Technology Books

With an intense, yet elegant, examination of the agricultural origins of four meals from three different pathways, Michael Pollan, bestselling author of THE BOTANY OF DESIRE, explores how the American diet affects the planet. Tracing the mind-boggling path of corn from seed to plate, Pollan analyzes industrial agriculture with a fast food meal in mind. Then he looks at the pastoral ("organic") food chain by working on a small Virginia farm where the attitude is dramatically different, and the meal entirely homegrown. Finally, Pollan investigates the hunter-gatherer lifestyle by foraging and hunting, to turn out a meal directly from the original sources of what we eat. His book is a tour de force that is not only thought-provoking, but timely. Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2006 by The New York Times, as well as a 2006 Publishers Weekly Book of the Year.

Eric Schlosser's extremely compelling, un-nerving attack on America's fast food industry is done with care and precision as he addresses different aspects of restaurants like McDonald's--from the meat-packing industry to how flavorings are chemically created in the lab. Sharing a history of the birth of fast food, Schlosser goes on to prove how this industry has radically transformed the country's health, cultural machinations, and more. This is a must-read for anyone interested in factory farming, the food industry, and the continuing transformation of America into a mono-culture.