In industry that seems to be all smiles, Eric Schlosser exposes a whole new undiscovered world of the fast food industry in his debut book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Schlosser provides an opportunity for his audience to extend their thought process as he talks about things you would never think about involving the fast food industry. When you take a bite out of a hamburger, do you know where that comes from or what it's made of? Are you aware of the preparation it goes through behind the counter? According to Schlosser, that hamburger represents corruption to the community around you. He mentions of different connections the fast food industry has with countless other industries and the manipulative business standpoint it takes.
Schlosser shows obvious dedication in this piece, taking him 3 years to write, as he compiles countless statistics, first-handed experiences, interviews, anecdotes, history, and cold hard facts to reveal the sad truth behind fast food transactions. His attention to detail is impeccable, which makes it seem painfully tedious, but yet, it's never boring as the topics he talks about will leave you in shock and awe. Fast Food Nation is well written and organized. Schlosser's writing is sophisticated and straight forward, but allows for his voice to come across through bias and mentions of personal explorations of different aspects of the industry.
Fast Food Nation is not another health diatribe on fast food; it goes far beyond that, making it a fresh take that audiences have never heard before. The book achieves a grotesque and graphic height as Schlosser explores meat packing plants and slaughterhouses, describing fast paced and graphic slaughter of the animals and also revealing why there are hundreds of thousands of foodborne disease related sicknesses each day in the United States alone. This book is a sure read that will turn your head away from one of the most powerful and wealthy industries in America.