Called a “participant guide” and promising to tell its readers “How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer — And What You Can Do About It”, this book is collection of essays and what appears to be the print from pamphlets edited by Weber meant to expand on what readers gleaned from the movie. The books provides commentary from Eric Schlosser of Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, and Marion Nestle of Food Politics just to name a few.
I have seen the documentary of the same name several times and I think it does a better job presenting the information as the book. The book is really more of an elaboration of what’s already been discussed and is meant more for those who interested in figured out how to get involved or want to read more. (I really do appreciate the book list at the end!)
Some of the articles are more interesting than others such as those on genetically-engineered foods and the plight of farm workers who situations are deplorable. The information that has printed from what appears to be pamphlets is, while quick to read, not all that satisfying. The book is just too broad and lacks the depth I was looking for; a fact that was not helped by the fact I’ve read more in-depth books by Pollan and Co. recently.
Books Mentioned:
- Nestle, Marion. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 2007. Originally published 2002. Print. 485 pgs. ISBN: 9780520254039. Source: Purchased.
- Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2007. Originally published 2006. Print. 450 pgs. ISBN: 9780143038580. Source: Purchased.
- Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York. Harper Perennial, 2005. Originally published 2001. Print. 383 pgs. ISBN: 0060838582. Source: Purchased.
- Weber, Karl. Food, Inc.: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter and Poorer — and What You Can Do About It. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Print. 321 pgs. ISBN: 9781586486945. Source: Purchased.
It’s too bad this book isn’t great. I’ve had the documentary on my Netflix queue for awhile and was thinking about the book a bit, but it seems it’s not really worth the extra effort (especially since I’ve read a lot of Pollan, etc.)
LikeLike
Yeah, I would say skip the book and watch the movie. (And I almost never say that!) I hope you like it!
LikeLike
While it sounds interesting I think I’d rather read the original sources. We’ve got the documentary in our queue too, though.
LikeLike
I really like the documentary even though I’ve seen it several times. I hope that you like it, Jeane.
LikeLike
I thought this shared a similar subject to The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Turns out part of it was based on that. Thanks for the review. I’ll skip this and watch it instead, and reread The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and also Pollan’s other books.
LikeLike
Your plan receives my blessing! I’d like to read more of Pollan’s books myself.
LikeLike