Book Review: This is what you just put in your mouth?

Book Review:

*This is what you just put in your mouth?


Patrick Di Justo

Blurb:

What do a cup of coffee and cockroach pheromone have in common? How is Fix-A-Flat like sugarless gum? Is a Slim Jim meat stick really alive? If I Can't Believe It's Not Butter isn't butter, what is it?All of these pressing questions and more are answered in This Is What You Just Put In Your Mouth? Based on his popular Wired magazine column What's Inside, Patrick Di Justo takes a cold, hard, and incredibly funny look at the shocking, disgusting, and often dumbfounding ingredients found in everyday products, from Cool Whip and Tide Pods to Spam and Play-Doh. He also shares the madcap stories of his extensive research, including tracking down a reclusive condiment heir, partnering with a cop to get his hands on heroin, and getting tight-lipped snack-food execs to talk. Along the way, he schools us on product histories, label decoding, and the highfalutin chemistry concepts behind everything from Midol to Hostess fruit pies.
Packed with facts you're going to want to share immediately, this is infotainment at its best—and most fun!—which will have you giving your shampoo the side-eye and Doritos a double take, and make you the know-it-all in line at the grocery store.


Overall: 

I was very excited to get this book, perhaps a little too excited that I may have slightly overestimated it. I initially thought that this was going to be one of those books that would make you rethink your eating behaviors. After reading the main headline "What do a cup of coffee and cockroach pheromone have in common? ... " I thought "hey, now that is a book I want to read!!".
I am sure that many people out there will enjoy this book for what it is: an informational book with facts about what is found in food/products that we most commonly consume or eat.  I personally could not find this book interesting and felt that a lot of information could easily be Googled if necessary. 

The Bad:

I read the introduction and the author clearly states that "if you're looking or shocking stories of the gigantic corporate conspiracy to poison America through its processed foods, you're reading the wrong book" (xii). However that is the thing, I did think in a way this book would have some shocking facts that would really leave an imprint on my mind after finishing it. The title, headline, blurb all made it seem like it would be a book that would have all these shocking truths about processed foods or some other shocking interesting thing. Once I got through half of the book I could not stay interested, it felt like I was reading some time of food label over and over again. The backstories are perhaps the only interesting thing that is different in each section. 

The Good:
The book itself is written well, the author did a great job getting all the facts needed for such an informational book. I have no doubt in my mind that the author is a very smart man who is a great journalist, can easily find facts and is a superb writer. Di Justo did a great job at presenting facts about each common snack most people consume and products that are used on a daily basis.

Rating:

★★☆☆☆ 2/5

 It was OK

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