Sweet and Deadly

How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick

Murray Carpenter

$55

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

MIT Press
29 April 2025

Society & culture: general

How Coca-Cola makes Americans sick-and makes sure we don't know it.

How Coca-Cola makes Americans sick-and makes sure we don't know it.

If we knew that Coca-Cola was among the deadliest products in our diet, would we continue drinking it in such great quantities? The Coca-Cola Company has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure we don't find out, as this damning expose makes patently clear. Marshaling the findings of extensive research and deep investigative reporting, Murray Carpenter describes in Sweet and Deadly the damage Coke does to America's health-and the remarkable campaign of disinformation conducted by the company to keep consumers in the dark.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single item in the American diet that most contributes to the epidemic of chronic disease-in particular, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease-and Coca-Cola is America's favorite sugar-sweetened beverage, by far. Carpenter details how the Coca-Cola corporation's sophisticated shadow network has masterfully spread disinformation for decades to hide the health risks of its product from consumers-risks disproportionately borne by Black, brown, and low-income communities. Working from a playbook of obfuscation and pseudoscience that has worked well for other harmful products, from tobacco and trans fats to opioids, Coca-Cola has managed to maintain an aura of goodness and happiness. This eye-opening book finally and fully reveals the truth behind that aura.

By: Murray Carpenter
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780262049504
ISBN 10: 0262049503
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 29 April 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

INTRODUCTION: Sending the Memo Part I: Carb-O-Nation Part II A Balancing Act Part III Astroturf and Taxes Part IV Coke in Court Part V The Noose Tightens EPILOGUE: Coke Slips the Noose

Murray Carpenter is the author of Caffeinated- How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us. He has worked as a print and radio journalist in Maine for twenty-five years and has reported for the New York Times, NPR, and the Washington Post.

Reviews for Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick

“[Coca-Cola’s] manipulation of science is laid bare in journalist Murray Carpenter’s new book Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick. Carpenter explores how Coca-Cola has gotten away with these actions for so long and argues that not only does Coca-Cola significantly contribute to chronic disease, it has also actively and purposefully spread disinformation for decades to hide the health risks associated with its sugary beverages.” – American Scientist “A must-read for PR people and students of disinformation.” – O’Dwyer's