Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Best introduction to Schlosser's investigative reporting and central themes.
Author guide
Eric Schlosser Books in Order
Eric Schlosser is an American investigative journalist and author. His work combines narrative reporting with historical and social analysis, focusing on subjects including the fast-food industry, underground economies, labor, and nuclear weapons. He is also the author of the plays Americans and We the People, and has written for publications including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker.
investigative journalismnonfictionhistorypoliticssocial commentaryplaywriting
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Novels (4)
- Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
nonfiction · 2001
This fascinating study reveals how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. Eric Schlosser…
- Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food
nonfiction · 2006
A behind-the-scenes look at the fast food industry.
- Gods of Metal
nonfiction · 2015
Essays and speeches (1)
- Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market
essay collection · 2003
America's black market is much larger than we realize, and it affects us all deeply, whether or not we smoke pot, rent a risqué video, or pay our kid's nannies in cash. In Reefer Madness the best-selling author of Fast Food Nation turns…
Plays (2)
- Americans
play · 2003
At the turn of the Twentieth Century, the President of the United States is shot by an anarchist. Is the crime a protest against America's imperial ambitions--or a cry for attention by an angry young man? Provocative, edgy, and…
- We the People
play · 2007
Frequently asked questions about Eric Schlosser
Who is Eric Schlosser?
Eric Schlosser is an investigative journalist, author, and filmmaker whose nonfiction examines hidden systems and public consequences in areas such as food, labor, and national security.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)landinstitute.org (opens in a new tab)
What is Eric Schlosser best known for?
He is best known for Fast Food Nation, an investigative work that helped bring sustained public attention to the fast-food industry and its effects on workers, consumers, and the wider food system.
Sources: paw.princeton.edu (opens in a new tab)landinstitute.org (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Eric Schlosser’s writing and career?
At Princeton, Schlosser cited John McPhee’s course The Literature of Fact as an inspiration and model. His Atlantic reporting on migrant farmworkers also prompted Rolling Stone to assign him an investigation of the fast-food industry.
What awards has Eric Schlosser received?
His journalism has earned a National Magazine Award, and Command and Control was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)pulitzer.org (opens in a new tab)
What is Eric Schlosser’s legacy?
Schlosser’s lasting influence comes from bringing hidden labor, food-system, and nuclear-weapons risks into public discussion. Fast Food Nation helped change how Americans think about what they eat, while his nuclear reporting broadened conversations about nuclear safety and risk.
Sources: landinstitute.org (opens in a new tab)spia.princeton.edu (opens in a new tab)