Eric Schlosser, author of the New York Times bestseller “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal,” will be coming to UNCW on Sept. 28, 2005. Schlosser will be conducting a lecture on the fast food industry and its effects on the United States, as well as the world. Schlosser’s lecture is the first in the UNCW Presents Leadership Lecture Series and will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book signing.

Schlosser’s book “Fast Food Nation,” begins by exploring the history of the fast food restaurant and goes into detail about the industry’s business practices and health standards, as well as its effects on employees, private farmers, the general public, children and the whole of America.

“Students often talk about gaining the ‘freshman fifteen’, but the effects of a fast food diet go beyond gaining a few pounds-they can be long lasting and dangerous,” said Shannon Hooker, Assistant Director for UNCW Presents. “While this is generally acknowledged, the fast food industry continues to boom. Mr. Schlosser did years of research to try to explain why. His book’s success suggests he may have hit close to the mark.”

Schlosser has served as a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly since 1996 and is the author of the national bestseller “Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market.” Some critics have compared him to Upton Sinclair for his muckraking style of journalism.

“It’s really interesting and eye-opening, and it gives a different take on a lot of different topics that effect us as American students every day,” said UNCW senior Matt Thompson about “Fast Food Nation.”

Schlosser’s lecture will be held in Kenan Auditorium on Sept. 28. Tickets are free for UNCW faculty, staff and students. Tickets are available to the general public for $6 each.