Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

by Eric Schlosser | Nonfiction |
ISBN: 0060938455 Global Overview for this book
Registered by uofigirl of Bloomington, Indiana USA on 7/21/2005
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8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by uofigirl from Bloomington, Indiana USA on Thursday, July 21, 2005
When I bought this book, the lady at Borders told me I would never eat meat again.

Well, I do enjoy a deep-fried chicken nugget. I wasn't eating beef before I read this book, and this book reinforced my own personal convictions. However, the "scandelous" revelations about the potato and chicken industries just made me hungry.

This book is not going to convert anyone to any lifestyle, but will reinforce previous beliefs.

Journal Entry 2 by uofigirl from Bloomington, Indiana USA on Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Offered for Bookring. Order determined purely by geography:
AnOtterChaos (USA-PA)
bookreadera (USA-PA)
gaysocialworker (USA-TX)
alanfoxboro (USA-AR)
Brookeworm (Canada)
Breeze144 (Canada)
Tazzell (Scotland) --> Received July 21
Sternschnuppe28 (Germany)
blaisezabini12 (Romania)
okyrhoe (Greece)
back to: uofigirl

Journal Entry 3 by AnOtterChaos from West Lawn, Pennsylvania USA on Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Just came in the mail, will go to the top of the TBR pile!

Journal Entry 4 by AnOtterChaos from West Lawn, Pennsylvania USA on Sunday, September 11, 2005
VERY interesting. I may never buy ground beef again...honestly. I'll buy a cut of beef & have it ground. The sections on the marketing of products to children were fascinating. But the author says it himself: the owners of fast food restaurants are not evil men; they are business men. If the demand wasn't there for the foods, the gigantic sizes, they wouldn't sell them. It all comes down to personal decisions.

Going out today to bookreadera!

Journal Entry 5 by bookreadera from Pottstown, Pennsylvania USA on Monday, September 19, 2005
arrived in the Sat. afternoon post. Have already started.

Journal Entry 6 by bookreadera from Pottstown, Pennsylvania USA on Thursday, September 29, 2005
Well, I don't really eat fast food anyway-but I'll never eat another burger out again. I'm with An OtterChaos-I'll have my butcher grind a roast. I knew the whole-"it's a business-people buy there-it makes money-free market-marketing propaganda" thing before but it is rather unnerving to read it all in one place. At least I live in a part of the country where I can buy local produce direct from small farmers. It may not be any safer-but at least it's fresher and not quite as much profit for big business. (They probably sell the seeds or something...I'm sure they get a cut somewhere.) Is big business behind everything in this country?

Very interesting book. Thanks uofigirl for sharing it.

Posting out to gaysocialworker tomorrow.

Journal Entry 7 by trevor4551 from Caloundra, Queensland Australia on Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Arrived! TBR shortly.

Journal Entry 8 by trevor4551 from Caloundra, Queensland Australia on Tuesday, November 8, 2005
While wading through the historical section of the book ("The Founding Fathers"), I put the book down and moved to something else. I wasn't excited enough about the book to make it any further, even though I've heard it's a great read.

Sending on to alanfoxboro in AR, to keep the ring moving. Thanks for sharing the book!

Journal Entry 9 by alanfoxboro from Searcy, Arkansas USA on Sunday, November 13, 2005
I received this book today in the mail. Thanks to uofigirl for the bookring and to gaysocialworker for sending it on to me. I will read it and post a review ASAP.

Journal Entry 10 by alanfoxboro from Searcy, Arkansas USA on Friday, April 28, 2006
Sorry to everyone for holding up the bookring for so long.

Fast Food Nation was an eye-opener for me. I have always loved fast food (though not to excess in my opinion) and had no idea how the industry was operated. Needless to say, neither I nor my family will be eating any more McDonald's hamburgers (or Burger King, or Wendy's, or KFC, or Taco Bell, etc., etc.) Let's hope some of Schlosser's recommendations come to pass so that the terrible problems he describes can be corrected.

Thanks again to uofigirl for this bookring. Sorry again for the delay. I will be sending the book on to Brookeworm as soon as I receive an address.

Journal Entry 11 by alanfoxboro from Searcy, Arkansas USA on Wednesday, May 3, 2006
On the way to Brookeworm.

Journal Entry 12 by Brookeworm from Etobicoke, Ontario Canada on Friday, June 2, 2006
Just arrived yesterday morning. I'm already a hundred pages into it.

Journal Entry 13 by Brookeworm from Etobicoke, Ontario Canada on Saturday, June 24, 2006
One of the problems with books like Fast Food Nation is that it tends to, at least at the start, preach to the choir by mainly being purchased and read by people who already believe what is being exposed. It's good to see people in this bookring like alanfoxboro who'd never looked into the fast food industry before for whom this was an eye-opening experience.

I found this to be a really interesting book and am considering buying it for my personal collection as a reference book. There are some things in it that I would like to expand on in my blog and I've been thinking for a long time about writing a book that lists companies that are unethical and listing alternative companies, offering a balanced exploration of each. Being a bit of an accuracy nut, I want to check out some of his sources first before I go quoting him. The last thing I want is to find out he pulled a James Frey on us! I don't think so, though. I'd like to look into how much of what was talked about in the book affects us up here in Canada. Probably a lot more than I hope.

The book can be a bit sensationalist and emotional, but of course that's part of what makes it good reading. There's a fine line that must be walked between just the facts and something that will actually keep us reading to the end (well, most of us, anyway). I think Schlosser accomplished that quite well.

Overall, I think this book is more than just an expose about the fast food industry. It deals with many issues in our society that affect each and every one of us, even if we never eat a hamburger again. Although the focus is on the fast food industry as an easily recognizable target, it's really about the food industry in general, as well as issues of health, employment, immigration, land development, the environment, worker safety, the media and other issues that touch us every day. People need to open their eyes to the fact that it's not just about McDonalds.

Released 17 yrs ago (6/24/2006 UTC) at A fellow bookcrosser in By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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RELEASE NOTES:

Off to Tazzell in bonny Scotland. I'm very interested to hear a more international response to this book.

Journal Entry 15 by Tazzell from Laurencekirk, Scotland United Kingdom on Friday, July 21, 2006
Arrived a bit tired from it's long journey but here ;)

Journal Entry 16 by Tazzell from Laurencekirk, Scotland United Kingdom on Monday, September 25, 2006
I'm sorry I've had this book for so long. I had a couple of rings before it then we had a bereavement :(
I've just not been able to get 'into' this book at all so to prevent any further delay I'm waiting on Sternschnuppe28 address and as soon as I get it I will forward the book on.
Again I'm sorry.

Update - Sternschnuppe28 has asked to be skipped as she now has her own copy so I've pm'd blaisezabini12 for their addy.

Update - 10/10/06 off to blaisezabini12 today :)

Journal Entry 17 by rem_DUV-129661 on Friday, November 3, 2006
After approximately one year this wonderful ring has reached my place:) The book looks amazing even though it travelled throughout the world. I will post more comments after reading it! Thank you so much Tazzell for the lovely postcard :)

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