false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168120104m/30810.jpg 30810 13 As much as 10% of the American economy, and perhaps more, is comprised of illegal "underground" enterprises, according to author and <I>Atlantic Monthly</I> 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 <I>Fast Food Nation</I> a best seller. <I>Reefer Madness</I> 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 <I>Reefer Madness</I>, readers are likely to be shocked, appalled, and flat-out bewildered by what's happening in the cracks and crevices of American business. <I>--John Moe</I> 1314875 2003 Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market total:2112|5:409|4:879|3:666|2:149|1:9| 2112 7866 2847 255 4 2 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Feb 02 08:37:25 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 12 23:02:10 -0800 2009
Schlosser's subject matter may trend towards the pop world, but his cross of investigative journalism and postm...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jan 26 22:38:29 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 26 22:56:11 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003 Wed Jan 23 20:09:44 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 23 20:13:50 -0800 2008
This was a collection of three essays, one about marijuana law, one about immigrant strawberry pickers, and one about the porn industry. I had already read the first one, found it on the internet, and liked it. The other two were just as insightful and I agree with Schlosse...more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue Nov 06 20:26:39 -0800 2007 Wed Nov 07 06:35:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Jul 02 15:11:33 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 02 15:21:25 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu May 10 12:42:53 -0700 2007 Thu May 10 13:10:04 -0700 2007
Marijuana- This section failed to tell me anything I didn't know and hadn't heard by my junior year of high school. Sadly, the people who might l...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 26 23:46:21 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 10 13:08:03 -0700 2007
None of the detail or commentary in this book is original, but it is put together in a compelling package and in a manor that makes you think about how some of the laws and prejudices t...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Nov 28 17:22:37 -0800 2007 Sun Oct 28 18:53:47 -0700 2007 Sun Nov 25 09:48:20 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Mar 22 14:40:24 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 22 14:48:06 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Jun 14 18:19:50 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 14 18:25:06 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 26 10:30:12 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 26 10:35:23 -0700 2007
It is really a collection of three essays by Schlosser.

Marijuana, illegal migrant workers, and pornography are the topics.

Marijuana is the be...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 11:55:49 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 06:31:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Dec 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 19:14:39 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 19:38:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 20 17:06:23 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 14:13:40 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Sep 17 08:29:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 08:43:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Feb 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 12:20:10 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 12:27:48 -0800 2009
This is an unstable situation and sometime in the future one side or the other will give way.

...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 09 21:39:45 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 21:42:38 -0700 2009 But this book is SO much more.. Schlosser is a great writer. He covers the porn industry (and how it corrupts our nation, the immigration system, and the black market (drug trade)

...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 10 22:56:29 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 16 00:20:59 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Jan 14 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jun 27 06:17:11 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 28 05:01:54 -0700 2008 It is what it is: a gussied up textbook version of marijuana, porn, and migrant labor statistics that feels as sterile as a World Book encyclopedia. I wo...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 23 09:13:21 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 09:13:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=30810