My take on: Fast Food Maniac

Fair warning, DO NOT read Fast Food Maniac by Jon Hein on an empty stomach. If you read this while you're hungry, you will be seriously craving every type of junk food under the sun. There is no shortage of variety, from tacos, burgers, pizza, milkshakes, fried fish, cinnamon rolls, and my personal favorite......Nathan's french fries.

Yes. Nathan's french fries with cheese are a personal favorite of mine. Fortunately, I haven't had those fries in more than a year. Instead, I was able to live vicariously through Jon Hein's book.

Fast Food Maniac is not deep literature. It's more like a how-to guide on the best fast food across the nation. Hein lays out how some of the most famous chains, including McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Hardees, Papa Johns, and more, got their start, their catchphrases, mascots, and secret menus. I didn't know McDonald's had a Pie McFlurry on it's secret menu. Starbucks has at least 10 "secret items." A LOT of real estate in this book is dedicated to the best burger joints in the nation. Beef heaven might appeal to most people, but it doesn't to me. I haven't eaten beef in nearly 13 years, so I had so many deep eye rolls every time ANOTHER burger joint was highlighted.

Overall, this wasn't a bad book. But it was lacking in depth. The book reads more like junk food for dummies. The author loves junk food, but, in my opinion, I don't think there were enough anecdotes detailing his personal connection. But if I ever take a junk food tour of the U.S., I think this is the book I would take with me.

Rating: Give it a try

Note: I received a copy of the book as part of Penguin RandomHouse's Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.