Since many other reviewers cover the more repulsive details of Schlosser's book, I will stick to pointing out something I think deserves even more attention: one of the themes of the book is that the fast food industry has its tentacles in EVERY aspect of Americans' lives. Changing this goes far, far beyond bypassing a Big Mac...boycotting fast food is not the same thing as boycotting the fast food industry, when industry practices have made the USDA powerless against meatpackers, advertisers target children as consumers, and schools are taking money for corporate sponsorship.

This a fantastic book and it touches on a lot of areas that I don't normally think of relating to fast food, such as the plight of abused migrant workers in the slaughterhouses and the economics of teen labor. Everybody should read it, even if you never eat fast food, because you're affected too.

I must warn the reader that you'll never want to eat fast food again after you read this book. I've never been a big fast food junkie, though I've eaten it if there isn't anything else around, but I won't again take a bite of the same even if I'm starving during a road trip and the only food available is a drive-thru burger joint. Eric Schlosser's book is an impressive, albeit disturbing dissection of the fast food industry in the United States, one that examines each aspect of said industry with unflinching, well-researched facts. The result is an unflattering picture of an industry that has changed US business and eating habits in an almost secretive fashion. The book is a fascinating look into the business and talks about the process of hiring, franchising, purchasing and other practices. The most fascinating and disturbing chapters concern, however, the beef served at fast food restaurants and how it gets there. I warn you that it is not a pretty picture. If you care about the food you eat, these chapters will sicken you. You must read this book (unless you never eat fast food at all). The quality of the food aside, this book is extremely critical of the fast food industry and I believe that if you are a fast food lover, this book will disturb and upset you. As I said above, the picture Schlosser paints isn't pretty, nothing is sugarcoated. This is well-researched and well-written book and I highly recommend it.

SCHLOSSER SAYS THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY FAST FOOD/MEAT PACKING COMPANIES CONDUCT FRADULENT BUSINESS TACTICS IS TO "NOT EAT IT". THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE CONSUMERS MUST KNOW WHAT WE ARE EATING, SUPPORTING, AND CONTRIBUTING TO. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK WITH MUCH RESEARCH.

I borrowed this book on tape for a trip across Florida. When I returned home I immediately purchased it and shared portions with my sixth and seventh grade students. My copy now looks one hundred years old after having been carried in backpacks for a few months.
Schlosser tells an amazing story that I found both entertaining and disturbing. His liberal bias is evident, but even an ardent conservative will be able to look past his rhetoric to learn how the market has created an efficient but chilling industry that shapes they way almost all Americans live.
This book is both good reading and a good read. It's a page turner that holds its own with a Grisham novel, but it also tells an important story that is overlooked. Schlosser footnoted his statements, so I trucked down to the Palm Beach County library to verify their claims. My unscientific review of has proven to me that the author can back up his statements.
I listened and read Fast Food Nation with a critical mind and I am pleased that this book--while both entertaining and disturbing--presented me with facts that I needed to know.

Mike Dowling
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I gave this book 4 stars because, while it was refreshing to read and I definitely learned quite a bit, it wasn't a paradigm-shifting book, which is what I am increasingly moving towards for my 5 star books.

I loved reading this book because I found out a lot of facts I didn't know. For example, McDonald's uses satellites to track the growth of cities and where to put their next restaurants. (2) Industrialized, automated, de-skilled meatpacking is only one of the facets of fast food that comes under scrutiny and is leading to the huge beef recalls you hear about regularly in today's society and (3) He talks about an entire industry dedicated to making your food taste and smell better.

Like someone earlier wrote, Fast Food Nation is serious brainfood; it might even help you supersize yours. I loved reading this book as I think it is a good dose of reality with obesity getting out of control in today's society. Just thinking about the implications arising from the exportation of fast food to the rest of the world has me concerned.