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The Coke Machine: The Dirty Truth Behind the World's Favorite Soft Drink Audiobook
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(3.00) - 242 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ever since its "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" commercials from the 1970s, Coca-Cola has billed itself as the world's beverage, uniting all colors and cultures in a mutual love of its caramel-sweet sugar water. The formula has worked incredibly well, making it one of the most profitable companies on the planet and Coca-Cola the world's second-most-recognized word after hello. However, as the company expands its reach into both domestic and foreign markets, an increasing number of the world's citizens are finding the taste of Coke more bitter than sweet.
Journalist Michael Blanding's The Coke Machine probes shocking accusations about the company's global impact, including:
—Coca-Cola's history of winning at any cost, even if it meant that its franchisees were making deals with the Nazis and Guatemalan paramilitary squads
—How Coke has harmed children's health and contributed to an obesity epidemic through exclusive soda contracts in schools
—The horrific environmental impact of Coke bottling plants in India and Mexico, where water supplies have been decimated while toxic pollution has escalated
—That Coke bottlers stand accused of conspiring with paramilitaries to threaten, kidnap, and murder union leaders in their bottling plants in Colombia
A disturbing portrait drawn from an award-winning journalist's daring, in-depth research, The Coke Machine is the first comprehensive probe of the company and its secret formula for greed.
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"While it was slow in places and redundant in others, I got through it. Another one of those books where I felt that he has a vendetta against Coke, but was able to give actual reasons instead of just saying "they are bad news"."
— Katie (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Put down your soda, read The Coke Machine, and join the global movement to rein in unaccountable corporations.
— Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Brightsided
The Coke Machine Listener Reviews
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" The explanation and details about the Columbia murder gets a little long winded. I would have liked to have seen more emphasis toward the health risks associated with Coke. "
— Kelly, 2/18/2014 -
" While I usually enjoy a good corporation bashing, this book fell short of my expectations. I did find some of the information enlightening. I have not followed the sordid history of Coca-Cola. I was unaware of the alleged links to paramilitary groups in Colombia or the water shortages in India. I recall the uproar over the bottled tap water fiasco, but did not realize the problems in England. Even with all of this interesting material, the book was incredibly boring. I actually forced myself to finish it, and I was very happy to find the book was over on page 291, even though the book technically has 375 pages. "
— Sarah, 1/14/2014 -
" This book not only makes me think twice about drinking coke but it totally makes me think about all kinds of big corporations out there. Not sure if I'm happy or sad about this. Why can't we just be honest. "
— Angie, 1/2/2014 -
" An interesting look at the inside operations of such a classic brand. "
— Paige, 8/21/2013 -
" Not the most exciting of reads, but it is extremely normative and really changed my impression of the coca cola brand; sometimes for better and sometimes for the worse. Eye opening to their methods of advertising, creating, and distributing their product and it's effect on the community. "
— Emma-Rose, 5/20/2013 -
" This is an interesting tell-all book about the criminal, ethical, health, labor, environmental, etc. reasons to not consume Coke products. "
— Sandra, 5/8/2013 -
" Just another large corporation looking out for profits, with no concern for anything else. "
— Sandy, 12/4/2012 -
" You'll never look at Coke the same way again. "
— Andrew, 8/5/2012 -
" Didn't like the reader of this audiobook at all. I also knew a lot about the material discussed through much of the book, so I didn't learn much new. A disappointment! "
— Danielle, 5/4/2012 -
" Most of the corporate history is fairly common knowledge, but the union busting in Columbia using paramilitaries and the abuse of water access in India a la Fiji Water was all new to me. "
— Craig, 11/19/2011 -
" I picked this up hoping it would help convince me to quit Diet Coke. Unfortunately it was just pretty slanted and boring. "
— Rebecca, 4/4/2011 -
" Most of the corporate history is fairly common knowledge, but the union busting in Columbia using paramilitaries and the abuse of water access in India a la Fiji Water was all new to me. "
— Craig, 1/30/2011 -
" Just another large corporation looking out for profits, with no concern for anything else. "
— Sandy, 11/24/2010 -
" Interesting read, not the squeaky clean corporate image their advertisements would have you believe. Might haft to switch to tea. "
— Dave, 10/12/2010 -
" Didn't like the reader of this audiobook at all. I also knew a lot about the material discussed through much of the book, so I didn't learn much new. A disappointment! "
— Danielle, 10/9/2010 -
" An interesting look at the inside operations of such a classic brand. "
— Paige, 10/9/2010 -
" I picked this up hoping it would help convince me to quit Diet Coke. Unfortunately it was just pretty slanted and boring. "
— Rebecca, 9/11/2010
About Michael Blanding
Michael Blanding is a Boston-based investigative journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, Slate, Boston Globe Magazine, Boston magazine, and other publications. He is author of The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps, which was named an NPR Best Book of the Year; and The Coke Machine: The Dirty Truth behind the World’s Favorite Soft Drink. A former journalism fellow at Brandeis University and Harvard Law School, he has taught feature writing at Tufts University, Emerson College, and GrubStreet Writers.
About George K. Wilson
George K. Wilson is a working actor in stage, film, television, and commercials with almost one hundred audiobook narrations to his credit. He began in broadcast journalism with American Forces Radio and Television and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He had a lead role in the cult film classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and appeared on television’s One Life to Live, Ryan’s Hope, and The Doctors and has been heard on voice-overs for The Guiding Light and The Cosby Show, as well as many television and radio commercials.