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5+ Works 869 Membros 15 Críticas

About the Author

Greg Critser contributes regularly to USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and Harper's Magazine. Educated at Occidental College and UCLA, Critser lives in Pasadena, California

Obras por Greg Critser

Associated Works

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1954-07-18
Data de falecimento
2018-01-13
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
USA
Local de nascimento
Steubenville, Ohio, USA
Local de falecimento
Pasadena, California, USA

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Born in Steubenville, Ohio, on July 18, 1954, Critser earned a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and a master’s in history from UCLA.

His work frequently appeared in national publications, including the New Yorker and the Atlantic and newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Times of London. He was part of the original editorial team at the Pasadena Weekly.

He also taught science writing classes at Caltech and USC, lectured and teamed up with a personal trainer on a series of weight-loss and training books.

Taken from the LA Times Obituary

Membros

Críticas

There were some good points made in this book about the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. I enjoyed the first half of the book more so than the second half. The first half discussed the history of our food supply and key players in this history, plus a lot about how child rearing changed during the last generation. This book states the obvious many times but at the beginning of the book, I was still intrigued enough to keep reading.

The second half of the book is more technical, deals with diabetes and other health issues, plus the author has some suggestions on how to solve some of our problems. I was not as entertained toward the end.

Considering the book has been around for many years, I am interested in reading a more up to date book. I think there are some things that have changed, maybe for the good, maybe not.

I know at one point, probably during a chapter on excessive, needless snacking, I just had the urge to go open a bag of chips and dig in. And I did! But, a couple chapters later, probably during a chapter describing our lazy attitudes and inability to get off our butts, I got motivated and had to stop and get on the treadmill for half an hour. So in some ways, this book was an interactive book!
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Chica3000 | 11 outras críticas | Dec 11, 2020 |
Published in 2003, this is a study of all the reasons American waistlines have expanded over the previous decades. Starting with agricultural deals to save the farmers and cut food costs that turned into the development of high fructose and the push for palm oil, how fast food chains were the first to make larger portions to norm, the difference ethnicity plays in weight, and the study of the health risks of obesity on the body.
What a great time of the year for me to pick this one up! Btw, the author admits in the book that America isn't the fattest nation, as there are several small nations that are fatter.… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
mstrust | 11 outras críticas | Dec 6, 2016 |
Critser is on a mission to convince the reader of the horrible impacts of poor eating habits stemming from fast foods and of limited exercise on the current obesity crisis.
He does a good job of describing the economic, societal and cultural elements which have all contributed to this state: from cheap eats made from unhealthy ingredients to cuts in physical education programs, there is a convergence of issues which have led to huge weight gains throughout the US.
There are some weaknesses: a vague attempt at the genetics and biology of weight gain (which did nothing to convince me), a gross exaggeration of 'future man combating excessive weight' and the esthetics whereby men and women prefer their lean counterparts (while ignoring cultural canons), but generally the message is clear: the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be fat.
Like all one-sided presentations, this book fails to turn to other, more successful, cultures like European ones (especially France which has tremendous success with its five fruits and vegetables campaign) but I found the conclusions and next steps solid with some innovative and optimistic conclusions. Ultimately only education and access to healthy foods will help reshape mentalities, a process that will be slow.
… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
Cecilturtle | 11 outras críticas | Apr 12, 2014 |
Don't purchase this book used: I can't comment on the substance of the book because there's no way to read it. My only advice is that if you purchase the book, DON'T buy a used one from Kudzu Books in Georgia. They ship it via the postal service in a very flimsy envelope. By the time you get it, it will be too mangled to read. Worse, they give no hint as to how to contact them by email or phone. Amazon is no help either.
 
Assinalado
lonepalm | Feb 5, 2014 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
5
Also by
3
Membros
869
Popularidade
#29,449
Avaliação
½ 3.6
Críticas
15
ISBN
25
Línguas
5

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