just ask those working in Gap, Banana Republic, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, the Disney Store, Target, Starbucks, and so on. Everywhere we look, all the products are the same, and the cash machines are the same. Advertisements are everywhere, urging all of us to spend more and more until our closets overflow with junk and our financial debts pile up. The same process is being repeated all over the place- and all over the world. It's all part of the homogenization of the country into suburban malls and subdivisions and so on. It's a pity that he's not yet ready to dig into the polluting car industry and road industry as well. If Eric Schlosser's purpose was to sensationalize the inner workings of an exploitative and culturally monotonous industry, then I'm cheering him on wholehatedly. Since reading this book to the last page I've gone on a fast-food-free diet.
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Summary: A Leftist View of Fast Food
Review: This book is an examination of not only the fast food industry, but also how that industry has had an effect on agriculture and meatpacking. The book also examines how people have been changed by this American phenomenon. It should be noted that Eric Schlosser is extremely liberal in his outlook. He is by turns an anti-corporatist, an anti-free market advocate, and a pro-union lackey. The first part of the book is probably the best part. Schlosser gives a detailed history of the emergence of the fast food industry, from the heady days of the 40's and 50's, when these restaurants emerged to serve a booming post-war generation, to the over saturation of restaurants we see today. The description of Schlosser's visit to the McDonald's museum was particularly interesting. This is the place where McDonald's has erected a shrine to Ray Kroc, the tireless visionary who turned the McDonald's idea into the gigantic powerhouse it is today. The museum attempts to turn Kroc into some sort of god, which is pretty warped when one thinks about it. Schlosser also reveals the labor practices of fast food, which is one of low wages and an anti-union mentality. A chapter on teenagers shows that the restaurants exploit some of these young people to make a profit. Working in a fast food restaurant, according to Schlosser, can create a lifelong aversion to work, due to the repetitive nature of the work. Many kids are spending more time at these jobs then they are spending in school. The restaurants also turn a blind eye to dangerous workplace habits. Kids are dumping hot fry grease and using equipment that the law prohibits them from using. The last part of the book shows how the demand for fast food by a hungry public is changing other business industries. Meatpacking is probably the one best documented by Schlosser. This industry, which once boasted some of the highest wages in the country, has now become a shelter for immigrants (mainly illegal ones) who get paid almost nothing for the dangerous work they do. Schlosser gives a run down on the job conditions that permeate these packinghouses. People die from chlorine exposure; limbs are mutilated or lost in equipment, and meat is exposed for time periods that result in bad product that can and does cause sickness. Schlosser makes sure to mention meat recalls that have occurred in recent years as proof that changes must be made to make those fast food burgers safe. Overall, this book isn't too bad. The cover caught my eye and I bought it hoping for some good insight. With a subtitle of "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" how can you go wrong? Well, this book could have been better. I wish Schlosser had refrained from wearing his heart on his sleeve. He also makes some questionable statements. One of the worst ones involved a claim that tainted beef has caused more pain than illegal drug use. I'm sorry, but I don't think that is anywhere near true. Read this book for the history and read the rest with a jaundiced eye.
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Summary: Simple and to the point - don't support big industry
Review: This is a great eye-opening book about the fast food industry, both in America and world wide. It carried an important message, a warning about the cheapening of modern life, the mistaken belief that is propagated throughout the world nowadays by the American agenda, that cheapness is best. It is a shining example of what can happen when an industry is let regulate and control itself, with little intervention from the government. We can not only see this happening in the fast food industry, however. It appears to be the norm nowadays. The fast food indutstry is just the cumulation of larger social and economic trends. To quote from the book: "The history of the twentieth century was dominated by the struggle against totalitarian systems of state power. The twenty-first will be no doubt be marked by a struggle to curtail excessive corporate power. The great challenge now facing countries throughout the world will be how to find a proper balance between the efficiency and the amorality of the market." What can you do? Well, it seems the main reason that the meat packing industry villified in this book is able to get away with so much is due to powerful lobby groups, who seem to have Republican politicians in their pocket. Much of the problem with federal overseeing of the industry goes back to the Regan/Bush administrations. While Clinton introduced some good measures, these were blocked when he lost control of the senate. I'm not going to give a detailed description here, but it's all in this great book. And it's not just about political blame-games, it's a lively and very interesting read. You'll never think about those golden arches the same way again. Well, that's my $0.02 worth. As a non-American, I still can't figure out why people would vote Republican...
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Summary: Eye Opener
Review: It might seem a bit reactionary, but I have vowed my family will go cold turkey on fast food as a result of reading this book. What makes this book so enjoyable is not the shock value it provides, but rather a thorough history of the fast food industry and the implications fast food growth has had first on America and subsequently the world.
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Summary: Fast Food Nation can change live
Review: I used to eat at McDonalds 2 or 3 times a week, but this book has opened my eyes to how we as the consumer are exploited by these companies. This has made me aware of things that for decades have been concealed. I intend on taking action and promise that if you read this book you will also.
Rating:
Summary: You'll Never Eat Another Hamburger
Review: Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this book examines the entire constellation of economic, social and health effects of the fast food industry on the world. All that matters to the industry titans is the bottom line, and the implications for independent farmers, for beef cattle, for low-skilled immigrant employees, and for public school students who get fast food in their cafeterias range from disgusting to tragic.
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