This is a book by Gail Jarrow. It is about a time when urbanization was starting, when people had started to move out of farms into cities. This period of time saw the rise of grocery stores. It also saw the rise of foods that were adulterated and faked. Most people were cheated and sold poisons instead of actual food. For example, glucose was marketed as honey and candies were tinted with lead/arsenic paint.This book revolves around a man named Harvey Wiley, who would change all of this and essentially become the father of the FDA as we know it.
Likes: I like this book because it is about medicine, science, and history, and I love all three of these subjects. I also like this book because it has many photographs/posters/ads/comics of fraudulent foods/medicines, inspections, and of people who worked for the early FDA. It is filled with many details about the kinds of chemicals people would put into food for money. It also paints a picture of the struggle for pure food.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to ages 9+ since kids below that age might not understand what is going on and could get lost. Also, some details and pictures are heartbreaking, so younger kids could be scared.
Rating: 5/5
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