Fast Food Nation

The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

By: Eric Schlosser

Narrated by: Rick Adamson

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

To a degree both engrossing and alarming, the story of fast food is the story of postwar America. Though created by a handful of mavericks, the fast food industry has triggered the homogenization of our society. Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled the juggernaut of American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning.

Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from the California subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many of fast food's flavors are concocted. He hangs out with the teenagers who make the restaurants run and communes with those unlucky enough to hold America's most dangerous job - meatpacker. He travels to Las Vegas for a giddily surreal franchisers' convention where Mikhail Gorbachev delivers the keynote address. He even ventures to England and Germany to clock the rate at which those countries are becoming fast food nations.

Fast Food Nation is a groundbreaking work of investigation and cultural history that may change the way America thinks about the way it eats.

©2001 by Eric Schlosser
(P)2001 Random House, Inc.
Random House Audible, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Adult Non-Fiction, 2002

"... a fierce indictment of the fast food industry." (The New York Times)

The Upton Sinclair of the 21st century

Mr. Schlosser has carried out three years of research for this book, by his own account. Unfortunately, his well-documented polemic against the fast food industry is seriously flawed by a lack of focus. It's an impressive attack on the fast food industry, but he also attacks urban sprawl, George Bush (senior, not junior), the US Dept of Agriculture, agribusiness, the decline of family farms, and, of course, the Republican party. He lovingly traces the links between the Republicans and agribusiness, while completely ignoring the similar links between, for example, Tyson Foods and the Clinton Administration. His partisanship strongly detracts from his message. Truly, the American Nutritional Catastrophe deserves a great book to describe it. This one isn't it, but one has to give Mr. Schlosser credit for a good effort.

Eye-opening

Drawing on impressive reasearch, numerous interviews, and strong deduction, Scholsser paints a picture of a world forever transformed by a fast food industry that has exploded from its humble beginnings to near world domination. While Schlosser at times seems to decry progress in general, there is little doubt that most of his conclusions are accurate if occasionally overstated. But far from a diatribe against fast food, Schlosser presents the facts in a relatively even-handed manner. Unfortunately, Rick Adamson's narration often drips with cynicism even where none seems warranted by the text. At other times he'll dramatically under-emphasize the kicker of an anecdote. He has a good voice, and in general he does a good job, but I've heard better. And it's a shame, a blemish on this otherwise solid work.

Ignorance isn't bliss

WoW! I had this title lurking in my "to download" box for longer than I should have. This is a great, informative listen. I use to just feel for the poor animals at slaughter, now it's the workers too.

Ok But Not Great

What did you love best about Fast Food Nation?

A very interesting look into the world of fast food, beef and potatos. The author gave me some things to think about and confirmed why I try to have as few processed foods as possible.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Rick Adamson?

Most likely not. His way over the top style made me tune out sometimes. It became very hard to discern between important parts and filler.

Any additional comments?

The information was interesting and it shed light on an area that needs it; however, his blatent politics did not belong in the book. There was no need for the Republican Party bashing that seemed to be in every chapter.

cant.make.it.through...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This book is full of information; however, I think it skips around a lot and is hard to follow. I don't mind the narrator's voice as much as others did. I actually think he does a nice job. It just has a confusing feel to it...one minute its about McDonalds, the next is politics, then it goes to crime and frozen food. It has no structure. I wanted to hear about what was in the food - not the history of the world.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I stopped half way through and switched over to Messages from the Other Side by John Holland.

What about Rick Adamson’s performance did you like?

He wasn't boring.

What did you take away from Fast Food Nation that you can apply to your work?

Nothing

A Great Inquiry Into Modernity

I absolutely recommend this book. It is engaging, informative, and shocking. Schlosser manages to describe the horrors of the mass food production industry while maintaining the humanity of all involved. He is a great storyteller. I was disappointed that this was an abridged version. I would have liked to hear the full version.

Fast Food Nation

Excellent, and Eye opening !!!!
Very good listen !!!
Informative !!!

Very interesting information

Very interesting information about the fast food industry.

Why we eat meat?

Where does Fast Food Nation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number 1

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kenny Dobbins. He was very loyal to company which disappointed him.

What does Rick Adamson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

what's going on in the slaughthouse.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Crap In The Meat.

Great thorough and interesting journalism

Investigative journalism in recent times has tended to focus on political scandal -- perhaps that is the legacy of Watergate. Schlosser is a great investigative journalist, identifying a story that is central to our lives, but about which we know next to nothing. The revelations about what has happended to our meat industry are fascinating and disturbing. They caused one of my children to become a vegetarian.