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.

If you thought that conditions described in Sinclair’s “The Jungle” no longer exist in meatpacking factories, you would be very wrong. This book describes what it is like to work in a factory, day after day, through the lens of the worker himself. Such an important read to learn not only about labor conditions, but how the biggest corporations build their wealth on the backs of immigrants.

What an incredibly eye opening nonfiction (but also so infuriating with how immig are being abused). It taught me so much about the meat packing industry and it’s a must read for all Americans

Life and Death of the American Worker was incredible. I appreciated the personal stories as well as the coverage of the problems throughout all areas of the meat packing industry.

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.

cw: graphic violence and death, detailed descriptions of animal cruelty and death, minor sexual assault, exploitation and abuse

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

One of the reason I eat very little meat, is the exploitation of the people who work in meat packing factories. Not only do animals suffer, people suffer. This is crueling low paid work often done by vulnerable people, like immigrants and prisoners. I have done factory work so I can imagine the repetitive movements and terrible conditions.
But yeah it is work that needs to be done. The works deserve better pay and conditions and for some reason people are not fighting for that.
Anyway, that is why I picked up this book.
I loved it but only because I love learning and being sad. We seriously need to make some changes.

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.