Fast 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.

Released at Bookcrossing

Picked up at the York BookCrossing meetup

Few of the revelations in this book will be truly surprising to anyone with half a brain - fast food is not very healthy and its purveyors use a range of highly aggressive methods to market it, often to children. By rights it should be enough to put you off the stuff for life but, after an initial feeling of slight queasiness, I found myself really wishing I had a cheeseburger. Fast food is doubtless a Bad Thing for the world and everything in it, but there is no denying that the fries taste good.

Released at York BookCrossing meetup