The Fattening of America: How The Economy Makes Us Fat, If It Matters, and What To Do About It
—By Eric Finkelstein and Laurie Zuckerman (Wiley)
An economist's evenhanded look at the real costs of America's extra pounds outlines how our unprecedented economic and technological advances keep us both fat and, generally, happy. Finkelstein weighs the harm of obesity (it's the No. 2 preventable cause of death in the United States) against personal choice and the efficacy of antifat policy. But his unsparing look at the most vulnerable victims—children—dispels any notion that our national waistline can expand without severe consequences.
