Fast Food Nation

At the end of every chapter/section, pay close attention to the "lesson" aspect of how it concludes.

What central point/focus is being referenced in all examples?

How does sequence of FFN, especially early on, set the stage for the Controlling Idea (CI) and focal concepts?

How does the "food industry" reflect, or react to, the culture around it?  Is it a product of its environment, or is it the environment itself and the things around it react to the food industry?

Pay attention to word choice for important aspects that the author studies.  He makes a point of talking directly about it, so it's not a secret or anything subversive he's trying to influence us with clandestine references, but words like "industry" for instance have a very significant presence in the book.

I would highly recommend looking into the following:

-"Food Inc." is the documentary film version of this book.  It's not a full retelling, but is narrated by the author and incorporates sections from the book into the film.

-"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.  Deals specifically with the process of how a food becomes a food, whether through nature, farming, science, etc.