Reefer Madness : ...and Other Tales from the American Underground - Softcover

Schlosser, Eric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141010762 ISBN 13: 9780141010762

Publisher: Gardners Books, 2004

Synopsis

Schlosser explores three prominent and little understood features of globalisation: drugs, pornography and migrant labour. "Reefer Madness" traces the history of the contemporary war on drugs from its origins in Reagan's social conservatism through to its profound impact on civil society. "An Empire of The Obscene" tells the story of Reuben Sturman, who most effectively exploited economies of scale to create a business that now saturates America and the world with graphic sexual imagery. "In the Strawberry Fields" shows how public demand for a soft red fruit is causing mass migration from Central America and changing California's political economy forever. Overall, the business of America is business. And much of it is underground.

About this title

Review

As much as 10% of the American economy, and perhaps more, is comprised of illegal "underground" enterprises, according to author and Atlantic Monthly correspondent Eric Schlosser. And while this segment is never discussed in the newspaper business pages, Schlosser tackles it with the same in-depth analysis and compulsive readability that made his Fast Food Nation a best seller. Reefer Madness spotlights marijuana, migrant labor, and pornography, three of the most thriving black market industries, and analyzes the often-tenuous place each holds in society as a whole. While each of the three could be the subject of its own book, Schlosser keeps his scope narrow by concentrating on the lives of the participants in the underground economy, especially Mark Young, an Indiana man given a life sentence for participating in a marijuana sale, and Ohio porn magnate Reuben Sturman. At just 21 pages, the treatment of migrant laborers in the California strawberry fields is dealt with more briefly but is just as compelling thanks to the first-person narrative of Schlosser’s investigation. In telling these stories, which are both personal and universal, Schlosser deftly explores the manner in which his subjects are treated (and punished) compared to others in more above-ground ventures. Along the way, he asks hard questions as to what that treatment says about America. Schlosser writing is passionately opinionated, but this is no mere opinion piece: his perspective is amply supported by extensive research and clearly reasoned interpretation of data. His direct and forceful writing style makes the impact greater still. After reading Reefer Madness, readers are likely to be shocked, appalled, and flat-out bewildered by what’s happening in the cracks and crevices of American business. --John Moe

About the Author

Eric Schlosser is an author and investigative journalist based in New York. His first book, FAST FOOD NATION, was a major international bestseller (Allen Lane, 2001). His work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone and the Guardian.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gardners Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0141010762
• ISBN 13: 9780141010762
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352