Blue Gold

by Elizabeth Stewart

Coltan, or “blue gold,” is a rare mineral used in making cell phones and computers. Across continents, the lives of three teen girls are affected by the “blue gold” trade. Sylvie’s family had to flee the Democratic Republic of the Congo after her father was killed by a rogue militia gang in the conflict for control of coltan. The refugee camp where she now lives is deplorable, and Sylvie yearns for a way out—to save not only herself, but her remaining family. Laiping labors in a Chinese factory, soldering components for cell phones. She had left her small village to make her fortune, but the factory conditions are crushing, and the constant pressure to send money home adds to her misery. Yet when Laiping tries to improve her situation, she sees what happens to those who dare question the electronics company’s policies. Fiona is a North American girl who, in one thoughtless moment, takes a picture on her cell phone she comes to regret. In the aftermath, she learns not only about trust and being true to oneself, but the importance of fighting for what is right. All three teens are unexpectedly linked by these events.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Africa, War, School, Teen

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2014

About the author

I've been making my living as a writer for thirty years, as a screenwriter as well as a novelist -- and I hope to keep writing for the next thirty.

Reviews

[Mallika Shankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I really loved the idea of it. How there were girls from all over the world who you would think would have vey different lives. This book shows how really all of our lives are connected. How there are people out there that care and can help. People who are going through the same things as you. This was not really a challenging book I could understand what was going on, but I feel like a few challenging parts for me were the times in Sylvie's perspective, when she talked about rape and how Kayembe was ruling everything. My favorite character would probably be Fiston. I would have loved to know his perspective to what was going on

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something challenging but not too challenging and it really makes you think about how we're all connected.

[Pink Hummingbird ✨💕 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba una mayor conexión entre las tres chicas hacia la mitad de la novela, pero el mensaje lanzado por la escritora es directo y claro.

[Pilar Rodríguez Cunill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estaba reflexionando sobre el mensaje que nos quiere hacer llegar este libro y que es lo más importante aquí, mucho más que la propia historia.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rarely if ever do we think about where our cell phones come from. All we know is that they cost us hundreds of dollars and that we have to have a new one every year so that we can take amazing selfies, communicate on the newest social app, and text our friends 50 times a day rather than just talking to them like human beings. In Blue Gold Stewart tells a socially conscious story that will make you think just a little more the next time you pick up your cell phone.

“Blue Gold” is the story of three girls who live in three very different worlds. Each girl’s story is told concurrently, and what we find is that what connects them together is a simple mineral, commonly known as Blue Gold, that in one form or another causes more pain and suffering than it is truly worth.

Fiona lives in Vancouver, Canada. After a party where she has gotten a little inebriated, Fiona goes home and waits for her boyfriend to text her. When he does she takes a selfie that she quickly regrets, especially after she realizes that she has lost her cell phone.

Sylvie and her family live in a Tanzanian refugee camp after having fled from their home in the Congo where there is ongoing fighting over Columbite-Tantalite Ore. She longs to leave the camp which is almost as dangerous as her homeland, but a local warlord has a different idea for Sylvie’s future and if she doesn’t agree her family and many others may die.

Laiping moves from rural China to the city of Shenzhen in order to find work at the factories that produce cell phones and other high powered technologies. Her cousin, who already works in Shenzhen, made her lifestyle seem very youthful and glamorous, but Laiping finds out quickly that the life of a factory worker is lonely and difficult. The working conditions and treatment of employees are often unfair and she learns that she can’t trust anyone.

“Blue Gold” is a book that all teenagers should read. Because of technology we live in a very global world, however so many people still have a narrow world view, and an extreme lack of understanding, or interest, in what life is like in other countries. In addition many students are being given the reigns of a powerful technology, but not being given enough training on how to use it safely. “Blue Gold” is a work of fiction only in that the named characters don’t exist, however the situations presented are very real. I appreciate though, that the author wasn’t writing this as a statement against cell phone use and production. She recognizes that the problems that she presents in this book are much more complex than that. She has, however, effectively told a great story that should make the reader think. Among the things that teens might ask themselves is: How can I become a more responsible consumer? And How can I be a wiser user of technology?

As for the writing itself, the three main characters were very captivating. Through the majority of the book I was wondering how or if these three stories would connect. Though I would have liked a little more in this vein, I was very happy that Stewart found a way to make personal connections, almost like playing six degrees of separation, with her three protagonists. While these three stories would have been profoundly good standing alone next to each other, those connections made this novel a bit more cohesive which made the reading all the more satisfying at the end. This is a great socially conscious book that I highly recommend for students in 8th grade and up.

[Marinacamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es molt interessant. Les vides de les tres xiques que descriu t'atrapen (la de Laiping e la que més m'ha enganxat a mi). Recomanable. M'esperava una altra cosa i m'ha sorprès.❤️

[Jabiz Raisdana · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the craft of this book is not good enough to give it a 5 star rating, the content, characters and plot are.

This is a must read for every grade 8 UWCSEA student. This text pulls no punches and tackles some extremely uncomfortable issues, but ones that we all must face- gender, conflict, assault, power, resources and justice.

This is a great companion to the grade 8 Child Solider unit and perfect for BTC. I will speak to MS. Day and we will get many more copies of this book. And it will be required reading for older Daraja members.

[Ian Tymms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful story about the way consumerism ties together the fates of people across the world. Messages about equity and humanity.

It's quite frank in its treatment of rape and violence and I wouldn't give it to my Grade 6 students but I'd like all my Grade 8s to read it.

One of the best reads of the year.

[Lou Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

La idea es muy interesante para trabajar en el aula. Es un libro adecuado para enviar a Secundaria, pero creo que podría ser más atractivo el final y equitativo en sus partes (el personaje de Fiona, el que más se acerca al alumnado occidental del primer mundo, es muy plano y se le dedica menos páginas que al resto de chicas).

[Adhvay Krishnan]

I think this a great book!. Really enjoyed how each story was told and how they were slowly emerging one by one and the way that it was written in a very interesting way that would make you read on and on. It was great to see the connections from all three stories at the end.

[Thalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the review on my blog:
http://thaliasbooks.tumblr.com/post/7...

[jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I read this for school, it was honestly pretty cool how there were girls around the world and how different they lived life. Justice for Laiping, she did not get a decent ending.

[Nikita Frinking Rampa · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 filles, 3 histoires, quel est le lien?

Laiping vit en Chine, elle part en ville travailler avec sa cousine dans une usine pour gagner de l'argent. Elle va bientôt découvrir la vie "d'esclave" qui leur est réservé.

Sylvie habite dans un camp de réfugiés de la RDC. Une cicatrice lui coupe le visage en deux. Seule avec sa mère, et ses trois frères et sœurs, elle affront son quotidien, qui va être bousculé.

Fiona se trouve au Canada....j'ai la flemme d'écrire sur elle....

Un merveilleux livre sur les téléphones, la guerre, les usines, et la toile: le net.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Coltan, or “blue gold,” is a rare mineral used in making cell phones and computers. Across continents, the lives of three teen girls are affected by the “blue gold” trade. Sylvie’s family had to flee the Democratic Republic of the Congo after her father was killed by a rogue militia gang in the conflict for control of coltan. The refugee camp where she now lives is deplorable, and Sylvie yearns for a way out—to save not only herself, but her remaining family. Laiping labors in a Chinese factory, soldering components for cell phones. She had left her small village to make her fortune, but the factory conditions are crushing, and the constant pressure to send money home adds to her misery. Yet when Laiping tries to improve her situation, she sees what happens to those who dare question the electronics company’s policies. Fiona is a North American girl who, in one thoughtless moment, takes a picture on her cell phone she comes to regret. In the aftermath, she learns not only about trust and being true to oneself, but the importance of fighting for what is right. All three teens are unexpectedly linked by these events.

REVIEW: This is the first fiction book that has "made my blood boil" by the time I finished it. If you don't know about "blue gold" (which I certainly didn't) then you definitely need to read this book and see how it affects the lives of three teenagers living continents apart - Sylvie from the Democratic Republic of Congo where vast deposits of "blue gold" are mined and warred over , Laiping from China where virtual slave labor is used to produce many electronics that use "blue gold", and Fiona a Canadian who finds shockingly how fast blue gold makes electronics work and how one wrong choice and one wrong push of a button can ruin your life forever. This book is one of from our United Methodist Women's 2016 Reading Program. It is well written, well researched, and, in a fictional story. brings your attention to the evil practices that are behind some of the electronic companies that supply us with the cell phones and laptops that we can't live without. Stewart includes some suggested reading as well as a cell phone app (Buycott) at the end of the book that allows you to scan a barcode and see instant details of the manufacturer's record on environmental abuse and human rights violations.

This book is written for older youth. It would definitely be something I would recommend to any youth to open their eyes to what goes on behind some of the products they feel are "must haves." I agree with the author that technology is here to stay so as consumers we must be aware of those companies that have pledged to use "fair trade" practices/products.

[Kasey Giard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had never even heard of coltan. I feel a bit ashamed for admitting that, actually. One of the reasons this book sat on my to-read list for as long as it did was that I worried it would be a thinly veiled sermon trying to convince me to take some kind of global action with regard to the crises caused by mining coltan and factory conditions in which smart phones are manufactured.

While the story does contain some eye-opening information and does an excellent job humanizing the situations happening overseas, I found the story interesting for its own sake. I loved each of the characters and found it easy to invest in following their stories to conclusion.

I also liked that Stewart doesn't straight up preach about the issues. The story shows how smart phones can destroy lives but also how they can save them. I felt like the story had a respectful balance.

I was glad to see additional resources included that suggested some ways to be a more conscientious consumer. I felt like that was great follow-through. Stewart didn't just tug on our hearts by telling a great story, she also provided some pretty simple ways we can make a difference in our own lives. Bravo.

[Adriano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claro ejemplo de que la ficción anima a movernos frente a problemas del mundo real.

[cristian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creo que la idea es muy buena, pero que existen maneras mejores de desarrollarla. Quizá, si la autora hubiese priorizado ciertos aspectos que pienso que ha dejado pasar desapercibidos (el problema de Fiona con la fotografía, por ejemplo) o hubiese seleccionado otros escenarios para situar la acción (una mina de coltán en el caso de Sylvie, por ejemplo), el libro me habría llamado más la atención. Y es que me ha faltado, durante el noventa por ciento de la lectura, ese sentimiento de necesitar leer más y de adentrarme en la historia con más profundidad.

[Om Manghani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, however, I am going to save the review for after the Lit Essay unit, when I have had the chance to explore the book further.

Time to re-read for complexity!

[Carrie Sickmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! I plan to teach it soon. Also, the fact that I read it on my cell phone made it that much more powerful.

[Blandean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agréablement surprise par cette lecture !
J'ai adoré suivre l'histoires de ces trois filles si différentes et pourtant toutes connectées entre elles à travers, en apparence, un simple téléphone portable de sa matière première, sa fabrication à son utilisation. Parce que finalement, c'est un peu lui, le personnage principal de ce livre.
Je n'avais pas forcément conscience qu'un si petit objet que j'utilise pourtant au quotidien et dont je ne saurais me passer pouvais avoir un impact aussi grand sur la vie de certaines personnes et qu'il allait jusqu'à détruire des vies, des familles, des rêves...

Je ne saurais dire quelle histoire m'a le plus touchée, m'a le plus mit hors de moi. Chacune à leur manière, que ce soit Sylvie, en Afrique, ou Laiping, en Asie m'ont rappelé la chance que j'ai : de vivre dans un pays libre, de pouvoir faire des études et ainsi faire le métier que j'ai envie, etc.
J'avoue avoir eu plus de mal à être sensible à l'histoire de Fiona après avoir lu les atrocités et injustices que pouvaient vivre les deux premières. Et puis finalement j'ai fini par réaliser qu'elle aussi, était une victime, qu'en un rien de temps, rien qu'avec un simple téléphone portable, il est possible d'influencer une vie, et dans le pire des cas, la faire basculer.

De plus, Blue Gold aborde l'éthique, sujet qui me touche particulièrement depuis quelques temps et m'a ouvert les yeux sur les méthodes de fabrications des outils électroniques (téléphone, ordinateur, mp3, etc) que nous avons et que nous utilisons tous sans forcément nos préoccuper du coût humains qu'ils peuvent engendrer.

[MijoAndrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro que nos recuerda que a pesar de estar separados por miles de kilómetros, el mundo es pequeño. Nos muestra tres realidades, tres vidas de tres personajes totalmente distintos, pero que comparten un vínculo en común y este es el desarrollo del capitalismo y la globalizacion.
La verdad disfrute mucho este libro, me lo leí muy rápido y es bastante realista en su narración. Habla de los abusos que se sufre en el ámbito laboral en un país comunista, pero con una economía abierta como lo es China, donde la gente de las fábricas a penas tiene derechos y trabajan hasta morir para mantener a sus familias que son agricultores mayormente. O también toma en cuenta los problemas de los actuales millenials y generaciones tecnológicas, que caen en las redes del ciberbullying, ciberacoso por hacer cosas Indebidas con la tecnología que se les confiere y por ser muy confiados con su ambiente que no es para nada sano, sino que viven una vida haciendo cosas por la presión social. Por último también nos muestra una realidad en África y de la escasez del recurso que allí se vive. Cómo las empresas explotan a la gente que es pagada con unos cuantos litro de agua, con tal de conseguir las materia primas que la propia gente no puede adquirir, para vender a las fábricas.
Por el desarrollo de los Derechos Humanos no vamos a negar que esta realidad se ha mitigado, pero seríamos ilusos al creer que ya no existe.
Es un libro para reflexionar, para ponerte los pies en la tierra y para un grato tiempo leyendo.

[Gribouille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je n’ai pas vraiment adhéré à ce livre. Ma déception provient surtout du résumé. Ce dernier nous présente le récit de la vie de 3 jeunes filles, sur 3 continents différents. Je m’apprêtais à suivre leurs histoires au début séparément, mais je pensais qu’elles finiraient par se mêler. Première déception : l’alternance des personnages n’est pas régulière et la succession des chapitres n’est pas équitable (on suit moins Fiona que les deux autres). Deuxième déception (alerte spoil) : elles ne se rencontrent jamais ! Certes, Laiping et Fiona connaissent elles deux Sylvie par le biais d’Internet et connaissent leurs existences mutuellement. Mais notre petite Congolaise ne connaît personne et reste « enfermée » dans son histoire.

De plus, les romans sur les réfugiés ne sont pas mes préférés, même si j’ai bien aimé Sylvie, un personnage aux belles valeurs morales. Finalement, je me rends compte que j’apprécie chacun des personnages séparément, mais les mettre ensemble dans un seul roman, j’ai un peu de mal…

En terme d’émotions, je pense que ce livre aurait été plus poignant s’il avait été rédigé à la première personne, afin de se sentir plus proche des jeunes filles. Et puis, moi-même ne possédant pas de portable, j’ai sûrement une relation différente avec ce livre.

Si vous souhaitez le lire, je vous le conseille dès 12-13 ans.

Bonne lecture ! ^^

[Dan Allbery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona, Laiping, and Sylvie are three girls from across the world who are all connected by cell phones. One is dealing with a social fallout after a private photograph becomes very public, one moves to the big city in hopes of earning money in a cell phone factory, and another is trapped within a refugee camp trying to keep her family together--safely--even when one of her brothers enters the coltan (used and needed for smartphones) trade. Although their journeys are so drastically different, in Elizabeth Stewart's novel Blue Gold, the worlds of Canada, China, and Tanzania come crashing together.

This book has been on my To Be Read list for some time. As an international teacher living in Thailand, I was drawn to this book as it has such a range of settings and shows how interconnected our world is. Having taught our tech-obsessed youth for almost two decades, I love the idea of sharing a book that challenges my students to consider and look more closely at the cell phone industry--who profits from it, how are others touched by it, and what is my role in it. Stewart's book tackles all three. As said in another review, the writing isn't amazing, but the plots are well crafted and what drives the book. There are some more mature topics like sexting/sending nude photos and rape, so I recommend this book for HS and up.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I learned a lot about the mining of Coltan and the real price of our electronics. This book follows three characters in three different countries. Sylvie is from the Congo where guerrillas ravage villages over the mining of coltan, a mineral used in capacitors to make cell phones and other electronics. Her father was murdered and she and her mom were raped by these soldiers. Laiping is from China where she works on an assembly line soldering capacitors to circuit boards to make our electronics. The hours are long. She is exhausted and the bosses expect perfection. To top it off, the company is withholding her pay which she desperately needs to send home so that her father can have surgery. And lastly there is Fiona, a Canadian teenager who takes a boob shot with her cell phone and sends it to her boyfriend. Let’s just say her boyfriend isn’t the only one to see it.

These three young women are intertwined by coltan. I liked this book a lot because it brings to light the working conditions and mining politics of coltan. All so that many around the world can enjoy the luxury of a pocket sized computer. As a society we need to be aware of where the products we consume come from. Do the research and support “conflict free” products.

[Trisha Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows three teenage girls over the course of a few critical months in their lives. Sylvie is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but now lives in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Laiping was born in a rural area in China, but moves to a city to work in a factory. Fiona lives in Canada and has what turns out to be a really rough experience between her freshman and sophomore years of high school after she makes one quick decision.

What connects each one of them is smartphones and the way they are produced and used. Each young woman wants to be seen for more than just her physical appearance. Each one has hopes for her future. Each one has a family she loves, but also struggles to satisfy. And each one has a picture snapped on a cell phone that travels around the world.

What is best about this book is that it does not solve all of the global and personal issues that come up, but allows readers to examine how decisions made by fictional characters in realistic situations play out in their lives. It also brings up questions about the ways we as consumers actually impact lives around the world.

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an engaging and informative novel outlining how manufacturing cell phones is impacting people in Africa and China and how the use of the phones causes damage in North America. The book outlines the lives of three teen girls and their families. One lives in a refugee camp in Africa, a victim of the coltan mining--necessary for cell phone manufacture; another lives in China and is essentially a sweat shop worker who is taken advantage of by the company who is making $$$ off these workers with no rights; the third lives in Canada and is part of a teen culture impacted by selfies and other (unwise) uses of cell phones.

The story reminded me of Blood Diamond in many ways. I am very unaware of the material used in many products I take for granted and what happens to get the product to me. The resources at the back of the book to increase awareness are quite helpful.

[Corina Ja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story started off really well, it went on really well and then just deceived me at the end. I really liked this book and to be honest I never heard of coltan before, but I feel like the end was not it. There are so many unanswered questions ( ex: what happened to Kai? Why did Laiping receive her money even after Lau told her she won’t? What happened in between Ryan and Fiona after they talked? and many others). I think the end was rushed ( ex: during all the book Laiping worked so she could send money to her father and then in the last chapter she payed his surgery in a few lines. ) Also I read the french version so my opinion may not be 100% accurate, but beside the ending and all the questions I ask myself, this was a good book. I loved how the three stories intertwined at the end, and it definitely opened my eyes on the production of smartphones and other electronics.

[Kai Lavin]

This book was good, at first I didn't think I would like it. My teacher told me a little bit about it and I really liked it. Some of the stuff that happened in it is things that still happen today. The cyber-world is very big and scary. A lot of times we don't think about where phones and their parts come from, and what is done to get the materials for the phones. In the unit globalization, I chose something I use every day and found out where all the materials come from.

In the book, all the girls struggle at some point. They either worked at a factory for money for their families and so on. The books tells how they deal with hard times and how life was when people worked in factories for little money and when people were at camps.

[Sonia Caillou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.
De manière simple, mais pas simpliste, le récit nous emmène dans la vie de 3 jeunes filles qui tourne autour d'un smartphone. Une est au Canada, une autre dans un camp de réfugiés en Afrique centrale et la dernière en Chine. Le chapitrage est hyper malin et au fur à mesure du récit on comprend comment tout s'imbrique.
Un livre à mettre entre toutes les mains (je l'ai trouvé au rayon ados mais clairement, il mérite d'être lu par tous). Une postface explique un peu plus la documentation et les inspirations du livre.

[tchoupi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman poignant et que j'ai dévoré. Au début, je ne comprenais pas vraiment pourquoi Fiona était présente, mais elle n'a pas pris la place principale de l'histoire, ce qui est très bien. J'ai apprécié le fait qu'on ait plusieurs point de vue, et surtout qu'on n'ait pas une fin 100% heureuse et magnifique. Ça retranscrit vraiment ce qu'il se passe dans le monde et c'est une bonne manière de montrer aux ados une partie de la réalité, sans forcément passer par un discours violent et sanglant à souhait. Ça change beaucoup des discours habituels où on parle de ce sujet en le survolant.

[Anna Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing way of letting people know how people - from victims of war and abuse because or mineral trading, laborers with very poor wage and extreme conditions and victims of cyber bullying because of sexting - are suffering and struggling to make a change and have a better life.

The writing is realistic, yet moving sometimes (also because of the crude circumstances) and it goes deep into the characters.

I really liked this book, I recommend people to read it, it is 100% worthy.