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Author: Eric Schlosser
ASIN : 0060838582
Sales Rank : 588
Brand : Harperperennial Library
Studio : Harper Perennial
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780060838584
ISBN : 0060838582
Number Of Pages : 383
Publication Date : December 01, 2005
Release Date : December 05, 2005
Publisher : Harper Perennial
Manufacturer : Harper Perennial
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Harper Perennial
| On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns." Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat. Schlosser's investigation reaches its frightening peak in the meatpacking plants as he reveals the almost complete lack of federal oversight of a seemingly lawless industry. His searing portrayal of the industry is disturbingly similar to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, written in 1906: nightmare working conditions, union busting, and unsanitary practices that introduce E. coli and other pathogens into restaurants, public schools, and homes. Almost as disturbing is his description of how the industry "both feeds and feeds off the young," insinuating itself into all aspects of children's lives, even the pages of their school books, while leaving them prone to obesity and disease. Fortunately, Schlosser offers some eminently practical remedies. "Eating in the United States should no longer be a form of high-risk behavior," he writes. Where to begin? Ask yourself, is the true cost of having it "your way" really worth it? --Lesley Reed Book DescriptionFast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled 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 California's subdivisions, where the business was born, to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike, where many of fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate.
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December 18, 2007.
Ideas that are applicable to managers--and a lot more!.
Rating: 5
Heard FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES by Marcus Buckingham
and Curt Coffman of the Gallup Organization . . . it was the report
on a massive in-depth study of great managers across a wide
variety of situations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to
key players in small, entrepreuneurial firms.
It got me thinking about the difference that effective leadership
at the top can make and how, unfortunately, this doesn't
happen as much as it perhaps should.
Many of the ideas I've come across before . . . yet it wasn't until
I heard the spin placed on them by the authors that I came to the
realization that though they were seemingly basic, implementation
of them isn't always quite so simple.
Also, I realized that most of the ideas can easily be applied to great
parenting, great running of virtually any club or organization, etc.
For instance:
* Best managers don't treat everybody like they want to be
treated. Instead, they treat each employee as how he or she wants
to be treated.
And to find this out is easy:
* Just ask!
Among the other valuable tidbits I gained from listening were these:
* Effective managers spend their most time with their best people.
* Great managers know that any attempt to impose one best
way is doomed to fail.
* Never try to perfect people.
* Great managers focus on the future with their people.
* When told an employee was late, great manager almost
always ask why.
Buckingham also did the reading of FIRST, BREAK ALL THE
RULES . . . I was so impressed with this book that I'm now going
to read his other works, including his latest: GO PUT YOUR
STRENGTHS TO WORK.
December 17, 2007.
Best Management Audiobook Available.
Rating: 5
What separates Buckingham and his co-author from the crowded bookshelves is their reliance upon statistics instead of anecdotes. There are too many management Books out there that tell you what to do without backing their words up, so this book is well worth the investment. The audiobook, narrated by Buckingham, is especially rewarding, since it's one you'll want to listen to every month to remind yourself that there is a better way to manage and that you need to stay on that path.
December 10, 2007.
Managing by Exception.
Rating: 4
This book was on the shelf of the best manager I've ever had. This was my reason to pick up this book and I am glad I did. It helped me better understand what made him a great manager. It conjectures that each individual is unique and must be treated individually. In a world heading towards the Huxley anti-utopia where human resource is managed on an assembly line governed by unquestioned rules, this book launches a direct attack at conventional management wisdom and outlines how great managers successfully manage individuals by exception.
Like many popular management books, this is a one-concept book and it does not rest until it repeatedly drills the concept in, while invalidating all competing concepts. This is a limitation that must be embraced by the reader in order to benefit from this book.
The guys at Gallup have devised a great tool that identifies the top strengths of an individual. Read Now, Discover Your Strengths for more. This book builds on top of that underlying concept with the perspective of managing people. Although the findings of their interviews are presented well, the authors go a little overboard in bashing certain management idioms that are allegedly popular. Starting with the title selection for the book to repeated trashing of the presumed "rules", the authors have let themselves get distracted. Even if you look beyond their vested interest in doing so, the book may have been more effective if they chose to replace 80% of their criticism with more material from the 80K interviews conducted.
Gallup's theory about focusing on strengths and working around weaknesses is extremely powerful and effective. However, despite this being the primary area of expertise of Gallup Research, they seem to miss one fundamental point about strengths and weaknesses. They are two sides of the same coin and are not mutually exclusive things. Gallup does elaborate on the notion of "talent" - the repeated pattern of thoughts that drive your behavior when presented with any situation indicate your inherent qualities a.k.a. talent. However, the theory does not go the extra step to connect the dots - the very talent that shows up as strengths in certain situations is exactly what shows up as weaknesses in certain other situations. Instead of treating strengths and weaknesses as the unifying function of talent and context, Gallup's work treats them as two separate sets of attributes of an individual.
Had it not been for the immensely powerful concepts that this book and other Gallup Research Books illustrate, I would not resist my temptation to take away more stars. This book is a keeper.
December 30, 2007.
Essential Management Advice.
Rating: 5
Great book for analyzing how to manage others, and develop keener abilities into why some in management excel and achieve superior results and others never build on what they inherit. There is a buffet of statistics to back up the analysis and add credibilitiy. This is a fine addition to anyone's library of self-improvement Books to be more efficient and effective in business.
Likewise, the employee can intuitively reverse engineer the information and make his performance more in tune with superiors, and set himself up for moving up the ladder. Great book.
December 18, 2007.
Buckingham is full of the right stuff.
Rating: 5
This is a great book with outstanding information, the research involved and sheer numbers of people that participated is mind boggling.
December 09, 2007.
excellent.
Rating: 5
These are the actual words penned by Buiffett. Not as dry as one would think, he's actually a wonderful writer. The Oracle of Omaha can turn a phrase and while parts of this are slow going, I enjoyed it throughly.
I heartily recommend this book for those desiring wealth. I also strongly recommend The Millionaire Mind by Tom Stanley. The Millionaire Mind
December 06, 2007.
Buffett's Favorite book about him.
Rating: 5
In the CNBC Liz Clayman interview with Buffett, he stated that of all the Books written about him, this one is his favorite...it is an excellent read.
December 14, 2007.
Lessons for Corporate America.
Rating: 5
This is a great book for people to understand the relationship between Corporate governance and business wellness. a must read for a long term investor.
December 14, 2007.
My favorite investment book.
Rating: 5
I must've read this book at least 5 times and each time, I learned something new. Warren Buffett doesn't like to talk about stock picks nor has he write any type of investment book. However, this book is as close as it come to being Buffett's investment book [if he ever decide to write one]. His investing philosophy are sound and insightful. Best of all, this book is full of wit.
Warning: it might be a little dense for beginners but once you understand the financial terms, you won't regret buying this book!
December 11, 2007.
Blue Print for running a company and how to manage it..
Rating: 5
If only more corporations were run like Berkshire Hathaway. Common sense on how to run a company and to manage it. If you are an investor, it should be required reading.
December 21, 2007.
Where Have all the leaders gone?.
Rating: 5
This book is a fantastic read. I find it hard to put down, once I start reading. This is definatly amust read book for anyone planning to vote in the next election. Lee is very clear on a lot of issues. There is a lot of things that will make you think. I plan on buying more copies as gifts.
It is a truly fantastic book.
December 21, 2007.
Your Grandfather's advice..
Rating: 5
Don't confuse the accusations of rant, anger, and a rich man's tantrums with Iacocca's indignation of America's ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL attitude, impoverished governance, and lethargic politicians. The book is laced with humor, irony, insight, advice, and judicious warnings only an elder American of his caliber and experience can offer.
December 20, 2007.
One rich man's tantrum.
Rating: 1
Pardon me. I saw the title of this book, and picked it up to take home thinking it was a book on leadership. This is a topic in which I am very interested. I was wrong. This is one rich man's diatribe against the Bush administration. The title is a complete misnomer for what is in the book. Save your tantrums for your party guests, Lee. Don't try to sell them to the public under misleading titles.
I took it back.
December 19, 2007.
A negative book.
Rating: 1
This is an anti Bush, Anti Goverment trite. Nothing wrong with having opinions, but he keeps harping on them. Stop reading it after one third. His 9 - C's are good, but stop trying to elevate yourself because you disagree with someone's decisions
December 18, 2007.
WOW Worth it.
Rating: 5
If you only read the first page, it's worth the price of the book!!!! Everyone in America who is sane should read this!!! You Go LEE!!!
December 22, 2007.
This book changed my life when I read it.
Rating: 5
This is a great book. It is so because it's very well documented, it's honest and unbiased. I read it 5 years ago and it changed completely the way I eat and it also changed my opinion about big American food and agriculture corporations. I have never been a big friend of fast-food places but after reading this book I definitely think it twice before I get in into one of them. Additionally, I agree with the author that somehting has to be done to stop their practices and abuse of labor laws and food regulations. I totally recommend it.
December 12, 2007.
Fast Food Nation.
Rating: 5
Oh that everyone would read this book and react in a way to make the changes needed! I am buying everything locally that is available now. :)
December 07, 2007.
Fat Hate Nation.
Rating: 4
I was really enjoying Fast Food Nation, until it started in on the fatphobia "omg obeeeeeeeeeesity epidemic!!!!" nonsense, complete with the flawed statistics that the CDC ended up retracting (omg 300,000 people are KILLED by being fat every year! ... oh wait guys, we were kinda wrong on that, sorry, our bad).
He bought the obesity crap hook line and sinker, and I'm really disappointed in that part of the book. After all, he made REALLY good points right up TO that section, and even after it, but hey, gotta take a stab at the fatties! The E.coli and Salmonella spread by crappy (literally) meatpackers kill people, and that can be actually proven with real science, but you don't see THAT on the news. After all, little kids dying of bacterial infections don't give us a convenient target for hatred!
I want to take that section of the book and just black it out. I know that it's trendy to blather on about the obeeeeeeeeesity epidemic, but that doesn't mean it's accurate. I really would like to send the author a copy of Paul Campos' "The Diet Myth".
I would give this book five stars if it weren't for the anti-fat section. Seriously.
December 09, 2007.
Informative.
Rating: 5
The book is very informative about not only what is put in the food but also how the companies formed, and how it affects society. I worked in the fast food industry and have seen the high turn over rate that occurs. I also know that the companies isn't that sanitary. No hairnets, no gloves, I have witness someone sneeze on their hands and continue making the burger. The same oil used to fry the certain meat is the same used to fry the fries and as a vegan that didn't jive well.
The book although focusing on the fast food companies agenda and inner workings did bring to light that many of your food is not handled properly not just at the slaughterhouse but when it gets to the location as well. It is a book that everyone should read, because if everyone was aware of the events and demanded a change, it would happen.
December 06, 2007.
"Please drive up to the window".
Rating: 5
The first time I read this book, I was working at a fast food joint. Every time I put one of those carnation pink waffles on the grill, all I could think about were the people of Greely, CO and what they went through to make sure that the people whining at the tills get their double cheeseburger. I never realized what went into those combo meals and even though I had a thankless job. After my expeirences in combination with reading this book, I will never work fast food again since everyone looses in the equasion.
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