Reefer Madness (and other tales from the American underground)

I read this bad boy on the plane, in one sitting, and considering it's a book that relies heavily on quoting various facts and figures, that is a good reflection on how the author (Eric Schlosser) manages to keep a handle on your attention.

The book is comprised of three essays. The first, Reefer Madness, is a history of America's marijuana laws (did you know that the first US law ever pertaining to marijuana was a directive for farmers to grow cannabis, as it was a valuable cash crop?), and a reflection on the current state of US law on marijuana, and an examination of some of the strange, and sometimes tragic, results of these laws. The essay obviously has a pro-legalization bias, but also takes time out to interview and seriously consider 'the other side'. Admittedly the other side is rejected after this consideration, but there is some balance, which is suprising, given the vehemence of the author against the War on Drugs.

In the Strawberry Fields is the shortest of the essays and feels the most 'out of place' (let's see: porn, drugs and....strawberries?!?), but is probably the least biased and most well written of the three pieces. It is an examination of California's manual labour force, which is comprised mainly of illegal Mexican workers. This is a very difficult issue to face because on the one hand, the working conditions are extremely harsh, but on the other, if standards and wages were improved, many of these Mexicans would be starving in thier own country- as little as they make, thier jobs not only sustain them, but thier families back in Mexico. It's a human tragedy to which there are no easy answers, but one which is certainly worth informing yourself about.

The last and longest essay is An Empire of the Obscene, which is also the least focused and rambling of the three. It differs from the first two essays in that it is not a straight essay, but more of a story, the history of a man named Reuben Sturman, one of the primogenitors of the now enormous American pornography industry. In telling his story, the author also tries to tell the story of the American public's relationship with pornography, with uneven degrees of success. He occasionally breaks away into side stories, but always comes back to Sturman, who, despite the author's sometimes blatant attempts to bias the story on Sturman's side, remains an unsympathetic character.

It's an informative and entertaining read, with just enough eyebrow-raising "I never knew that" moments to keep you hanging on for the next one. I'd recommend it, but not in the sort of "Oh My God you must read this book before you do anythign else!" way that I prefer to.

If anyone wants my copy, you know where to comment.