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dreesreads's review against another edition
3.0
This book is meticulously researched, and has great notes. Unfortunately, they are organized by page number, so when you are reading the book, there is no way to know there is an endnote (I hate that!). Also, in the notes there are repeated references to the website, with photos of pay slips, receipts, etc etc. I went to the site, I can find no such information, nor could I find it on the related blog. I know these things can't stay up forever, but this book was published in 2012. I read it in...June 2012.
McMillan's writing is easy to read, her experiences interesting. But the book reads more as a memoir (which it kind of is) than as investigative reporting--yes, there are great notes in the back, but the text does not come to conclusions, it just tells stories. I would like to know what people do when their check is short, the are injured, their credit card is frozen for suspicious activity. Yes, she, as single white woman, was helped by new acquaintances, but she herself admits that as a single white woman, she didn't blend in (except, probably, at Walmart). Was she helped because people are just nice and generous? Because she was an oddity? Because she was single? What do people who don't have a chunk of change to start with DO? Where do single parents put their kids for childcare while working? What do they feed them? Do they go hungry for their kids?
Interesting read, but largely anecdotal.
McMillan's writing is easy to read, her experiences interesting. But the book reads more as a memoir (which it kind of is) than as investigative reporting--yes, there are great notes in the back, but the text does not come to conclusions, it just tells stories. I would like to know what people do when their check is short, the are injured, their credit card is frozen for suspicious activity. Yes, she, as single white woman, was helped by new acquaintances, but she herself admits that as a single white woman, she didn't blend in (except, probably, at Walmart). Was she helped because people are just nice and generous? Because she was an oddity? Because she was single? What do people who don't have a chunk of change to start with DO? Where do single parents put their kids for childcare while working? What do they feed them? Do they go hungry for their kids?
Interesting read, but largely anecdotal.
sophronisba's review against another edition
4.0
Really 4 1/2 stars. Along the lines of Nickeled and Dimed, but less doctrinaire. A very engaging read that will make you think about where your food comes from.
inurlibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Moral of this story: Never waste any food whatsoever (because it's almost inconceivable how much effort goes into growing, harvesting, and shipping it), and only ever order fried or grilled items from chain restaurants.
ndfarrell's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars - it was better than "ok", because I learned a lot, but not quite three stars. An interesting look at how the American food system works, from the way crops are grown, harvested, sold, and transported, to where they end up on a plate - either at our homes or at a restaurant. There was lots of discussion about why, in a land of plenty, so many people have trouble affording healthy food, or aren't close enough to a supermarket to be able to buy fresh food easily and how that needs to be fixed. There was also lots of talk about how the subsidization of corn and wheat has led to fewer healthy food crops (fruits and vegetables) being grown, and to the myriad variations of processed corn products that are heavily subsidized (and thus cheaper to buy than fresh food) in our supermarkets. The reason I gave this book 2.5 stars is because I really, really didn't like the author... though the book is well written, the tone of the author's writing and her reactions to certain situations felt really whiny. It also kind of felt like she was slumming, rather than really trying to understand the people whose lives she was trying to emulate. I feel like if she had stayed in each job longer, rather than just a few weeks, her conclusions might have carried more weight. I feel like she didn't approach each situation with compassion and a desire to learn - rather with a desire to find out all the dirty secrets. The book was well written and interesting, but drove me nuts at the same time. I learned a lot, but I would like to see this subject treated by another author.
kalpanareads's review against another edition
4.0
Loved her writing style and the project as a whole.
pramage's review against another edition
3.0
A little too in depth for me, but overall interesting and educational about the sad state of the US economy and food industry.
stephanierytting's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I love me a behind-the-scenes look at just about anything, so a lot of this book was very interesting. I found the chapters about working in the fields less gripping and skipped through a lot of it. The chapters about Applebees, and especially Walmart, had a lot of little fun facts and anecdotes.
_zora_'s review against another edition
5.0
Barbara Ehrenreich-y in the best way. McMillan's intrepid first-hand reporting--picking garlic, stocking lettuce at Walmart, expediting at Applebee's--is totally compelling, AND everything's backed up with cold, hard facts that show that what she experienced isn't just a freak thing.
I will take away from this: the argument between the white self-described "foodie" and the Mexican-American girl; the woman who considers a fresh orange a real treat because it's so pricey; and McMillan's proposal that the food-supply chain should be treated more like a public utility.
I will take away from this: the argument between the white self-described "foodie" and the Mexican-American girl; the woman who considers a fresh orange a real treat because it's so pricey; and McMillan's proposal that the food-supply chain should be treated more like a public utility.
maria_ruth_jones's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, an interesting and eye-opening read. I found the sections on production (farm fields in California's Central Valley) and distribution (WalMart) much more compelling than the section on actual preparation/eating (Applebee's), in part because the in-the-kitchen-expose feels more familiar and therefore less remarkable. It put a very human face to food systems in a way that I appreciated, and I also learned a lot. Highly recommended, first 2/3 especially.