Book review: Junk by Christopher Largen

Book review: Junk by Christopher Largen

Posted on August 2nd, 2009 by Tyler Samien

From the beginning, I misjudged Junk as a niche book. Based on the cover and what little I’d been told, I assumed incorrectly that Junk dealt primarily with Big Brother food regulation (the ban of trans-fats in NY, the regulation of fast-food products, and the censorship of junk food advertisement).If I had read the online synopsis more closely I would have learned that this book is a satire of the “war on drugs”, and prohibition of all types, not limited to food regulation.

What Largen does in Junk is take real examples from the drug war (news, documents, court cases) and expose the ridiculousness by replacing drugs with another mind altering substance– junk food. With a hilarious and revealing outcome, this method brilliantly exposes the false paradigm drug propaganda has spent years trying to erect. Examples include a sting operation on a junk food paraphernalia boutique that sells fondue forks as “elongated broccoli utensils” and a teen trying to swallow a Twinkie, wrapper and all, to hide evidence during a pullover.

With interesting quotes, letters, and news stories throughout, this book never gets boring (I read it in a day). For fans of satire, mockumentary, and dystopia, for anyone who wants a fresh perspective on prohibition, government regulation, and politics– read Junk. It’s addictive.

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Tyler Samien

Tyler Samien has a BA in English/creative writing from the University of Tennessee. He enjoys writing everything from scathing online reviews of companies that displease him to nostalgic memoirs of childhood experience. His blog, ReluctantChauffeur, is about to get interesting as he travels the United States with his wife and goofy-faced puppy.