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Boom, Bust, Boom: A Story About Copper, the Metal that Runs the World
From “a first-rate writer in the fascinating tradition of Junger and Krakauer” (Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall), a sweeping account of civilization’s complete dependence on copper and what it all means for people, nature, and the global economy.A SWEEPING ACCOUNT OF CIVILIZATION’S COMPLETE DEPENDENCE ON COPPER AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR PEOPLE, NATURE, AND OUR GLOBAL ECONOMY COPPER is a miraculous and contradictory metal, essential to nearly every human enterprise. For most of recorded history, this remarkably pliable and sturdy substance has proven not only did the ancient Romans build their empire on mining copper but Christopher Columbus protected his ships from rot by lining their hulls with it. Today, the metal can be found in every house, car, airplane, cell phone, computer, and home appliance the world over, including in all the new, so-called green technologies. Yet the history of copper extraction and our present relationship with the metal are fraught with profound difficulties. Copper mining causes irrevocable damage to the Earth, releasing arsenic, cyanide, sulfuric acid, and other deadly pollutants into the air and water. And the mines themselves have significant effects on the economies and wellbeing of the communities where they are located. With Red Summer and Fools Rush In, Bill Carter has earned a reputation as an on-the-ground journalist adept at connecting the local elements of a story to its largest consequences. Carter does this again—and brilliantly—in Boom, Bust, Boom, exploring in an entertaining and fact-rich narrative the very human dimension of copper extraction and the colossal implications the industry has for every one of us. Starting in his own backyard in the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona—where he discovers that the dirt in his garden contains double the acceptable level of arsenic—Bill Carter follows the story of copper to the controversial Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia; to the “ring” at the London Metal Exchange, where a select group of traders buy and sell enormous amounts of the metal; and to an Alaskan salmon run threatened by mining. Boom, Bust, Boom is a highly readable account—part social history, part mining-town exploration, and part environmental investigation. Page by page, Carter blends the personal and the international in a narrative that helps us understand the paradoxical relationship we have with a substance whose necessity to civilization costs the environment and the people who mine it dearly. The result is a work of first-rate journalism that fascinates on every level.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2012
19 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Bill Carter
25 books42 followersBill Carter, a native Californian, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, photographer and journalist. He's the director of the documentary film, MISS SARAJEVO (produced by Bono of the Irish rock band U2) and author of the books FOOLS RUSH IN and RED SUMMER.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 30, 2012
If ever there were a book that would make you consider packing up and moving from wherever you now live, this is it.
As most good stories do, this one begins quite innocuously, with author Bill Carter doing what millions of fathers and families have done forever: starting a garden outside his modest home. The distinction in this case is that Bill's home is nestled in the mountains of what once was the copper mining capital of the world, Bisbee, Arizona, located in the southeast corner of the state.
Little did he realize when he sat down to eat the vegetables of his labor in the form of a salad that it would not only make him violently ill, but that it would set him off on a journey to discover why--and what he could do about it.
Admittedly, my interest in the subject matter may be somewhat more acute than most: my modest house is about a half mile from Bill's. And while I've never grown or harvested a vegetable garden in my yard, every other condition that applies to his ability to live a clean and healthy life in a former mining camp applies to me and my wife. Suffice it to say that what he learns and shares with the rest of us is unsettling at best, revolting and life-threatening at worst.
The bottom line is this: Where there is mining, especially of an ore so integral to our everyday lives, there are consequences both immediately evident and completely unseen, many of which take decades to manifest themselves. And you can rest assured that the mining companies aren't telling us what they are.
Carter begins by learning what was in the soil that made him so ill. He writes at length of a remediation program that's been going on for Bisbee for years, where the mining conglomerate owns much of the surrounding mountains and landscape. (In fact, the title to our house stipulates that our ownership only extends 40 feet beneath the surface, the soil beneath which can be undermined by the company.) As part of the program, homeowners are invited to have their soil tested for a number of contaminants, many of which are produced quite naturally. If any of these is found to exist at an unacceptable level, the company literally comes in, digs out and replaces the offending soil, completely at its expense. Our yard, found to have marginally high levels of lead, was remediated this summer and, frankly, they did a fabulous job scraping, replacing and landscaping our steeply sloping yard, which certainly looks better now than before.
(How these contaminants ended up in our yards is a subject which Carter explores at some length.)
What Carter has to consider that I, a man in my mid-fifties, don't, are two young children whose long-term health may well be affected by living here. (Carter also points out that the mining company is considering resuming operations here, as new technologies have enabled them to essentially and profitably "re-mine" deposits that have already been mined. Suffice is to say that this technology, not unlike past methods, employs a great deal of deadly chemicals.) While I am certainly exposed to nothing more or less than his children, the long-term consequences may never materialize given my age (although we have lived here for 17 years).
I was basically left with a couple of conclusions after I had Bill sign my copy of "Boom, Bust, Boom" and ripped through it in short order.
One, none of us has any control over where the resources we depend on--coal, copper, oil, whatever--are located, and the process of extracting any of these from the earth is harsh, brutal and often irreparable. Carter spends no small amount of time not only here in Arizona, where mining has been a huge business (and employer) for over a century, but he travels to Alaska, where a huge deposit of copper has been located near the richest and most plentiful salmon fishing area in the world. Both states are home to indigenous tribes which have long considered these lands (their homes) sacred, and his examination of mining's impact on their lives (and incomes) is thorough and fair. Along the way he interviews several mining company executives (including the CEO), who do the predictable dance of promising good stewardship of the land while offering good-paying jobs, a promise that history suggest may be nearly impossible to keep.
What makes this a particularly divisive issue is our dependence on this one metal, and he does a fabulous job of detailing how ubiquitous copper is. (It's eye-opening to hear how much copper--hence mining--is required in order to operate a wind-powered generator or even solar panels, two of the "green" alternatives to coal-powered electricity.)
The other conclusion I reached is that, while mining may be one of the more obvious offenders, we now live in a society whereby we're essentially asked to pick our poisons. Yes, mining at all stages, from production to consumption, can be hazardous to one's health. But so can spending too much time in the sun, drinking too many martinis or eating too much red meat. We all have to make choices, and we all have to live--or die--with the consequences. Our use of and proximity to copper and the means by which it's extracted from earth are just a couple of decisions among many.
You may be surprised at the choice Carter ultimately makes. It may end up influencing yours in a very huge way.
As most good stories do, this one begins quite innocuously, with author Bill Carter doing what millions of fathers and families have done forever: starting a garden outside his modest home. The distinction in this case is that Bill's home is nestled in the mountains of what once was the copper mining capital of the world, Bisbee, Arizona, located in the southeast corner of the state.
Little did he realize when he sat down to eat the vegetables of his labor in the form of a salad that it would not only make him violently ill, but that it would set him off on a journey to discover why--and what he could do about it.
Admittedly, my interest in the subject matter may be somewhat more acute than most: my modest house is about a half mile from Bill's. And while I've never grown or harvested a vegetable garden in my yard, every other condition that applies to his ability to live a clean and healthy life in a former mining camp applies to me and my wife. Suffice it to say that what he learns and shares with the rest of us is unsettling at best, revolting and life-threatening at worst.
The bottom line is this: Where there is mining, especially of an ore so integral to our everyday lives, there are consequences both immediately evident and completely unseen, many of which take decades to manifest themselves. And you can rest assured that the mining companies aren't telling us what they are.
Carter begins by learning what was in the soil that made him so ill. He writes at length of a remediation program that's been going on for Bisbee for years, where the mining conglomerate owns much of the surrounding mountains and landscape. (In fact, the title to our house stipulates that our ownership only extends 40 feet beneath the surface, the soil beneath which can be undermined by the company.) As part of the program, homeowners are invited to have their soil tested for a number of contaminants, many of which are produced quite naturally. If any of these is found to exist at an unacceptable level, the company literally comes in, digs out and replaces the offending soil, completely at its expense. Our yard, found to have marginally high levels of lead, was remediated this summer and, frankly, they did a fabulous job scraping, replacing and landscaping our steeply sloping yard, which certainly looks better now than before.
(How these contaminants ended up in our yards is a subject which Carter explores at some length.)
What Carter has to consider that I, a man in my mid-fifties, don't, are two young children whose long-term health may well be affected by living here. (Carter also points out that the mining company is considering resuming operations here, as new technologies have enabled them to essentially and profitably "re-mine" deposits that have already been mined. Suffice is to say that this technology, not unlike past methods, employs a great deal of deadly chemicals.) While I am certainly exposed to nothing more or less than his children, the long-term consequences may never materialize given my age (although we have lived here for 17 years).
I was basically left with a couple of conclusions after I had Bill sign my copy of "Boom, Bust, Boom" and ripped through it in short order.
One, none of us has any control over where the resources we depend on--coal, copper, oil, whatever--are located, and the process of extracting any of these from the earth is harsh, brutal and often irreparable. Carter spends no small amount of time not only here in Arizona, where mining has been a huge business (and employer) for over a century, but he travels to Alaska, where a huge deposit of copper has been located near the richest and most plentiful salmon fishing area in the world. Both states are home to indigenous tribes which have long considered these lands (their homes) sacred, and his examination of mining's impact on their lives (and incomes) is thorough and fair. Along the way he interviews several mining company executives (including the CEO), who do the predictable dance of promising good stewardship of the land while offering good-paying jobs, a promise that history suggest may be nearly impossible to keep.
What makes this a particularly divisive issue is our dependence on this one metal, and he does a fabulous job of detailing how ubiquitous copper is. (It's eye-opening to hear how much copper--hence mining--is required in order to operate a wind-powered generator or even solar panels, two of the "green" alternatives to coal-powered electricity.)
The other conclusion I reached is that, while mining may be one of the more obvious offenders, we now live in a society whereby we're essentially asked to pick our poisons. Yes, mining at all stages, from production to consumption, can be hazardous to one's health. But so can spending too much time in the sun, drinking too many martinis or eating too much red meat. We all have to make choices, and we all have to live--or die--with the consequences. Our use of and proximity to copper and the means by which it's extracted from earth are just a couple of decisions among many.
You may be surprised at the choice Carter ultimately makes. It may end up influencing yours in a very huge way.
December 15, 2015
I picked this book up because it struck me that I might build my lectures and chapter about mining around copper mining. Although gold and silver mines were prominent in Part One of my class and textbook, copper is even more vital to creating and maintaining the modern world than precious metals. The modern world could arguably live without gold. But not without copper.
Another advantage of focusing a chapter on copper is that I've already done a bit of research on copper mining in the Americas. I wrote a Masters Thesis on Chilean copper and then when I returned to grad school I spent a season reading about Michigan mining communities. Bill Carter lived in Bisbee, Arizona, so his 2012 book includes some Arizona mining history. Even more interesting is the way Carter weaves his personal experience and the current state of the copper industry into his story.
Bisbee Arizona was once a center of copper mining in the Southwest. Phelps Dodge took $8 billion worth of copper out of the ground there between 1880 and 1975, and the Freeport-McMoRan which bought out Phelps Dodge reopened mining operations in Bisbee in 2013. Concerned over how the town would change when the mine reopened, Carter and his family moved out at the end of his story. But although he decided not to raise a family by the mine, Carter says if it had been up to him, he would have chosen to reopen the mine.
Carter's thoughts about where copper should be mined are an important element of the book. The modern world can't survive without copper, so it has to come from somewhere. In addition to being a Bisbee resident and an author, Carter is a fisherman who has spent several seasons working in Bristol Bay, Alaska during the salmon run. Bristol Bay is the site of the planet's biggest sockeye salmon run. Although the area is sparsely populated, 75% of residents make their livings fishing and processing salmon. And the area is seismically active.
A consortium of international mining corporations calling themselves the Pebble Partnership want to open the largest mine in the Americas, fourteen miles from the headwaters of the salmon run. Carter reports on a visit to a scientist concerned with copper contaminating the streams. "As little as two parts per billion of copper above normal background copper in the water," he says "can make a salmon lose its sense of direction." In other words, locating a mine next to the biggest salmon run in the world is probably a bad idea, even if the mines don't spill or leach any of the chemicals they use to process copper into the environment (122). And mines rarely, if ever, manage to stop chemical spills. It's not really a matter of if, but of when.
Carter must have done a pretty good job disguising his feelings while he was researching the book, because he gets a lot of access to mine company executives, prospectors, and other pro-mining types. He is invited to tour the site with guests of the Pebble Partnership, and then interviews the company's CEO, John Shively. During the conversation, Shively tells Carter he doesn't believe the Exxon Valdez spill "actually hurt the salmon at all" (158). Carter comments that "To even hint that the spill's long-term effects are negligible is borderline psychotic and definitely delusional," and yet Shively impresses him as a fairly decent guy. Again and again, though, Carter shows mining company people projecting sincerity and concern as they overconfidently predict that they have everything well in hand and won't let anything go wrong.
Returning to Bisbee, Carter wonders whether he can trust the promises of the mine company to respect the town and its environment if they reopen operations. Freeport-McMoRan, which bought the Phelps Dodge mine, also owns the world's largest gold reserve and third largest copper operation, at the Grasberg mine in New Guinea. The company has bribed Indonesian officials, hired the country's military and intelligence services to intimidate critics of the mine, and the mine's environmental record is so bad that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation revoked Freeport's insurance policy for environmental violations. This is one of the interesting elements of the story of mining in the 21st century. Although technically, US laws would prohibit many of the practices used at Grasberg, do government officials in Phoenix or Washington have the will or the power to make them stick? As decisions about mine operations are increasingly made in the boardrooms of stateless global corporations, will practices once restricted to powerless, "third-world" mines become prevalent everywhere? Maybe being treated the way the residents of faraway resource peripheries have always been treated will help people in developed countries develop a sense of solidarity with environmentalists in the developing world.
And yet, as Carter says, the modern world needs copper. It has to be mined somewhere. Carter's conclusion suggests we need to develop better criteria than NIMBY to decide where the mines should be and how they should operate. Bisbee was always a mining town, Carter says, which is a good point. But more important, Bisbee is in the desert. It seems reasonable to suspect there may be less environmental damage associated with digging a big pit in the Arizona desert (or in the Atacama) than next to the world's biggest salmon run. Not that there's no damage -- that's not a choice available to us. But less.
Another advantage of focusing a chapter on copper is that I've already done a bit of research on copper mining in the Americas. I wrote a Masters Thesis on Chilean copper and then when I returned to grad school I spent a season reading about Michigan mining communities. Bill Carter lived in Bisbee, Arizona, so his 2012 book includes some Arizona mining history. Even more interesting is the way Carter weaves his personal experience and the current state of the copper industry into his story.
Bisbee Arizona was once a center of copper mining in the Southwest. Phelps Dodge took $8 billion worth of copper out of the ground there between 1880 and 1975, and the Freeport-McMoRan which bought out Phelps Dodge reopened mining operations in Bisbee in 2013. Concerned over how the town would change when the mine reopened, Carter and his family moved out at the end of his story. But although he decided not to raise a family by the mine, Carter says if it had been up to him, he would have chosen to reopen the mine.
Carter's thoughts about where copper should be mined are an important element of the book. The modern world can't survive without copper, so it has to come from somewhere. In addition to being a Bisbee resident and an author, Carter is a fisherman who has spent several seasons working in Bristol Bay, Alaska during the salmon run. Bristol Bay is the site of the planet's biggest sockeye salmon run. Although the area is sparsely populated, 75% of residents make their livings fishing and processing salmon. And the area is seismically active.
A consortium of international mining corporations calling themselves the Pebble Partnership want to open the largest mine in the Americas, fourteen miles from the headwaters of the salmon run. Carter reports on a visit to a scientist concerned with copper contaminating the streams. "As little as two parts per billion of copper above normal background copper in the water," he says "can make a salmon lose its sense of direction." In other words, locating a mine next to the biggest salmon run in the world is probably a bad idea, even if the mines don't spill or leach any of the chemicals they use to process copper into the environment (122). And mines rarely, if ever, manage to stop chemical spills. It's not really a matter of if, but of when.
Carter must have done a pretty good job disguising his feelings while he was researching the book, because he gets a lot of access to mine company executives, prospectors, and other pro-mining types. He is invited to tour the site with guests of the Pebble Partnership, and then interviews the company's CEO, John Shively. During the conversation, Shively tells Carter he doesn't believe the Exxon Valdez spill "actually hurt the salmon at all" (158). Carter comments that "To even hint that the spill's long-term effects are negligible is borderline psychotic and definitely delusional," and yet Shively impresses him as a fairly decent guy. Again and again, though, Carter shows mining company people projecting sincerity and concern as they overconfidently predict that they have everything well in hand and won't let anything go wrong.
Returning to Bisbee, Carter wonders whether he can trust the promises of the mine company to respect the town and its environment if they reopen operations. Freeport-McMoRan, which bought the Phelps Dodge mine, also owns the world's largest gold reserve and third largest copper operation, at the Grasberg mine in New Guinea. The company has bribed Indonesian officials, hired the country's military and intelligence services to intimidate critics of the mine, and the mine's environmental record is so bad that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation revoked Freeport's insurance policy for environmental violations. This is one of the interesting elements of the story of mining in the 21st century. Although technically, US laws would prohibit many of the practices used at Grasberg, do government officials in Phoenix or Washington have the will or the power to make them stick? As decisions about mine operations are increasingly made in the boardrooms of stateless global corporations, will practices once restricted to powerless, "third-world" mines become prevalent everywhere? Maybe being treated the way the residents of faraway resource peripheries have always been treated will help people in developed countries develop a sense of solidarity with environmentalists in the developing world.
And yet, as Carter says, the modern world needs copper. It has to be mined somewhere. Carter's conclusion suggests we need to develop better criteria than NIMBY to decide where the mines should be and how they should operate. Bisbee was always a mining town, Carter says, which is a good point. But more important, Bisbee is in the desert. It seems reasonable to suspect there may be less environmental damage associated with digging a big pit in the Arizona desert (or in the Atacama) than next to the world's biggest salmon run. Not that there's no damage -- that's not a choice available to us. But less.
February 5, 2014
“Boom, Bust, Boom” by Bill Carter, published by Scribner.
Category – Nature and Ecology Publication Date – October 16, 2012
There are many books written that describe that desecration of our planet by modern technology. There are few that are as far reaching and descriptive as “Boom, Bust, Boom”.
Bill Carter takes just one element, copper, and paints a picture that is both scary and hopeless. He not only researches copper mining in Arizona but places such as Mexico, Africa, and New Guinea. It is absolutely mind blowing what these Copper Barons are doing to the ecology and our way of life.
It is one thing to dig a hole in the ground to extract minerals but it is quite another to poison our land and streams with arsenic and cyanide. These poisons also find their way into out streams and in some cases kill all life within them. The open pit mining is also a major source of air pollution. This and the deplorable conditions the minors work under, and in some countries the pay does nothing to bring up the standard of living. China may be the biggest problem in that it shows no regard for the environment or the people where they are mining minerals. They are only concerned for themselves and the repressive regimes that they deal with.
Carter, to his credit, does make a case for the mining of copper. Copper is found in just about everything we come in contact with, copper is found in cars, planes, computer, cell phones, and just about anything electrical. He feels that without copper modern civilization would be severely hampered.
A truly eye opening expose that very few of us are aware of, and maybe more importantly there is very little effort to put a halt to this type of mining that is so detrimental to our ecology.
Category – Nature and Ecology Publication Date – October 16, 2012
There are many books written that describe that desecration of our planet by modern technology. There are few that are as far reaching and descriptive as “Boom, Bust, Boom”.
Bill Carter takes just one element, copper, and paints a picture that is both scary and hopeless. He not only researches copper mining in Arizona but places such as Mexico, Africa, and New Guinea. It is absolutely mind blowing what these Copper Barons are doing to the ecology and our way of life.
It is one thing to dig a hole in the ground to extract minerals but it is quite another to poison our land and streams with arsenic and cyanide. These poisons also find their way into out streams and in some cases kill all life within them. The open pit mining is also a major source of air pollution. This and the deplorable conditions the minors work under, and in some countries the pay does nothing to bring up the standard of living. China may be the biggest problem in that it shows no regard for the environment or the people where they are mining minerals. They are only concerned for themselves and the repressive regimes that they deal with.
Carter, to his credit, does make a case for the mining of copper. Copper is found in just about everything we come in contact with, copper is found in cars, planes, computer, cell phones, and just about anything electrical. He feels that without copper modern civilization would be severely hampered.
A truly eye opening expose that very few of us are aware of, and maybe more importantly there is very little effort to put a halt to this type of mining that is so detrimental to our ecology.
November 17, 2012
Clearly, the author performed excellent research and executed an excellent delivery. The information is interesting, disturbing and at times shocking. I ordered this book from the library, but will have to get my own copy for reference and to read again. Once again, Bill Carter takes you with him on the journey of examining the copper mines, the people who run them and those who are at their mercy; he questions whether we are all really at their mercy. What makes this book most interesting, is that you feel you are with Mr. Carter the whole time. You might find yourself asking him a question out loud; that is his great knack of absorbing the reader. Can't wait for his next book!
November 14, 2012
Another gem from journalist/activist Bill Carter, who in my opinion is the best author of our times. In this book he tells the story of copper mining: the history, the politics, the money and our modern world's complete dependence on it. Like no other writer, Carter manages to weave his personal story with the numbers and facts to give us a fascinating and thorough perspective on this metal that runs the world.
October 7, 2012
Bill Carter can make any subject interesting! I found this to be insightful, thought-provoking, and incredibly well-written, as I have his other two books.
October 16, 2012
An amazing book about the world's dependence on copper. I'd say it's Carter's best, but "Fools Rush In" will always be #1 for me.
November 28, 2013
A good factual polemic. I like the guy's straightforward prose. Not a lot of fluff. Good description and honest revelatory internal conflict.
May 18, 2020
If you enjoy being preached to for 300 pages this book is for you. In case you didn’t know hard rock mining comes at a cost. Both an economic and environmental cost. Yet we can’t live in a modern world without minerals such copper, iron, tin, aluminum and many more. If we want to return to the Stone Age then everything will be ok. However, I doubt that’ll happen any time soon. Carter recognizes the negative impact of mining and also that we must have the resources being mined. Yet he offers no alternative to the mining operations. If you’re an environmental advocate that’s great but your hybrid car has twice the copper as a conventional car. A perfect example of not being able to have your cake and eat it too. And if you’re naive enough to think the problem is mostly with the U.S. you’re wrong. China and India, the worlds largest countries by population, have nothing close to our EPA regulations. No matter how hard we try to minimize our global impact in the U.S. the countries that are truly the problem don’t care. Sad but true.
October 10, 2024
Compelling read all about the metal that modern civilization can’t live without: copper. Detailed insights, family stories, and hard reporting on the massive corporations, motivated governments, and ordinary human communities all mixed up in this game. Recommended!
July 24, 2013
I read a lot of books related to mining, typically histories. I also have worked in the mining industry my entire career (including for most of the companies discussed by the author).
I very much enjoyed the perspective of this book especially the first half. The author is struggling with the environmental destruction mining causes, yet battles with the growing societal demands of metals. I felt the author took a more anti-mining approach in the second half of the book; yet I didn't think he went over board or drew unrealistic conclusions. He created a very conflicting and emotional dilemma; one that does not have a clear solution. I face this problem every day as I go to work.
I wish there was more elaboration on modern day environmental practices and other types of metal mining (gold in Colorado, platinum in Montana); the book was very Arizona copper country and Freeport heavy. Neither Freeport nor Arizona copper are completely representative of lower USA mining practices.
Below is my biggest gripe with the book; I didn't feel the author was hunting for sympathy: but I am still amazed at the general population's ignorance of where metal comes from. Hopefully this book will educate that majority and reach a few hippies who never wondered where their Prius came from.
Soapbox:
Historically, mining has created great environmental and social havoc. Present day mining still takes a toll on the environment but is far and away better than what happened 50 or 100 years ago. If Freeport did not currently own the mine in Bisbee, I doubt the mess would be getting cleaned up and if Freeport decided to reopen the mine; they would be held to even more stringent environmental standards. In addition, the author moved into a town built around a giant pit (the pit did not miraculously appear after the author chose this as his home). I cannot sympathize at all for his decision to move his family because the facts were available before he moved to the area and he chose not to think about them.
I very much enjoyed the perspective of this book especially the first half. The author is struggling with the environmental destruction mining causes, yet battles with the growing societal demands of metals. I felt the author took a more anti-mining approach in the second half of the book; yet I didn't think he went over board or drew unrealistic conclusions. He created a very conflicting and emotional dilemma; one that does not have a clear solution. I face this problem every day as I go to work.
I wish there was more elaboration on modern day environmental practices and other types of metal mining (gold in Colorado, platinum in Montana); the book was very Arizona copper country and Freeport heavy. Neither Freeport nor Arizona copper are completely representative of lower USA mining practices.
Below is my biggest gripe with the book; I didn't feel the author was hunting for sympathy: but I am still amazed at the general population's ignorance of where metal comes from. Hopefully this book will educate that majority and reach a few hippies who never wondered where their Prius came from.
Soapbox:
Historically, mining has created great environmental and social havoc. Present day mining still takes a toll on the environment but is far and away better than what happened 50 or 100 years ago. If Freeport did not currently own the mine in Bisbee, I doubt the mess would be getting cleaned up and if Freeport decided to reopen the mine; they would be held to even more stringent environmental standards. In addition, the author moved into a town built around a giant pit (the pit did not miraculously appear after the author chose this as his home). I cannot sympathize at all for his decision to move his family because the facts were available before he moved to the area and he chose not to think about them.
June 29, 2021
As I work for the copper industry, a book dedicated to our sector naturally attracts my interest. As an insider, I have the benefit of access and insight to compensate for my bias. Neutrality is overrated - as an environmental activist, the author is equally biassed and so he should be. Diversity has to be large.
Despite its "guilty until proven innocent" undertone, I liked the book for the full and complex story it tells and its discovery of some curious facts about our fascinating industry, some of which were unknown to me even after more than two decades in the sector.
To better understand, an outsider's perspective helps. I like the subtitle 'the metal that rules the world' referring to the observation how deeply copper is entrenched in our society. This probably applies to other base metals such as iron and aluminium as well.
The book's central question is the right one: how to reconcile copper's essential contribution to the world economy with the effects of copper production? These effects are mainly felt locally. How many mines are a fair price to pay for these global benefits, and how to negotiate the licence to operate with local communities? The author gives some elements for an answer in his concluding chapter.
As an industry operating thousands of years and currently employing many thousands of individuals, the author fails to recognise copper production as a human endeavour, the uniqueness of each project and the changing dialogue within our sector towards environmental and social responsibility. It would help if the goalposts for sustainability were a little better defined rather than the current Wild West of a variety of stakeholders defining their own version into a turbulent checklist
Boom, bust, boom was written in 2012, nine years ago. Two mining projects that were covered in the book in detail, Pebble in Alaska and Superior in Arizona are still in their evaluation phase (Superior meanwhile being a 26-year story). It demonstrate that the dialogue is working, perhaps a little too well.
Despite its "guilty until proven innocent" undertone, I liked the book for the full and complex story it tells and its discovery of some curious facts about our fascinating industry, some of which were unknown to me even after more than two decades in the sector.
To better understand, an outsider's perspective helps. I like the subtitle 'the metal that rules the world' referring to the observation how deeply copper is entrenched in our society. This probably applies to other base metals such as iron and aluminium as well.
The book's central question is the right one: how to reconcile copper's essential contribution to the world economy with the effects of copper production? These effects are mainly felt locally. How many mines are a fair price to pay for these global benefits, and how to negotiate the licence to operate with local communities? The author gives some elements for an answer in his concluding chapter.
As an industry operating thousands of years and currently employing many thousands of individuals, the author fails to recognise copper production as a human endeavour, the uniqueness of each project and the changing dialogue within our sector towards environmental and social responsibility. It would help if the goalposts for sustainability were a little better defined rather than the current Wild West of a variety of stakeholders defining their own version into a turbulent checklist
Boom, bust, boom was written in 2012, nine years ago. Two mining projects that were covered in the book in detail, Pebble in Alaska and Superior in Arizona are still in their evaluation phase (Superior meanwhile being a 26-year story). It demonstrate that the dialogue is working, perhaps a little too well.
February 12, 2013
I don't normally read books about commodities (it's too close to my job) but I liked Carter's even, yet personal, approach to both the upside and downside of the metal. It's an eye-opening look at the pervasiveness of the metal, how far the industry is willing to go to find new sources for the metal, how mining the metal affects the environment and its workers and how the market -- how our needs for new cars and gadgets -- keeps this wheel going. I definitely recommend the book
June 2, 2013
Not usually a fan of non-fiction, this book was extremely easy to read, fast paced, and engaging. Unfortunately it made me sad about the state of the world, and what we're doing to it, and it made me feel a bit helpless. Having said that, it's not any real surprise that we're destoying the planet, so if your curious about one more way we're doing it, read this book!
December 11, 2012
Being considered for the 2013 Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism
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May 30, 2013Everyone should read this book!
May 25, 2014
Another book that I never would have pick up on my own, but am really glad I read. A peek into another world and how it intersects with our daily lives. And a great story too!
February 6, 2023
This was a weird book for me. I was expecting a fleshed-out history of the copper industry and a run-through on different issues (environmental impact, demand drivers, future supply, etc.) - which is in this book to some extent, but interspersed alongside a set of rambling personal thoughts from the author on how his views re: copper have developed over time. And he is quite opinionated - far more than I typically expect from a writer/journalist. He hammers the point over and over that big business is evil and mining is a disaster, and has a series of encounters with various mining executives where he re-emphasizes those points again and again.
To be honest, I don’t think he’s too off-base! I just don’t think there’s enough discussion on the real tradeoffs that are needed here. Copper is essential to the global economy (as he points out well), and it doesn’t seem like there’s a way to extract it without creating some environmental impact - so how do we weigh that localized impact against the general global benefits? He doesn’t really explore that, instead just harping on mining as an unambiguous evil.
I think there’s an interesting angle to pursue in pushing for more taxes on copper extraction as a way to “price in” the negative externalities from production (and make those extremely high for greenfield projects like Pebble). It then helps fund clean-up efforts from the get-go and puts pressure on the demand side to reduce consumption / find alternatives. But I think this author was more interested in raging about the problem vs. exploring solutions.
One last thought - this reminded me heavily of “Gonzo journalism”, where the piece is as much about the writer as it is about the content. Definitely a unique approach - I’m not sure if I liked it, but I’ll definitely remember it.
To be honest, I don’t think he’s too off-base! I just don’t think there’s enough discussion on the real tradeoffs that are needed here. Copper is essential to the global economy (as he points out well), and it doesn’t seem like there’s a way to extract it without creating some environmental impact - so how do we weigh that localized impact against the general global benefits? He doesn’t really explore that, instead just harping on mining as an unambiguous evil.
I think there’s an interesting angle to pursue in pushing for more taxes on copper extraction as a way to “price in” the negative externalities from production (and make those extremely high for greenfield projects like Pebble). It then helps fund clean-up efforts from the get-go and puts pressure on the demand side to reduce consumption / find alternatives. But I think this author was more interested in raging about the problem vs. exploring solutions.
One last thought - this reminded me heavily of “Gonzo journalism”, where the piece is as much about the writer as it is about the content. Definitely a unique approach - I’m not sure if I liked it, but I’ll definitely remember it.
July 23, 2017
I started reading this book to learn more about Arizona, particularly about Bisbee. This book is written by a Bisbee resident who loves living there but is thinking about leaving because of the possibility the mine there may be reopened. His journey to learn about copper mining takes him from Bisbee to the controversial Pebble Mine proposal in untouched Bristol Bay, Alaska--home of the largest salmon run in the world, and to the highly guarded Grasberg Mine in Indonesia, 3rd largest copper mine in the world (and largest gold mine. See extraordinary images of this mine online). Along the way he meets some of the people involved in the Pebble Mine. He's not confrontational and he does not judge them criticially but seeks to understand them as people. This book is full of information. Copper is a very crucial metal and we need increasing amounts of it as it is essential to cell phones and also to solar panels. But mining it is extremely damaging to the environment. So there is a great deal to learn and ponder in this book. I would recommend it to everybody. The info here is important.
March 17, 2019
An excellent book that shines a bright light into the copper mining industry, its reach, and its power. And it does so in an engaging, very readable style, making the book accessible to anyone. Carter writes his own personal connection to copper (the town where he and his young family lived, Bisbee, Arizona, faced the possible reopening of the local copper mine, and the region was studded with similar copper mines) and the story is more anecdotal than statistical. This is both the best and possibly the only flawed aspect, as the author makes his biases clear, and the book seems less authoritative as a result (or at least, that's how it came across to me), without footnotes and the more common journalistic pretence of objectivity. But the enjoyment from reading this book, and the need to have this kind of story out there so that even if we continue to use our earth in the same exploitative manner, we at least acknowledge as much, more than makes up for it.
May 15, 2022
I loved revisiting Southern Arizona and the world of mining and the influence of copper with Bill Carter along with his knowledge of the influence of mining, culture, and perspective. Having lived abroad in various counties such as Indonesia Carter’s research and data resonated with my own lives experience. I also had the same questions he had asked about the trucks and lack of vegetation found on the San Carlos Apache reservation which made me want to learn more about the Apache nation and it’s beliefs. I also appreciated his deeper questions: “Is it the work of each generation to protect what outside forces want to destroy? What can I save from outside forces.” I too am about to move and this book arrived at just the right time helping me to answer these deeper questions for myself. Thank you Bill Carter for helping me better understand the history and culture of my own state.
November 7, 2022
The book is easy to read, but lacks depth in the discussions. The author overexplores his personal connection with copper mining, making the book at times look like a rant born out of the contamination of his garden. The problem with this approach is that it makes the book too US centred, with several chapter dedicated to Arizona and Alaska while the discussion about copper exploration worldwide appears almost as an afterthought.
Still, the book may prove useful for gathering support for anti mining social movements in the US.
But not everything is bad. In fact, the author finishes the book with a wise view of the paradox of mining: it is imperative for our way of living, but also very destructive. The challenge is how to decide which sites are not important enough to prevent mining and which sites should be preserved.
Still, the book may prove useful for gathering support for anti mining social movements in the US.
But not everything is bad. In fact, the author finishes the book with a wise view of the paradox of mining: it is imperative for our way of living, but also very destructive. The challenge is how to decide which sites are not important enough to prevent mining and which sites should be preserved.
May 1, 2020
Love Bill's books, his adventures are worth telling a story, from a brawl turned into a near gunfight in southern Arizona to the great Alaska wilderness. Bill has yet again open my eyes to the real world. Big mine companies and the environment threat they pose are scary but Bill's wise words sooth my enlightenment, leading me the the complex realization of it all... We need copper, and we can't have it unfortunately without destroying the world. Bill is not making you choose a side, but beautifully presenting it in a thoughtful and informative manner for you to make your own opinions and choices. This was an excellent book and a fun read. Highly recommend for those who are curious about the morning industry.
September 18, 2022
Too focused on the US for a global commodity. A few pages on Indonesia's largest copper mine, that's about it. No first hand exploration of Chilean copper mines which produce more than 60% of the world's copper. Less than satisfactory coverage of the financial angle and the various cycles of copper prices through the decades. Book is focused more about the impact of copper mining on people's lives and on the surrounding areas as this is more of a personal narrative about the author's dilemma about whether to move away from his mining town along with family - not what I expected to be the focal point of the book. Was looking for a richer book on the commodity's dynamics, business perspective and geopolitics - all of which are covered in scant detail.
November 12, 2017
couldn't recommend to a friend. carter goes on a personal journey in the book, and as a consequence a book is written. but this book is not very informative about what i came here to learn about, which was primarily the world of copper extraction and not the internal world of bill carter's emotions regarding selling his house in bisbee, arizona. as a memoir, it has its own flaws and i would not choose to read another book by this author even if i was well advised that it was actually about the topic it purported to be about. two stars, because i did at least learn some few facts about copper mining i didn't know before.
July 18, 2018
I have a big voracious soft spot for books abou the stuff we devour without thinking---Cod, Banana, Salt, Uranium, Stone of Deceit, Where We Eat, and Where We Wear are among my favorite reads. I picked up an old copy of Boom, Bust, Boom> to read during a vacation in Chile, the country that is the largest exporter of copper. I liked the way Bill Carter tells the story of copper, through his personal lens raising a family in Bisbee, Arizona. I also appreciated his even-handed treatment of copper mining, back and forth. Can't live with it. Can't live without it. The robust bibliography is another plus for non-fiction heads.
May 12, 2019
Fascinating
This is an interesting book about copper, why the mineral is so important, and how its mining affects people and the planet. It is written in a style like travel writing, with a story about his family and their town tying it all together. The writing is decent, but mostly the cases and the big picture of our complex relationship with copper makes this a fascinating read.
This is an interesting book about copper, why the mineral is so important, and how its mining affects people and the planet. It is written in a style like travel writing, with a story about his family and their town tying it all together. The writing is decent, but mostly the cases and the big picture of our complex relationship with copper makes this a fascinating read.
April 3, 2021
Good balance of personal story (i.e. very little) and the economics, history and a smidge of science about copper. How far is any copper from your body. 2"? 2'? Not far. It's the metal of your life.
4* for getting that balance right, but probably 3.5 otherwise.
4* for getting that balance right, but probably 3.5 otherwise.
April 17, 2024
2.5 stars. Some interesting info about copper and mining buried in the author's personal quest to decide whether to move away from the mining town he lived in. I would have rather just read an article with the main points...
November 28, 2024
3.5 - A little slow at points. Interesting historical context on the copper industry and the massive wealth that was generated to a few families. Trade-off between environmental costs and societal benefits of the crucial metal. Good, not great, book about an unassuming subject.
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