Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

I just finished reading Fast Food Nation, an intense piece of non-fiction by Eric Schlosser.  Several chapters seem to be an updated version of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, but still an excellent read. 

I don't think that Schlosser has supremely great skills as an author, but as a researcher he really examined every aspect of the fast food industry.  In fact, there are aspects to Fast Food Nation that were completely unexpected.  I thought I would pick this book up to read about all the horrible fats, calories, and other hidden dangers available at the drive-through window.  I had no idea that Schlosser would take us behind the fast food store into the meat packing industry.  He looks at bioengineered food, unions, slaughterhouses, meat processing plants, government, and so much more. 

I wasn't riveted to the point of completing the book in a day or two, but I did stay up late several nights in a row fascinated by the "secrets" uncovered here.  Fast Food Nation would be a great piece to read in high school, if not for the fact that most high school students wouldn't understand much of the book.  The other caveat is that the book was published in 2001, and the version I read updated with an "afterward" in 2002 or 2003.  I'd like to know how things have changed since then, it being the dawn of 2010.  Overall, great book - a must read even if you love your Happy Meal (yes, I do... well, I did).