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)

Food for thought

A great book, really an eye-opener on the fastfood world. Although this is clearly a liberal view point, the author appears to have completed extensive reasearch on the subject matter. He urges us not to purchase food from the giant fastfood corporations but what about all of the uneducated workers the fastfood corporations support? I guess we would have to let them starve.

excellent book!

This was the first book I listened to since joining audible and I was definetely not disappointed. The reader, first of all, was excellent. More importantly, the information was really interesting. I will think AT LEAST twice before I ever order fast food again. Putting that aside, the details about slaughter house "goings on", feedlot operations and fast food origins are fascinating. Overall, I highly suggest listening to this book.

The Book was well written & Informative. However the narrator left out a lot.

I got this to encourage myself to read the physical book for a class faster. I was taking some notes so good thing I was paying attention. The narrator missed several paragraphs & only read 1/2 of some of the paragraphs. I never trusted audio books now I really don’t.

What an awesome book

What an awesome book. If I had the choice I'd make this a mandatory read for every health class in high school and any other class that would be able to work it into their curriculum.

This is a must read for every American adult because I know it has changed my political and health views forever.

Very nice work Eric!!!

Germs, Complacency and Fast Food

This book truly reminds you of the need for instant gratification our society cultivates and the price (which we rarely investigate) that need wreaks on our lives. An eye-opening book that calls into question the ethics of capitalism gone wild and the complacency of our consumerism gone out to pasture- who is running the show here? Essentially, we're much like those doe-eyed cows going into slaughter- never questioning the product or the production. Kudos to the author- this book was informative, well-written and provocative.

Diet Help

This book should help anyone go on a diet and stay on a diet. His research for this was amazing.

One of the greatest books I've ever listened to

It's not just about fast food. It's about our society, way of life, our future. Prepare to hear some unpleasant things, but they are true. It's not just another "alarmist" book. Unlike many others, it's full of facts, truthful information, and it steers clear of exagerrations, unproved accusations, etc. I admired the author's ability to stay very unemotional, and as unbiased as one can be, when he gives you a fact after a fact of disturbing information. One warning though: you may not be physically able to eat fast food after listening to this book. And if you are still able to - you won't enjoy it as much.

Would you like fries with that?

A very good audio book. Don't listen to it while on an extended road trip because you won't want to stop at a fast food restaurant. Lots of interesting - and surprising - information. The only downfall is that it gets "preachy" in the last 15 minutes or so. The author obviously wants us to take action, but his preaching is a bit over the top.

Disturbing and enlightening - A Must Listen

Learn the history of fast food, the beginnings of franchised chains (i.e. McDonald's, Carl Jrs), and how the fast food industry works to get your food to you and your kids. Personally, I was appalled by some of the practices. And although I LOVE the taste of fast food, it's changed my views and I'm more picky about where and what I eat now. A highly recommended listen.

Outstanding and Informative

I truly loved this book and will definitely recommend it. Great narration as well! :)