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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
May 2005, 304 pages
Paperback:
May 2006, 320 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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Can man live on fast food alone? Spurlock tried to do just that for a month during which he gained twenty-five pounds, his blood pressure skyrocketed, and his libido all but disappeared. In this groundbreaking, hilarious book, Spurlock debuts a wry investigative voice that will appeal to anyone interested in the health of our country, our children, and ourselves.
The literary debut of the funniest and most incisive new voice to come along
since Michael Moore-and the acclaimed director of the film phenomenon of the
year.
Can man live on fast food alone? Morgan Spurlock tried to do just that. For
thirty days, he ate nothing but three "squares" a day from McDonald's as part of
an investigation into the effects of fast food on American health. The resulting
documentary won him resounding applause and a worldwide release that broke
box-office records. Audiences were captivated by Spurlock's experiment, during
which he gained twenty-five pounds, his blood pressure skyrocketed, and his
libido all but disappeared.
But this story goes far beyond Spurlock's good-humored "Mc-Sickness." He
traveled across the country-into schools, hospitals, and people's homes -to
investigate school lunch programs, the marketing of fast food, and the declining
emphasis on health and physical education. He looks at why fast food is so
tasty, cheap, and ultimately seductive, and what Americans can do to turn the
rising tide of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes that have accompanied its
ever-growing popularity. He interviewed experts in twenty cities-from surgeon
generals and kids to lawmakers and marketing gurus-who share their research,
opinions, and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth and what we can all do
to offset a health crisis of supersized proportions.
In this groundbreaking, hilarious book, "benevolent muckraker" Morgan Spurlock
debuts a wry investigative voice that will appeal to anyone interested in the
health of our country, our children, and ourselves.
One
Do You Want Lies with That?
Don't do it. Please. I know this book looks delicious, with
its lightweight pages sliced thin as prosciutto and swiss, stacked in a way that
would make Dagwood salivate. The scent of freshly baked words wafting up with
every turn of the page. Mmmm, page. But don't do it. Not yet. Don't eat
this book.
We turn just about everything you can imagine into food. You
can eat coins, toys, cigars, cigarettes, rings, necklaces, lips, cars, babies,
teeth, cameras, film, even underwear (which come in a variety of scents, sizes,
styles and flavors). Why not a book?
In fact, we put so many things in our mouths, we constantly
have to be reminded what not to eat. Look at that little package of
silicon gel that's inside your new pair of sneakers. It says do not eat for a
reason. Somewhere, sometime, some genius bought a pair of sneakers and said,
"Ooooh, look. They give you free mints with the shoes!"—soon ...
If you've read Fast Food Nation or Fat Land this offers very little new information but for the many who are still oblivious to the dangers of of eating what passes for food in places such as McDonalds, Spurlock's book or documentary will offer much food for thought...continued
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From the book:
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