Reefer Madness

Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market

By: Eric Schlosser

Narrated by: Eric Schlosser

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

In Reefer Madness, the best-selling author of Fast Food Nation investigates America's black market and its far-reaching influence on our society through three of its mainstays - pot, porn, and illegal immigrants.

The underground economy is vast; it comprises perhaps 10 percent - perhaps more - of America's overall economy, and it's on the rise. Eric Schlosser charts this growth, and finds its roots in the nexus of ingenuity, greed, idealism, and hypocrisy that is American culture. He reveals the fascinating workings of the shadow economy by focusing on marijuana, one of the nation's largest cash crops; pornography, whose greatest beneficiaries include Fortune 100 companies; and illegal migrant workers, whose lot often resembles that of medieval serfs.

All three industries show how the black market has burgeoned over the past three decades, as America's reckless faith in the free market has combined with a deep-seated Puritanism to create situations both preposterous and tragic. Through pot, porn, and migrants, Schlosser traces compelling parallels between underground and overground: how tycoons and gangsters rise and fall, how new technology shapes a market, how government intervention can reinvigorate black markets as well as mainstream ones, how big business learns - and profits - from the underground.

With intrepid reportage, rich history, and incisive argument, Schlosser illuminates the shadow economy and the culture that casts that shadow.

©2003 Eric Schlosser (P)2003 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"Like Fast Food Nation, this is an eye-opening book, offering the same high level of reporting and research." (Publishers Weekly)
"Schlosser's precise outrage is as compelling off as on the page." (AudioFile)

Valid wisdom

America is a country of stark inconsistencies. From our divergent policies to our hyprocritical personal behaivor. Eric offers thought-provoking criticism and common sense alternatives for our flawed logic. It is a great book for anyone who likes to form their own opinion and does not take an issue at face value. My only complaint is that the author/narrator can be a bit flat. In his defense, it is his material and he knows how it should be presented.

This book tackles our marijuana policy, illegal immigrant labor, and pornography. An alarming chapter mentions the staunch anti-drug politicians. It is suprising to hear how these politicians change their tune when their own children are incarcerated on drug offenses. It is my opinion that freedom loving patriots should join together and revoke the current political system, it's participants, and install a democracy.

Excellent, Thought Provoking Book

I thought this was a great book. It is well researched and presented topic which I have not seen presented elsewhere. Some people have complained about the repeating. However, the way the book is set up a ffew stories are used to link the sections of the book. The repeating is to recap the story. I think the recapping and use of the stories of various people make for better push in the book.

Three books in one

Entertaining as well as Eye opening. This book exposes three growing areas of concern in today's society, namely marijuanna, illegal employer / migrant worker relations, and pornography. It provides a fair historical depiction of both sides of the argument, as well as definite opinions on each subject. It appears that the narrator, in an attempt to remain unbiased, can be at times be a bit bland about the subject and at other times show sympathy where one might not expect it. A great listen, and very educational.

Fascinating look at the underground

This is a very interesting book about the underground worlds of marijuana, illegal farm workers, and the pornography industry. You'll hear some firsthand examples of how our government has stuck its nose into places that are not its business, and also how the collusion of agribusiness, economic forces, and crony capitalism (yes, it happens in the USA too!), haven't always resulted in the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Author's narration is good, if not exceptional. Highly recommended.

Good Info, Bad Mix

This was a great book; one I’ve been meaning to get to for some time now. I enjoyed listening to it, but only after A LOT of tweaking my car stereo’s equalizer. The mix is terrible for Eric’s voice, it sounds very muddy, even to the point of being difficult to understand (when heard over car stereo with other normal road noise). That being said, after getting the right mix, this was a great book!

Great Investigative Journalism

Nearly all of us eat fast food, but it took Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation for us to learn what it means in American Society. Reefer Madness is similar, looking at ways in which our society has gotten far off track. I thought the black market was a problem for post-Soviet Russia. Through insightful investigative journalism, Schlosser shows the problem exists -- and thrives -- right here at home. His essays exposing the vast reach of the underground economy read like novels, with engaging characters, as he exposes some basic, ugly truths at the core of our society that have not received the attention they deserve. Schlosser holds a mirror that helps us see our culture more clearly, warts and all.

and so...

this book was very informative, but it was sadly fatalistic in tone. while I am now well informed as to the workings of the black market, I feel as though Schlosser, although not endorsing pornography, at least views it as an inevitability against which we have no weapons. drugs and migrant workers are two other complex and socially distructive problems which are dealt with, but again, with no solid conclusions reached. as I have already stated, I am now well informed, but a little more hopeless.

U.S. gov vs. we the people

This book pissed me off... becasue it brought to light ways in which our government is working against its people. Schlosser shows multiple ways in which our laws and approaches to problems work to keep the poor and unfortunate right where they are. Law enforcement appears to be more of an industry than a tool to help us all live more peacefully.

Brilliant

This is another of Eric Schlosser's brilliant works - one of those where I didn't want to get out of the car. Whereas other reviewers are asking for conclusions to be made by the author, I had absolutely no problem interpreting the author's conclusion or moreover, coming to my own, and I believe this is the author's intent - that the reader/listener SEE the destruction created by the goverment's witch hunts and failed policies.

A must read!

Eric's book dynamically portrays the reality of how food in modern day America is produced and challenges us to make conscious food choices for a saner planet. A must read!