I felt the same way about FAST FOOD NATION, but didn't bother finishing it.

As for Susskind, no prior knowledge of ANY kind of physics/cosmology is really necessary. His first book, 2005's THE COSMIC LANDSCAPE, is really good also. He refutes 99% of Intelligent Design in that one. He was intending to do the Black Hole/Hawking book when he was pulled into the Intelligent Design furor, and finally got around to this. It's brand new. I think these books are better than Hawking's, more like Feynman's lectures if you've ever read them. Totally accessible to anyone willing to concentrate! I bought the audiobook for my aeronautical engineer uncle, and he loves it.