Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Book Review: Alarming!
Summary: 5 Stars
I could not put the book down. I found it so intriguing that I had to buy another copy to pass among my family and friends. I was, like the rest of the people who have read this, shocked to know exactly how the large agricultural companies operate and the feebleness with which the FDA and USDA operate.
Being a government employee myself I feel the massive budget cuts and have experienced the mounds of work displaced to employees already overwhelmed. There's no way to catch up or catch anything that is not a blatant violation. So, I'm not surprised to find out that the majority of the time the agricultural business is left to police itself.
I was skeptical by the amount of negative information in the book and wondered if this could indeed really be happening. The author, however, delivers facts and names which when investigated would have to be accurate for those details to be published -otherwise this book would have been shut down before publishing.
That said I feel the book must be on the mark. Knowing that I am more cautious, than ever, about where I purchase my food. I could not stand fast food before I read the book, which gave me relief that not eating junk food is sensible advice. Knowing what I know now I choose to cook more meals at home. I have banned the supermarket for most items that I can purchase locally -meats and vegetables. Trust in the man at Winn Dixie or Food Lion is gone.
My advice; educate yourself. Do not let this be the only source of information about the food industry. Buy locally if you can. Make a friend of your local butcher or farmer's market. Purchase in-season items -this reduces the miles your food has traveled which lessens the environmental impact of what you are eating. It'll guarantee a better quality product too. Know where your food is coming from.
Book Review: An Eye Opening Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has changed the way our entire family of four eats out, or rather does not eat out at fast food establishments anymore. It gives a good deal of background information on how fast food corporations began, have proliferated and continue to grow and change our society and world. Some facts in this book will truly make your eyes want to pop out they are so eye opening. Synergy the blending of products seemingly unrelated is something we had never thought of before, but down right scary in its' implications. We are both elementary school teachers, and we think this book should be required reading somewhere in every child's educational career (perhaps in high school, and definately in college).Book Review: An Unorganized Rip-off
Summary: 1 Stars
This guy didn't bother to organize himself before he put pen to paper. The book is chaotic, filled with anecdotes instead of facts, and drips with the author's apparent communistism. A total waste of money.Book Review: An extremely "readable" book
Summary: 4 Stars
This book had my total attention. I had never realized the history of the fast food industry (FFI) although it has been around for a long, long time. That there is a unique philosophy behind the movivational engineering of the FFI came almost as a surprise. It had long been evident that the FFI had some dynamic and underlying force, and this book gives an excellent chronology of the FFI from its origins to its present place in our society.
It has commonly been known that workers in the FFI are required to demonstrate an allegiance to their company - but it was unanticipated to what levels this reached. In the philosophy of the FFI, individuals have no rights, They must trust the company and its philosophies while the company does not necessarily trust them or recognize their beliefs. Employees of the FFI must be conformists or they are replaced.
After reading this book, I have a new appreciation of the use of psychological/motivational tools as applied to employee management and training.
I recommend this book to younger readers who are not yet inspired or committed to pursue further education following graduation from high school and are content to assume that a career as a "burger flipper" is their goal in life. Maybe, just maybe, reading this book will make them reconsider and strive for academic excellence and a continuation of their education. I realize that the book is rather long for young readers, but it remains interesting throughout.
No, this book has not alienated me from the FFI, but has given me a healthy respect for what they represent and the dictatorial means they employ to manage employees.
I would recommend that any employee of the FFI remain in that position only if they wish to become an eventual owner - franchise or independent. The indoctrination received during their training will serve well under this circumstance.
Book Review: An eye-opener
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most informative and scary book I've read in years. Millions of people around the world eat at McDonald's everyday but also at Burger King and so on. For years, I've enjoyed getting my daily dose of Big Macs like millions of others. But this book turned me into a vegetarian for good. I've never felt disgusted at the idea of eating meat before. That also includes chicken and other meats, not just beef. I don't event want to buy ground beef after reading this book.
The meatpackers have taken over the food industry for the last 50 years with the help of the fastfood industry and this is appalling. When you eat burgers, you eat mostly remains and fecal excrements. Did you know that? Animals are being fed with other animals thereby turning them into cannibals. The working conditions in the slaughterhouses around the country are monstrous and inhuman towards the workers as well as the animals. This has promulged a rate of worldwide obesity (seen even in Japan) the world has never seen. The government has favorized the meat-packing industry and allowed health transgressions and work conditions the average american expects from third world countries and not this one.
Something is very wrong here. After reading this book, I was cured from eating any kind of meat whatsoever. If this book doesn't turn you into a vegeratian, nothing will. It should be required reading in schools. Mr. Schlosser, I commend you for opening my eyes and, I hope, the eyes of a lot of people.