Drive Thru Dreams

“This is a book to savor, especially if you’re a fast-food fan.”—Bookpage "This fun, argumentative, and frequently surprising pop history of American fast food will thrill and educate food lovers of all speeds." —Publishers Weekly Most any honest person can own up to harboring at least one fast-food guilty pleasure. In Drive-Thru Dreams, Adam Chandler explores the inseparable link between fast food and American life for the past century. The dark underbelly of the industry’s largest players has long been scrutinized and gutted, characterized as impersonal, greedy, corporate, and worse. But, in unexpected ways, fast food is also deeply personal and emblematic of a larger than life image of America. With wit and nuance, Chandler reveals the complexities of this industry through heartfelt anecdotes and fascinating trivia as well as interviews with fans, executives, and workers. He traces the industry from its roots in Wichita, where White Castle became the first fast food chain in 1921 and successfully branded the hamburger as the official all-American meal, to a teenager's 2017 plea for a year’s supply of Wendy’s chicken nuggets, which united the internet to generate the most viral tweet of all time. Drive-Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler tells an intimate and contemporary story of America—its humble beginning, its innovations and failures, its international charisma, and its regional identities—through its beloved roadside fare.

The instant New York Times bestseller! From one of America's most beloved sportswriters and the bestselling author of Pappyland, a collection of true stories about the dream of greatness and its cost in the world of sports. "Wright Thompson's stories are so full of rich characters, bad actors, heroes, drama, suffering, courage, conflict, and vivid detail that I sometimes thinks he's working my side of the street - the world of fiction." - John Grisham There is only one Wright Thompson. He is, as they say, famous if you know who he is: his work includes the most read articles in the history of ESPN (and it's not even close) and has been anthologized in the Best American Sports Writing series ten times, and he counts John Grisham and Richard Ford among his ardent admirers (see back of book). But to say his pieces are about sports, while true as far as it goes, is like saying Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove is a book about a cattle drive. Wright Thompson figures people out. He jimmies the lock to the furnaces inside the people he profiles and does an analysis of the fuel that fires their ambition. Whether it be Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or Pat Riley or Urban Meyer, he strips the away the self-serving myths and fantasies to reveal his characters in full. There are fascinating common denominators: it may not be the case that every single great performer or coach had a complex relationship with his father, but it can sure seem that way. And there is much marvelous local knowledge: about specific sports, and times and places, and people. Ludicrously entertaining and often powerfully moving, The Cost of These Dreams is an ode to the reporter's art, and a celebration of true greatness and the high price that it exacts.

The beloved personality from The Howard Stern Show celebrates American fast food, exploring the history and secret menu items of both national and regional chains, ranking everything from burgers and fries to ice and mascots, and offering his own expert tips on where to go and what to order. Jon Hein is the ultimate fast food maniac, and in this book he draws on his extensive knowledge of, and love for, both nationwide chains and regional gems, from McDonald’s and KFC to In-N-Out Burger and Carvel. He digs into their origin stories; reveals secret menu items; includes best lists for everything from fried chicken and shakes to connoisseur concerns such as straws and biscuits; takes a nostalgic look back at the best giveaways, slogans, and uniforms; and even provides a battle-tested drive-thru strategy. With behind-the-counter looks at places like the Dunkin' Donuts headquarters and Nathan's original hot dog stand, Fast Food Maniac is the definitive, cross-country guide to some of America's best-loved guilty pleasures.

In Never in Your Wildest Dreams, Natalie Ledwell takes you on the journey of Katherine Murray, who moves from extreme debt, depression, and despair to superstar award-winning screenwriter status in record time. Ledwell’s book reveals the exact steps, inspired by her own quest for success, to achieving any goal you set or have never even dreamed of yet. This unique Interactive System not only tells a captivating, awe-inspiring story, but also provides everything readers need to transform their own dreams into reality. Included in the book is a backstage pass to each chapter with videos from Ledwell herself. Between the spellbinding story, the life-altering secrets to success, and the immediate impact it will have on their lives, readers will quickly find themselves inspired by Ledwell’s words as they turn to this book as a life resource again and again. From a life of money problems, relationship struggles, and the desperate yearning for happiness that anyone can relate to, Ledwell tells the story of one woman’s path to success. There is no luck involved. It doesn’t have to happen to just a few. Astonishing success can happen to anyone if they just follow these secrets and insights.

Find out today just how lucky you can be! We all have lucky days and numbers and now, a world-renowned astrologer tells you how to find yours! In this illuminating, easy-to-read book, Zolar, the master of occult lore and practices, reveals how you can use the arts of dream interpretation and numerology to enrich your life. Discover, for example: * Your fortunate years * Your good days * Your best hours * Your Magic Hour * Your Pinnacle of Success * The Lady Luck Method ...and much, much more! Included is a special dream key that uncovers the meanings of hundreds of dream symbols, as well as their numerological significance. The ancient sciences were developed to put humankind in touch with life's rhythms and harmonies. Now you, too, can put this secret wisdom to work for you! Whether you're new to the occult sciences or already a practiced hand, you can easily learn how your dreams and lucky numbers can help you -- in everything from choosing a partner to playing the lottery.

Pop-culture junkie and self-described Americaphile Sean Condon, along with his calm friend David, set out on a journey from New York to San Francisco. Along the way Sean investigates the legendary people, places, and TV programs that sustained him through his difficult pre-pubescent years. Will he survive the channel-switching, the miles of highway, the country & western radio station, and the all-you-can-eat fast-food joints? Sean behaves unwisely and risks several ironic remarks in this very funny take on life in the United States.

A man dreams through the eyes of a woman he's never met, setting out to find love that could be just a figment of his imagination.

The biennial Around Alone yacht race is the most thrilling adventure in the world for the sailors passionate enough to undertake it. It's a two-class solo race that starts and ends in Newark, New Jersey, with stops in England, South Africa, New Zealand, and Brazil, and it is as tough in its way as the non-stop race, the Vendee Globe. In 2002, thirteen sailors competed, some of them professional sailors, well funded by corporate sponsors, and some of them adventurers who sacrificed almost everything to enter the race. Among the adventurers wasDerek Hatfield, a former fraud-squad Mountie, whose forty-foot "Spirit of Canada" had cost him almost everything he had. The race takes sailors through the wild storms of the Bay of Biscay, the frustrating and infamous Doldrums, the angry Southern Ocean, and the treacherous seas off Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America. All of them dangerous waters that stretched the sailors' abilities to the limit - and beyond. Hatfield's "Spirit of Canada" became the plucky Little Boat That Could when it lost its mast in rounding Cape Horn. In this nail-biting account of the race, Adam Mayers brings to life the joys and the agonies of racing alone - and the dreams that drive these men and women to sail around the world solo.