Eric Schlosser

Eric Schlosser is an American journalist and author best known for his books Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness, and Command and Control. His work focuses on topics such as the fast food industry, marijuana policy, nuclear weapons, and the prison-industrial complex.

Schlosser was born in New York City in 1959 and grew up in Los Angeles. He received a bachelor’s degree in American History from Princeton University in 1981. He then worked as a journalist and documentary producer, working for Black Bear Pictures and HBO. In 2001, he published Fast Food Nation, which became a surprise bestseller and brought critical attention to the fast food industry and its consequences on society. The book later sparked both the documentary film Fast Food Nation (2006) and the play "The Marijuana-Logues" (2005).

Schlosser’s second book, Reefer Madness, detailed the history of marijuana prohibition in the United States and the arguments for and against outright legalization. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the 2004 California Book Award. In 2006, Schlosser wrote a play based on Reefer Madness.

In 2013, Schlosser released his third book, Command and Control, which focused on the history of nuclear weapons and the danger of their storage and use. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer and the National Book Critics Circle Awards, and won the J. Anthony Lucas Prize. Schlosser is currently working on a follow-up book to Fast Food Nation and a documentary on the American prison system.

Schlosser has written widely for The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and other publications. In 2007, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and a one-year fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. In 2018, he was awarded the Loren Miller Legal Services Award for his work on marijuana law reform.

Schlosser is a strong advocate for individual autonomy, public health, sustainable farming, and the reform of the US prison system. His books provide an insightful look into our society and the role that companies and the government play in shaping the lives of everyday people. Whether readers agree with his views or not, Schlosser’s books are thought-provoking and entertaining, and are sure to be required reading for years to come.