acknowledgments

This book began as a two‑part article in Rolling Stone . I am grateful to Jann Wenner, who never asked me to tone down my criticism of powerful and litigious corporations, who let me follow the story wherever it led, from the strip malls of Colorado to the back roads of Saxony. In an age of media concentration and timidity, he is an oddly old‑fashioned figure: an independent, outspoken editor and publisher who truly supports investigative journalism. Bob Love recruited me for this assignment, backed me all the way, and made writing for the magazine a pleasure. Will Dana came up with the initial idea, supplying the title and the underlying aim: view America through its fast food. He proved to be a wonderful editor and friend.

Eamon Dolan is another old‑fashioned, quickly vanishing American type: a book editor who edits. He helped me expand the work without losing its focus, spared me embarrassment by urging the removal of certain material, made me seem more intelligent by suggesting the inclusion of other material. His ideas ranged from the broadly thematic to the seemingly trivial, yet revealing, and now grace the book without attribution. He read every word of the manuscript almost as many times as I did. Thanks to Eamon, the final draft was much better than the first one. Every author should be so fortunate, and the book’s remaining flaws are entirely my own.

At Houghton Mifflin, Loren Isenberg and Lois Wasoff gave wise counsel, and Emily Little handled everything with great charm and aplomb.

At Penguin, Daniel Hind had enormous faith that people in the United Kingdom might want to read this book. I am grateful to him for that faith and for his insightful critique of the text. And Clare Pollock has been a wonderful proponent of my work.

Ellis Levine provided some valuable legal – and literary – suggestions. J. C. Suares, Lowell Weiss, and Mike Guy read the manuscript at various stages and gave many useful criticisms.

Charles William Wilson performed the unenviable task of combing through the text for errors. He did an extraordinary job, earned my lasting gratitude – and is in no way responsible for any inaccuracies the book may contain. He has a bright literary future. Alita Byrd spent hours at the National Archives tracking down recently declassified files on Heinz Haber. David Malley did a fine job of fact‑checking the two‑part Rolling Stone article. And Shauna Wright helped me assemble the bibliography.

The photograph of Nancy Donley’s son Alex speaks much louder than words, and I am grateful to her for allowing me to include it. Eugene Richards is one of the finest documentary photographers, ever. I am indebted to him for letting me use two of his photos. On short notice, Skylar Nielsen and Greg Skinner went out and shot just what I needed. Rob Buchanan hired a small airplane in order to photograph the feedlots of Weld County from above. Though none of his aerial feedlot photos is included here, I applaud the spirit behind that move and thank him for letting me use one of his more prosaic cattle shots. And Mark Mann took a picture that says it all.

Among the hundreds of people I interviewed for this book, a handful deserve special thanks for the help, the insights, and the inspiration they provided.

Dale Lasater, Steve Bjerklie, Kenny and Clara Dobbins, Javier Ramirez, Dave Feamster, and the rancher whom I call Hank spent countless hours speaking with me. I’m grateful for all their time and for all I learned from them.

I would never have become a journalist without the support of William Whitworth and Cullen Murphy at the Atlantic Monthly . Their influence now pervades everything I write. Corby Kummer has demonstrated over the years that prose can have both substance and style. And Amy Meeker has again and again shown me the importance, and the ethical imperative, of being right about every single detail.

I was fortunate to have John McPhee as a teacher long ago. He set a high standard – in seriousness of purpose, and compassion, and dedication to the craft – that his former students have struggled to attain.

A number of friends encouraged me for years to keep writing: Andre Boissier, Eric Borrer, Craig Canine, Michael Clurman, Alex Hendler, Jordan Katz, Lacey and John Williams. They cannot be thanked enough. Jane Rosenthal helped me become a writer by forcing me to write every day – and paying me to do it. Sarah Finnie Cabot played a crucial role in helping me get my first assignment. John Seabrook has been supportive in innumerable ways, finding me fact‑checkers, reading manuscripts carefully, and criticizing them well. Katrina vanden Heuvel gave me the final shove that made me write nonfiction, has always been inspiring and engaged in the big issues of the day, always a dear friend.

Tina Bennett played an important role in the creation of this book, from the initial proposal to the final pages. She is a real gem: a terrific editor who also happens to be a terrific agent.

During the writing of this book, my family was often subjected to highly unpleasant details. Lynn and Craig, James and Kyle, Amy and Mark, Andrew, Austin, Hillary, Dylan, Lena, Billy, and George have put up with a lot. I am lucky they will still share a meal with me. My children, Mica and Conor, have put up with even more, and I apologize to them for all the Happy Meals they’ve been denied. I’m deeply grateful to Bob and Lola, who showed great patience and gave tremendous support as I tried to find my way as a writer. I’m deeply grateful to my parents, who have given me more love and support than could ever be measured. Most of all, I’m grateful to my wife, Shauna. Without her, none of these words would have been written.