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Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on America's Largest Meatpacking Company
Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award, an explosive exposé of the toxic labor practices at the largest meatpacking company in America and the immigrant workers who had the courage to fight back.
On June 27, 2011, a deadly chemical accident took place inside the Tyson Foods chicken processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas, where the company is headquartered. The company quickly covered it up although the spill left their employees injured, sick, and terrified. Over the years, Arkansas-based reporter Alice Driver was able to gain the trust of the immigrant workers who survived the accident. They rewarded her persistence by giving her total access to their lives.
Having spent hours in their kitchens and accompanying them to doctor’s appointments, Driver has memorialized in these pages the dramatic lives of husband and wife Plácido and Angelina, who liked to spend weekends planting seeds from their native El Salvador in their garden; father and son Martín and Gabriel, who migrated from Mexico at different times and were trying to patch up their relationship; and many other immigrants who survived the chemical accident in Springdale that day.
During the course of Alice’s reporting, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the community, and the workers were forced to continue production in unsafe conditions, watching their colleagues get sick and die one by one. These essential workers, many of whom only speak Spanish and some of whom are illiterate—all of whom suffer the health consequences of Tyson’s negligence—somehow found the strength and courage to organize and fight back, culminating in a lawsuit against Tyson Foods, the largest meatpacking company in America.
Richly detailed, fiercely honest, and deeply reported, Life and Death of the American Worker will forever change the way we think about the people who prepare our food.
On June 27, 2011, a deadly chemical accident took place inside the Tyson Foods chicken processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas, where the company is headquartered. The company quickly covered it up although the spill left their employees injured, sick, and terrified. Over the years, Arkansas-based reporter Alice Driver was able to gain the trust of the immigrant workers who survived the accident. They rewarded her persistence by giving her total access to their lives.
Having spent hours in their kitchens and accompanying them to doctor’s appointments, Driver has memorialized in these pages the dramatic lives of husband and wife Plácido and Angelina, who liked to spend weekends planting seeds from their native El Salvador in their garden; father and son Martín and Gabriel, who migrated from Mexico at different times and were trying to patch up their relationship; and many other immigrants who survived the chemical accident in Springdale that day.
During the course of Alice’s reporting, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the community, and the workers were forced to continue production in unsafe conditions, watching their colleagues get sick and die one by one. These essential workers, many of whom only speak Spanish and some of whom are illiterate—all of whom suffer the health consequences of Tyson’s negligence—somehow found the strength and courage to organize and fight back, culminating in a lawsuit against Tyson Foods, the largest meatpacking company in America.
Richly detailed, fiercely honest, and deeply reported, Life and Death of the American Worker will forever change the way we think about the people who prepare our food.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 15, 2024
Listened to the audiobook.
I truly appreciate books that humble me and remind me how blessed I am to live a relatively stress free life.
FUCK TYSON
I truly appreciate books that humble me and remind me how blessed I am to live a relatively stress free life.
FUCK TYSON
November 16, 2024
Just when you thought you knew how evil Tyson Foods is, you read this book and find out even more reasons to hate them. Alice Driver spent four years interviewing current and former employees of Tyson meatpacking plants, specifically about the impact of COVID on these workers. You probably heard about high COVID rates in meatpacking plants during peak-COVID, and you probably also heard about the Trump administration's executive order to keep meatpacking plants open in spite of any state-level COVID restrictions. What you didn't hear about in the media was for the workers Driver interviewed, many of them had been working in a Tyson plant in 2011 when there was a chemical spill. That spill caused a lot of health issues for the workers most directly exposed, in particular lung issues. So when COVID came around, a lot of these workers who already had compromised health from the chemical spill almost immediately began dying of COVID. And Tyson, like any monopoly dependent on low-paid workers, first tried to ignore COVID, then later decided that every employee would be required to be vaccinated against the illness they had told their employees didn't exist. Many of the employees at these meatpacking plants are immigrants (some legal, some not) and many either don't speak much English and/or are illiterate. Tyson definitely preys on this demographic and preys on the fear of these workers to get them to comply and work in horrible conditions even before COVID came around. The book also covers a class action lawsuit that was brought against a specific plant in Arkansas - unfortunately, the case ends up being dismissed which was a downer of a way to end an already hard book. While this is not an easy read, it's an important read. THIS is the real cost of food. Anyone who buys chicken at the grocery store should be required to read this book. Is Tyson who you want to give your hard-earned money to? My suggestion is to find yourself a local farmer who's doing things on a smaller scale to support.
Some quotes that outraged me:
"Similarly, in addition to employing undocumented workers, Tyson also exploits vulnerable prison populations. For example, some nonviolent criminals facing jail time in Oklahoma are offered an alternative to prison...those who know the programs call them 'the Chicken Farm' as they require people to work at Tyson or other meatpacking companies, where they are paid little or nothing." (p. 13-14) [Maybe this could be a better deterrent than jail time]
"[Tyson] was at a loss for years about what to do with the gizzards since customers weren't fond of them. In the early 1990s, Tyson began to sell gizzard patties to prisons. Don Tyson, the company's chairman at the time, described imprisoned people as a 'captive market' for gizzard burgers." (p. 23) [Another deterrent for jail time]
"On March 3, 2020, Carlos Lynn, thirty-nine, was sanitizing a fifty-foot chicken chiller at a Tyson plant in Baker Hill, Alabama. Lynn, a Black man from Alabama, worked for Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., which paid formerly incarcerated men like him $12-$15/house to do dangerous sanitation work. [While cleaning, the machine was accidentally turned on decapitating Lynn.]...The following day...the plant required all workers to sign a legal document stating that they understood the risks of sanitizing the chicken chiller, and, if they were decapitated, they accepted responsibility for such an accident since they had been warned of the risk beforehand." (p. 29-30)
"'All the waste from the debone area, the skeleton, the skin, the neck, the hip bone - all of that is ground up to make nuggets which have almost no meat in them,' [Victor] said. Nuggets, a product Tyson created for McDonald's, helped transform Tyson from a small-town business into a global empire. The nugget recipe involved forty-pound frozen blocks of chicken parts: three blocks of chicken breast; two of ground skeleton mixed with blood, necks, and other bits; and one of chicken skin and fat." (p. 41) [Doesn't that sound appetizing...]
"In the 1970s, when more women were entering the workforce, and fast-food empires were growing, Don [Tyson] saw an opportunity to sell packaged chicken products. Under his watch, Tyson Foods invented McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and the Burger King chicken sandwich, among thousands of other prepared food items. At that time, chicken was unpopular, so the company had to convince restaurant chains that it could be packaged as a healthier option than hamburgers." (p. 47)
"In 2021, in OSHA needed to inspect all of the meatpacking facilities in the US, it would take them 165 years. And the average fine for a potentially life-threatening hazard that year was $3,700. It was cheaper to pay the occasional fine than to keep machinery, chemicals, and labor conditions safe for workers." (p. 53)
"He mentioned a program Tyson had recently launched called Helping Hands, which encouraged workers to donate part of their paycheck to help other Tyson workers affected by COVID...'It's as if they are making fun of us,' he added, noting that a company that makes billions of dollars should not ask workers to contribute to covering the cost of COVID infections." (p. 118)
"During the pandemic, Arkansas prisons and Tyson facilities shared a unique distinction - they were the sites with the most significant coronavirus outbreaks in the country...Despite the rapid spread of the virus and CDC recommendations, prisons and Tyson facilities lobbied to keep workers in the fields and in the factories. Tyson operates in four states that allow prisoners to be forced to labor without compensation: Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. Tyson employs prisoners via work release programs that place prisoners at various companies." (p. 184)
"While waiting for robotics to catch up with industry needs, Tyson Foods began to diversify, investing in meat products that were less labor intensive. In 2016 and 2017, Tyson Foods invested $34 million in the plant-based meat company, Beyond Meat. In 2022, Tyson announced that it would contribute to a $400 million investment in Upside Foods, a lab-grown meat company. Although many assumed that meatpacking companies would see lab-grown meat as a threat, the same profitable subsidies underpinning the meatpacking industry are flowing into lab-grown meat. The tech industry is selling lab-grown meat as if it were revolutionary, but it is simply an extension of the status quo in which the US continues to subsidize cheap and plentiful meat. Lab-grown meat is also a proprietary product, once again placing the food system in the hands of a few companies." (p. 204)
Some quotes that outraged me:
"Similarly, in addition to employing undocumented workers, Tyson also exploits vulnerable prison populations. For example, some nonviolent criminals facing jail time in Oklahoma are offered an alternative to prison...those who know the programs call them 'the Chicken Farm' as they require people to work at Tyson or other meatpacking companies, where they are paid little or nothing." (p. 13-14) [Maybe this could be a better deterrent than jail time]
"[Tyson] was at a loss for years about what to do with the gizzards since customers weren't fond of them. In the early 1990s, Tyson began to sell gizzard patties to prisons. Don Tyson, the company's chairman at the time, described imprisoned people as a 'captive market' for gizzard burgers." (p. 23) [Another deterrent for jail time]
"On March 3, 2020, Carlos Lynn, thirty-nine, was sanitizing a fifty-foot chicken chiller at a Tyson plant in Baker Hill, Alabama. Lynn, a Black man from Alabama, worked for Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., which paid formerly incarcerated men like him $12-$15/house to do dangerous sanitation work. [While cleaning, the machine was accidentally turned on decapitating Lynn.]...The following day...the plant required all workers to sign a legal document stating that they understood the risks of sanitizing the chicken chiller, and, if they were decapitated, they accepted responsibility for such an accident since they had been warned of the risk beforehand." (p. 29-30)
"'All the waste from the debone area, the skeleton, the skin, the neck, the hip bone - all of that is ground up to make nuggets which have almost no meat in them,' [Victor] said. Nuggets, a product Tyson created for McDonald's, helped transform Tyson from a small-town business into a global empire. The nugget recipe involved forty-pound frozen blocks of chicken parts: three blocks of chicken breast; two of ground skeleton mixed with blood, necks, and other bits; and one of chicken skin and fat." (p. 41) [Doesn't that sound appetizing...]
"In the 1970s, when more women were entering the workforce, and fast-food empires were growing, Don [Tyson] saw an opportunity to sell packaged chicken products. Under his watch, Tyson Foods invented McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and the Burger King chicken sandwich, among thousands of other prepared food items. At that time, chicken was unpopular, so the company had to convince restaurant chains that it could be packaged as a healthier option than hamburgers." (p. 47)
"In 2021, in OSHA needed to inspect all of the meatpacking facilities in the US, it would take them 165 years. And the average fine for a potentially life-threatening hazard that year was $3,700. It was cheaper to pay the occasional fine than to keep machinery, chemicals, and labor conditions safe for workers." (p. 53)
"He mentioned a program Tyson had recently launched called Helping Hands, which encouraged workers to donate part of their paycheck to help other Tyson workers affected by COVID...'It's as if they are making fun of us,' he added, noting that a company that makes billions of dollars should not ask workers to contribute to covering the cost of COVID infections." (p. 118)
"During the pandemic, Arkansas prisons and Tyson facilities shared a unique distinction - they were the sites with the most significant coronavirus outbreaks in the country...Despite the rapid spread of the virus and CDC recommendations, prisons and Tyson facilities lobbied to keep workers in the fields and in the factories. Tyson operates in four states that allow prisoners to be forced to labor without compensation: Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. Tyson employs prisoners via work release programs that place prisoners at various companies." (p. 184)
"While waiting for robotics to catch up with industry needs, Tyson Foods began to diversify, investing in meat products that were less labor intensive. In 2016 and 2017, Tyson Foods invested $34 million in the plant-based meat company, Beyond Meat. In 2022, Tyson announced that it would contribute to a $400 million investment in Upside Foods, a lab-grown meat company. Although many assumed that meatpacking companies would see lab-grown meat as a threat, the same profitable subsidies underpinning the meatpacking industry are flowing into lab-grown meat. The tech industry is selling lab-grown meat as if it were revolutionary, but it is simply an extension of the status quo in which the US continues to subsidize cheap and plentiful meat. Lab-grown meat is also a proprietary product, once again placing the food system in the hands of a few companies." (p. 204)
September 4, 2024
4.5 rounded up. this was a tough read. the book chronicles the abhorrent working conditions for and treatment of the majority immigrant population working in the poultry/meatpacking industry in the flyover states and how the conditions are wildly exacerbated by the pandemic. unsurprisingly, Tyson and other meatpacking companies continually got away with putting profit over literal human lives. this was gnarly, graphic, heartbreaking, and so so real given the proximity to 2020/2021. i won’t give the book away but ohhhh boy will this make you rethink eating meat.
thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy.
thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy.
August 8, 2024
Exposé of the labor practices at Tyson foods chicken company in Arkansas and the immigrant workers who worked there. Not an easy read due to the depiction of injustice. So much unfairness.
*I read an advance copy and was not compensated
*I read an advance copy and was not compensated
September 13, 2024
Gives the spotlight to stories of Immigrant American workers that deserve to be heard—and fought for.
“the hands of any worker tell you a story, one of missing fingers and scars, deep and textured like a dry riverbed”
“the hands of any worker tell you a story, one of missing fingers and scars, deep and textured like a dry riverbed”
November 19, 2024
This was a tough read. I remember seeing issues with Tyson on the news during the toughest part of the pandemic, but I didn't pay too much attention. These are important stories to be told and I'm sure there are similar stories at other companies.
I do think this read more like a very long form article and that because it read that way, it felt like it could've been edited down.
I will definitely be recommending this to anyone looking for a book on the life of the American worker that shows the dark side of America.
Thanks to Atria for the copy.
I do think this read more like a very long form article and that because it read that way, it felt like it could've been edited down.
I will definitely be recommending this to anyone looking for a book on the life of the American worker that shows the dark side of America.
Thanks to Atria for the copy.
November 19, 2024
Eye opening!
July 7, 2024
Thanks to Atria and One Signal Publishing for sending me a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I don’t read much non-fiction and when I do it really needs to grab my attention. This book did exactly that.
I handle Workers Compensation claims for work, so books like this and The Radium Girls will always suck me right in.
This book was very well written and horrifying! To think that this company, one that mass produces chicken through the United States, was having people working in such deplorable conditions made my stomach turn. It really infuriated me. To think that people are STILL being treated as less than really saddens me.
I don’t want to give anything away because you really need to experience this story yourself to really have that authentic gut punch reaction to the horrors of this chicken processing plant, not only on behalf of the workers but for the consumers as well.
Now more than ever we need OSHA to ensure people are being protected. Unfortunately OSHA is underfunded and understaffed. The scary part is that even if OSHA issues a fine for wrongdoing, paying that fine is so much cheaper than implanting changes to create safer work environments within a company.
I don’t read much non-fiction and when I do it really needs to grab my attention. This book did exactly that.
I handle Workers Compensation claims for work, so books like this and The Radium Girls will always suck me right in.
This book was very well written and horrifying! To think that this company, one that mass produces chicken through the United States, was having people working in such deplorable conditions made my stomach turn. It really infuriated me. To think that people are STILL being treated as less than really saddens me.
I don’t want to give anything away because you really need to experience this story yourself to really have that authentic gut punch reaction to the horrors of this chicken processing plant, not only on behalf of the workers but for the consumers as well.
Now more than ever we need OSHA to ensure people are being protected. Unfortunately OSHA is underfunded and understaffed. The scary part is that even if OSHA issues a fine for wrongdoing, paying that fine is so much cheaper than implanting changes to create safer work environments within a company.
October 11, 2024
I saw this book available at the library and thought it'd be a fun read. I had read other somewhat similar books where a reporter or investigator goes undercover or does an in-depth investigation of farms, factories and other workplaces that are known to hire undocumented people in large numbers for its workforce because it is work that "Americans" don't want. This is similar to such texts, although this is about a specific incident at a Tysons Food factory back in 2011.
Driver chronicles the stories of the immigrants who survived the incident, following how they came to work at Tyson Foods. From the journey to why they came to the fears about being caught by the authorities as well as the aftermath of the spill, from health issues to their concerns about being able to advocate for themselves. Coincidentally, much of Driver's work coincided with the COVID pandemic, which made it all that much harder, but eventually that work pays off in a lawsuit.
If you are at all familiar with these workplaces then much of this will not surprise you. I did not remember this incident with Tyson Foods, but from other research and reading a lot of this was very familiar. It is enraging and heart-rendering: from how they are among the most vulnerable groups in the United States to the awful work conditions leading to injuries on the job to long-term health issues, etc. The why they came to work and what they left behind while being treated abominably by the company and the country where they currently live.
In terms of content, this was an incredibly important book. Many of us never think about how the food on our plates get there, let alone the people who help get it there. It's pretty maddening to read up on the abuse, fear the workers feel, the frustration, etc. As a text in a book it was okay. It won several awards but overall it was not a particularly interesting read. That is not to say these stories aren't important and maybe I have just read too many similar stories but it was a little dull.
I do recommend it, though, and another similar book that might be a good complimentary read is 'Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs (Most) Americans Won't Do' by Gabriel Thompson. That is more of a snapshot of jobs rather than a focus on a specific incident but still useful all the same. I borrowed this from the library and that was best for me.
Driver chronicles the stories of the immigrants who survived the incident, following how they came to work at Tyson Foods. From the journey to why they came to the fears about being caught by the authorities as well as the aftermath of the spill, from health issues to their concerns about being able to advocate for themselves. Coincidentally, much of Driver's work coincided with the COVID pandemic, which made it all that much harder, but eventually that work pays off in a lawsuit.
If you are at all familiar with these workplaces then much of this will not surprise you. I did not remember this incident with Tyson Foods, but from other research and reading a lot of this was very familiar. It is enraging and heart-rendering: from how they are among the most vulnerable groups in the United States to the awful work conditions leading to injuries on the job to long-term health issues, etc. The why they came to work and what they left behind while being treated abominably by the company and the country where they currently live.
In terms of content, this was an incredibly important book. Many of us never think about how the food on our plates get there, let alone the people who help get it there. It's pretty maddening to read up on the abuse, fear the workers feel, the frustration, etc. As a text in a book it was okay. It won several awards but overall it was not a particularly interesting read. That is not to say these stories aren't important and maybe I have just read too many similar stories but it was a little dull.
I do recommend it, though, and another similar book that might be a good complimentary read is 'Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs (Most) Americans Won't Do' by Gabriel Thompson. That is more of a snapshot of jobs rather than a focus on a specific incident but still useful all the same. I borrowed this from the library and that was best for me.
October 17, 2024
For nearly 20 years I have avoided buying Tyson products knowingly. Primarily because of their farm practices. I prefer to eat “happy chickens” and pasture raised eggs. Even my dog’s food is ethically sourced.
It is not surprising that a company with Tyson’s track record for raising chickens, also treats their employees very poorly.
As a career Safety Professional and Worker’s Compensation Administrator I am appalled at the Tyson culture concerning the handling of injuries. I was also appalled with the coalition of meat packing plants that lobbied the Mike Pence and the Trump Administration for hold harmless immunity from legal recourse during Covid despite the lack of efforts by the company to lessen the risk of Covid for their “essential” workers. I remember that happening.
At the same time, this book relies too heavily on the reported experiences of only a few workers with what seems like vendettas against the company. There is much embellishment and supposition in the written presentation. It is a shame these workers are unable to find or accept the economic hardship of gaining employment elsewhere ( it is a choice). I have found in my experience as a safety and health representative that the worker’s compensation systems in this country are extremely confusing and hard to understand, this is made worse with a language barrier.
Does Tyson game the worker’s compensation system with it’s company controlled clinics? I believe they probably do.
It is not surprising that a company with Tyson’s track record for raising chickens, also treats their employees very poorly.
As a career Safety Professional and Worker’s Compensation Administrator I am appalled at the Tyson culture concerning the handling of injuries. I was also appalled with the coalition of meat packing plants that lobbied the Mike Pence and the Trump Administration for hold harmless immunity from legal recourse during Covid despite the lack of efforts by the company to lessen the risk of Covid for their “essential” workers. I remember that happening.
At the same time, this book relies too heavily on the reported experiences of only a few workers with what seems like vendettas against the company. There is much embellishment and supposition in the written presentation. It is a shame these workers are unable to find or accept the economic hardship of gaining employment elsewhere ( it is a choice). I have found in my experience as a safety and health representative that the worker’s compensation systems in this country are extremely confusing and hard to understand, this is made worse with a language barrier.
Does Tyson game the worker’s compensation system with it’s company controlled clinics? I believe they probably do.
Read
August 31, 2024cw: graphic violence and death, detailed descriptions of animal cruelty and death, minor sexual assault, exploitation and abuse
thank you to @netgalley and @atria for the review copy!
i can’t even begin to describe how distraught and disturbed this book made me feel. i had to stop reading it right before going to sleep. the way the united states is able to exploit and abuse workers is infuriating and should be unacceptable. unfortunately, the few checks and balances that exist are ineffective and insufficient, allowing for a major company like Tyson to exert control over most, if not all, of the aspects of their workers lives including even their healthcare, determining when and how they can receive care knowing Tyson’s interests lie in their employees’ productivity rather than their health or quality of life. seriously boycott Tyson immediately
i don’t know how to rate it because it’s important and i want people to read it AND there are some editing issues [i hate being that person but it’s true] that made it feel disorganized and repetitive sometimes
thank you to @netgalley and @atria for the review copy!
i can’t even begin to describe how distraught and disturbed this book made me feel. i had to stop reading it right before going to sleep. the way the united states is able to exploit and abuse workers is infuriating and should be unacceptable. unfortunately, the few checks and balances that exist are ineffective and insufficient, allowing for a major company like Tyson to exert control over most, if not all, of the aspects of their workers lives including even their healthcare, determining when and how they can receive care knowing Tyson’s interests lie in their employees’ productivity rather than their health or quality of life. seriously boycott Tyson immediately
i don’t know how to rate it because it’s important and i want people to read it AND there are some editing issues [i hate being that person but it’s true] that made it feel disorganized and repetitive sometimes
October 19, 2024
This book was eye opening and graphic. Tyson foods is the largest meat packing company in the US and undocumented workers make up between 30 and 50 percent of their workforce. In Life and Death of the American Worker, Alice Driver describes the plight of immigrants working at Tyson Foods before and during the COVID pandemic. Anyone who works with immigrant communities knows that, as Driver describes here, “the labor of undocumented workers underpins our national food system”. Additionally, the meat packing industry is subsidized so that American consumers are not burdened with the actual cost of meat or the realities of the meat industry’s devastating contributions to climate change. Reading this book was like reading a true crime novel. These people’s lives were stolen from them by corporate greed and they were viewed as expendable. Sadly the perpetrator has not been brought to justice. This is an eye opening read and I learned a lot about abusive labor practices still protected by law in our country.
November 20, 2024
This book chronicles the worker experience at the Tyson plant in Arkansas, but it could be about any meat packing plant. The stories here are very specific, telling about specific workers and their families, but as a health care provider in Iowa, where the governor declared meat packing plant employees to be essential workers, where there was absolutely no effort to impose safety or distancing in the work place, and in April of 2020 over 700 employees at a meat packing plant in eastern Iowa tested positive for COVID. Many were hospitalized and quite a few died. They were largely middle aged and immigrants.
The same is true at Tyson. The employer controls all aspects of the supply chain, and they control all aspects of the employee work experience, including health assessment and maintenance. There is nothing that is independent, so when there is a chemical spill, the company controls the narrative, and the workers have no ability to be treated appropriately, independently, or fairly.
It is exactly what you would expect and deeply disturbing at the same time.
The same is true at Tyson. The employer controls all aspects of the supply chain, and they control all aspects of the employee work experience, including health assessment and maintenance. There is nothing that is independent, so when there is a chemical spill, the company controls the narrative, and the workers have no ability to be treated appropriately, independently, or fairly.
It is exactly what you would expect and deeply disturbing at the same time.
September 24, 2024
4.5
I think we should all learn where our food comes from and who is involved in that process--from the billionaire CEO to the workers directly on the line. This is a raw look at what life is like for them. Basically, we take advantage of immigrants for profits and it's such BS. Don't shy away from this knowledge.
I think we should all learn where our food comes from and who is involved in that process--from the billionaire CEO to the workers directly on the line. This is a raw look at what life is like for them. Basically, we take advantage of immigrants for profits and it's such BS. Don't shy away from this knowledge.
October 15, 2024
This is a very important story but the book is not well written. The author repeats herself over and over. She jumps back and forth in time and between different sets of characters for no clear reason. With skillful editing this could have made an excellent long form article in the New Yorker or the Atlantic. In book form I’m not sure how many people will persevere to the end.
November 6, 2024
at times felt poorly organized/ repetitive, but the account meatpacking workers give is worth it. their testimonies are the core of the book really. wish that it focused a bit more on labor overall. ending especially felt like a swerve—from organized labor to an overly simplistic Meat Is Bad (not that it isn’t, it just felt like an odd turn). anyway fuck tyson
September 7, 2024
Journalistic style expose' of labor practices and restricted job-related health care imposed on immigrant workers, as well as insight into the inner workings, sanitation standards and high yield production rates maintained during COVID 19 at an Arkansas Tyson's chicken processing plant.
September 2, 2024
This book is just... "Wow." It opened my eyes.
September 11, 2024
I wanted to like this more based upon the topic but the writing/storyline falls flat.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
October 5, 2024
lخرید تشک از اقای تشک با بهترین کیفیت و تمام قسطی
October 14, 2024
It makes you think twice about how food is produce in America.
October 25, 2024
Capitalism and its noxious byproduct, corporate greed, still suck.
October 25, 2024
Tyson has enough money to do whatever they want.
Read
October 26, 2024The lives of workers at the chicken processing plants in Arkansas. The true telling of what are the ingredients in Tyson products.
November 19, 2024
That this book, written in 2024, sits comfortably alongside Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, is to America’s great shame. A brutal, harrowing read, but full of humanity.
September 27, 2024
Tyson is a big part of the community where I work. These stories are ones that could definitely have happened to the parents of my students.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews