Most Popular Books by Eric Schlosser

New York Times Bestseller: The shadowy world of "off the books" businesses—from marijuana to migrant workers—brought to life by the author of Fast Food Nation. 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 kids'' nannies in cash. In Reefer Madness, the award-winning investigative journalist Eric Schlosser turns his exacting eye to the underbelly of American capitalism and its far-reaching influence on our society. Exposing three American mainstays—pot, porn, and illegal immigrants—Schlosser shows how the black market has burgeoned over the past several decades. He also draws compelling parallels between underground and overground: how tycoons and gangsters rise and fall, how new technology shapes a market, how government intervention can reinvigorate black markets as well as mainstream ones, and how big business learns—and profits—from the underground. "Captivating . . . Compelling tales of crime and punishment as well as an illuminating glimpse at the inner workings of the underground economy. The book revolves around two figures: Mark Young of Indiana, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his relatively minor role in a marijuana deal; and Reuben Sturman, an enigmatic Ohio man who built and controlled a formidable pornography distribution empire before finally being convicted of tax evasion. . . . Schlosser unravels an American society that has ''become alienated and at odds with itself.'' Like Fast Food Nation, this is an eye-opening book, offering the same high level of reporting and research." — Publishers Weekly

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, and with a new afterword by the author, a new edition of Pulitzer Prize finalist Eric Schlosser''s New York Times bestselling exposé on how America''s fast food industry has shaped the landscape of America and the world. Twenty-five years ago, Fast Food Nation blew the lid off the fast food industry--exposing how they''ve mauled our landscapes, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. Now with a new afterword Eric Schlosser rings the alarm again, calling attention to the damage wrought by corporate control of America''s food system and stressing just how the forces he first identified are even more powerful today. 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. On its publication, Fast Food Nation changed the way America thinks about the way it eats, and it remains required reading for those concerned about the dramatic impact fast food has on our economy and our health.

The Oscar-shortlisted documentary Command and Control, directed by Robert Kenner, finds its origins in Eric Schlosser''s book and continues to explore the little-known history of the management and safety concerns of America''s nuclear aresenal. “A devastatingly lucid and detailed new history of nuclear weapons in the U.S. Fascinating.” —Lev Grossman, TIME Magazine “Perilous and gripping . . . Schlosser skillfully weaves together an engrossing account of both the science and the politics of nuclear weapons safety.” —San Francisco Chronicle A myth-shattering exposé of America’s nuclear weapons Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America’s nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking account of accidents, near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs, Command and Control explores the dilemma that has existed since the dawn of the nuclear age: How do you deploy weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them? That question has never been resolved—and Schlosser reveals how the combination of human fallibility and technological complexity still poses a grave risk to mankind. While the harms of global warming increasingly dominate the news, the equally dangerous yet more immediate threat of nuclear weapons has been largely forgotten. Written with the vibrancy of a first-rate thriller, Command and Control interweaves the minute-by-minute story of an accident at a nuclear missile silo in rural Arkansas with a historical narrative that spans more than fifty years. It depicts the urgent effort by American scientists, policy makers, and military officers to ensure that nuclear weapons can’t be stolen, sabotaged, used without permission, or detonated inadvertently. Schlosser also looks at the Cold War from a new perspective, offering history from the ground up, telling the stories of bomber pilots, missile commanders, maintenance crews, and other ordinary servicemen who risked their lives to avert a nuclear holocaust. At the heart of the book lies the struggle, amid the rolling hills and small farms of Damascus, Arkansas, to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States. Drawing on recently declassified documents and interviews with people who designed and routinely handled nuclear weapons, Command and Control takes readers into a terrifying but fascinating world that, until now, has been largely hidden from view. Through the details of a single accident, Schlosser illustrates how an unlikely event can become unavoidable, how small risks can have terrible consequences, and how the most brilliant minds in the nation can only provide us with an illusion of control. Audacious, gripping, and unforgettable, Command and Control is a tour de force of investigative journalism, an eye-opening look at the dangers of America’s nuclear age.

A behind-the-scenes look at the fast-food industry that both feeds and feeds off the young. Includes a discussion guide and supplemental information with healthy eating resources and action steps for kids.

Com apuração cuidadosa, jornalista revela perigos desconhecidos da era nuclear em reportagem ágil como um thriller. Comando e controle explora um dilema existente desde as origens da era nuclear: como desenvolver armas de destruição em massa sem ser destruído por elas?Escrita com a agilidade de um thriller, esta reportagem de fôlego traz os detalhes sobre o acidente com um míssil nuclear ocorrido nos Estados Unidos em 1980, abarcando uma perspectiva histórica de mais de cinquenta anos. O livro acompanha a trajetória de pessoas comuns. Pilotos de bombardeiros, engenheiros, tripulações e funcionários do governo que arriscaram a vida para evitar um holocausto nuclear. Audacioso, sedutor e inesquecível, Comando e controle é um marco do jornalismo investigativo e um alerta para os perigos da era nuclear. "Uma história devastadora e lúcida sobre as armas nucleares nos Estados Unidos. Fascinante. " - Lev Grossman, revista Time"Por um milagre de apuração, Schlosser sintetizou um imenso material de arquivo numa narrativa saborosa capaz de abarcar mais de cinquenta anos de transformações políticas e científicas. Comando e controle é um exemplo de como toda obra de não ficção deveria ser escrita. " - Louis Menand, The New Yorker"Schlosser pratica jornalismo em sua máxima potência: passou anos pesquisando, entrevistando e refletindo para nos oferecer um trabalho da mais profunda importância. " - Financial Times"A força do texto de Schlosser deriva de sua habilidade em aliar centenas de detalhes incríveis a uma trilha narrativa firme e segura. " - The Guardian

Ouvrez la porte vitrée, aspirez une bonne bouffée d''air climatisé, entrez, prenez la file d''attente et regardez autour de vous. Le sourire des jeunes qui travaillent en cuisine, les clients assis à leur table, le chahut des enfants, les publicités pour les nouveaux jouets. Oublié la mal bouffe, l''hégémonie américaine : le temps d''un hamburger-frites, le rêve américain fonctionne encore. Le rêve américain ? Derrière les boîtes surprises et les clowns, c''est toute une nation qui vit au rythme d''une production massive, intensive. Aux États-Unis, le fast-food a bouleversé non seulement le régime alimentaire mais le paysage, l''économie, la main-d''œuvre, la façon de travailler, de produire. Toujours plus. Trusts, corporations, conditions de travail inhumaines, cadences infernales, risques sanitaires, les empereurs du fast-food ont créé leurs propres lois. Plus qu''un système, ils ont façonné un nouvel ordre du monde. Eric Schlosser mène ici une enquête unique, au cœur des rouages de l''industrie du fast-food. Pendant plusieurs années, partout en Amérique, il a rencontré des centaines d''acteurs et de témoins de l''agro-business. Vendeurs de frites de l''après-guerre devenus milliardaires, éleveurs chassés de leur terre, ouvriers des industries d''abattage, créateurs d''arômes, directeurs de firmes, publicistes, mais aussi consommateurs, malades, ouvriers exploités, tous témoignent, pour la première fois, d''un système dont le seul credo est le profit.