Diet for a Dead Planet: How the Food Industry Is Kiling Us

Author: Christopher D. Cook

First line: You are in the supermarket, exhausted after another long day at the office (or perhaps the factory).

Why you should read this book: Every element of the food industry in America is regulated, not by what is healthy, sustainable, or even beneficial for farmers, but by giant business conglomerates possessing complete control over the government agencies meant to regulate them. Monoculture, pesticide use, corporate control, exploitation of migrant laborers, tainted food, dependence on processed food, unfair subsidy distribution, and two hundred fifty years of surplus are killing Americans. As succinct as it can possibly be, given the density of the material, this book lays out the hidden facts of the food industry and the capitalistic forces that threaten to destroy our prosperity.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You live hundreds of miles from the nearest commercial farm or ranch, off the grid, organically producing all your own food according to the principles of sustainable agriculture, bartering with your neighbors for anything you can't raise yourself.