The Hamburger

June 1, 2008
Cultural historian Ozersky (food editor/online, "New York" magazine) examines the hamburgerthe bellwether, and later stalwart, of the fast-food establishment in Americaas a cultural signpost for American cultural and social values. He includes meaty research on the personalities (e.g., Ray Kroc, Dave Thomas) and the corporations (e.g., McDonald's, White Castle, Big Boy) that not only perfected the delivery of the assembly-line sandwich to the masses but also profited from their ability to connect to the power of the individuality, ingenuity, and ambition inherent in the American dream, even as the shape of that dream has shifted throughout the 20th century to todaywhere McDonaldization and gourmet Kobe beef burgers coexist. Compelling reading, this clearly written book will attract a wide range of readers, from those with an academic interest in popular culture, U.S. history, sociology, or company histories to those generally interested in the American sociocultural landscape and the origins of McDonald's. Recommended for academic and public libraries.Courtney Greene, DePaul Univ. Lib., Chicago

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2008
For decades America took its beloved ground-beef-patty sandwich pretty much for granted, the only controversy concerning whether it should have a slice of cheese melted atop the meat. Thanks to the ubiquity granted it by Americas mobile culture, the hamburgers hegemony is now threatened on both nutritional and economic fronts. Ozersky traces the well-documented history of the hamburger, debunking many of the myths surrounding its nineteenth-century origins. He gives special attention to the origins of the White Castle chain of burger drive-ins, showing how it anticipated many of the innovations most people ascribe to McDonalds. Ozersky finds the hard-driving Ray Kroc, author of McDonalds success, a contradictory character, at once valuing conformity yet gathering around himself creative minds to ensure McDonalds marketplace dominance. Ozerskys analysis of Burger Kings and Wendys differing strategies to make their burgers somehow distinctive within the American fast-food market makes for great reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)