Fast Food Nation

Originally published in 2000, this scathing indictment of the fast food industry has just been put out in paperback with a new afterword appended. The book started life as a two-part article for Rolling Stone magazine. Thankfully, Schlosser didn't stop there, and the result is a compelling read that leaves you feeling like you're witnessing something truly obscene but totally engrossing. Part history, part scadalous tell all, the meticulously researched writing that Schlosser drops on the reader, page after page, goes through the origins of fast food, the product itself, every aspect of it's presentation and what the global corporations that used to be small businesses have become. An edifying read for carnivores and vegeterians alike, the book also touches on critics' accusations of a particular political bias, although I didn't find anything that threw it overwhelmingly one way or another. The newly added afterword deals mainly with the topic of Foot & Mouth disease and Mad Cow Disease, since those scandals were only just breaking out when the book was originally rolling off the presses. A heartily recommended read for those who liked Naomi Klein's "No Logo" or Baker's "Jihad Vs. McWorld." -