The Enemy Within - Paperback

by Michael H. Wood (Author), Elizabeth Ann Atkins (Author), Catherine M. Greenspan (Editor)

A terrorist plot using the obesity epidemic as a weapon of mass destruction to kill Americans.

The terrorists use America's passion for food--and oblivion to the dangers of fat--to unleash an enemy within. They're on a quest to dominate the United States and the world.

Joining forces to stop this evil plot are a journalist known as G.I. Jane, a hunky Special Ops soldier, and a radical surgeon, Dr. Michael Wise.

Set just a few years into the future when obesity and diabetes are so prevalent that people can get dialysis on buses or at vacation resorts. An anti-healthy-eating backlash has created popular restaurants that feature an entire menu of chocolate, ice cream, and other indulgences. This backlash has also spawned an obesogenic culture of eating that includes massive portions, mega fried food fests, and a general disdain for healthy food.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wise is on a mission to stop America's self-inflicted, slow death by obesity. He's asking Congress to pass his aggressive American Obesity Eradication Act, which includes appointing an Obesity Czar and imposing strict regulations such as a junk food tax, bans on fast food advertising to children, and required weigh-ins and nutrition education. Billionaire business leaders oppose it, and the Act is defeated.

That propels Dr. Wise to lead a guerilla war on obesity. Headquartered in a Detroit warehouse that utilizes the salt mines and military-grade technology to evade detection, the underground LifeQuest Movement is supported by tech billionaires, the mafia, West Coast Yogis for Peace, a rural Kentucky group, and the Food Fight Posse from inner-city Detroit.

Meanwhile, the terrorists have infiltrated the highest levels of government and obtained FDA approval of a "flavor enhancer" marketed as a fat blocker, but the drug was actually created in the terrorists laboratories. It's called OC-8, or Obesity Catalyst times Infinity, and it actually accelerates diabetes and causes cardiac arrest.

Journalist Jeri Brewster, whose father is an Army General and whose mother is a health-advocating author, joins forces with the Special Ops soldier, Calvin "Bullet" Alvarez, in a race against time to tell the President that this evil plot involving deadly bioterrorism is killing Americans.

But the terrorists have infiltrated the highest levels of government and the food industry. As a result, the President's chief advisor--along with many government and business leaders--are colluding with the terrorists. In fact, the terrorists have groomed the lead presidential candidate from birth to infiltrate America's highest office and serve as the lynchpin for their quest for global dominance.

This fast-paced story has many twists and turns that explore the insidious nature of the obesity epidemic. It goes into the hearts and homes of two families, as the parents, children, and teens grapple with their addictions to junk foods and overeating, as well as their guilt, and anguished efforts to transform their thinking, eating, and health status in relation to food.

And what if fast food companies took over public school cafeterias, offering not only a plethora of unhealthy fare for children's breakfasts and lunches, but also opening homework lounges and weekend community centers that welcome families to spend a lot of time there, and get hooked on the fattening food? Supporters love it; critics protest this infringement and monopoly on the minds and stomachs of schoolchildren.

Will the terrorists succeed?