Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives

by Albert Marrin

Oil is not pretty, but it is a resource that drives the modern world.  It has made fortunes for the lucky few and provided jobs for millions of ordinary folks.Thick and slippery, crude oil has an evil smell. Yet without it, life as we live it today would be impossible. Oil fuels our engines, heats our homes, and powers the machines that make the everyday things we take for granted, from shopping bags to computers to medical equipment. Nations throughout the last century have gone to war over it.  Indeed, oil influences every aspect of modern life. It helps shape the history, society, politics, and economy of every nation on earth.This riveting new book explores what oil is and the role this precious resource has played in America and the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Politics, Middle Grade, Economics, Environment

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Albert Marrin is a historian and the author of more than twenty nonfiction books for young people. He has won various awards for his writing, including the 2005 James Madison Book Award and the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal. In 2011, his book Flesh and Blood So Cheap was a National Book Award Finalist. Marrin is the Chairman of the History Department at New York's Yeshiva University.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The subject is petroleum, from history to the search for alternative energy sources. Many little-known facts are included. For example, during WWII only the US had developed 100 octane fuel, which gave a decisive advantage to Allied fighter planes.
The book’s errors in science create confusion and misconceptions that students may carry into report writing. Citing no reference, page 131 claims that dispersants used on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill “are 10,000 times deadlier to sea life than crude oil itself.” EPA tests demonstrated dispersants are no more toxic than oil. Page135 credits global warming for shrinking glaciers (a process going on since the Little Ice Age ended around 1850) AND for possible cooling, harsher winters, and the advance of glaciers in some areas. Page 136 calls carbon dioxide “the chief greenhouse gas,” but water vapor accounts for 95% of the greenhouse effect. Pages 136 and 137 discuss acid rain from burning coal, but omit how this has been drastically reduced by flue gas desulfurization systems. Page 145 states, “Motor vehicles can burn pure ethanol instead of gasoline.” Yet, tests show that even 15% of ethanol in gasoline can damage car and truck engines. Worldwide, geothermal electrical power plants are working without extracting underground water, yet page 153 states “steam from underground water may contain harsh chemicals that ruin turbines and, if released into the air, spread pollution.”
The reliability of other parts of the book should be questioned.

[Richard Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albert Marrin is a history professor who has written dozens books for young readers. In Black Gold, he discussed the geology of fossil energy, emergence of the oil industry, geopolitics, oil wars, environmental impacts, and future challenges. I was intrigued by his perspective on geopolitics.

Before World War One, the British navy scrapped many coal-burning warships and began building modern boats that ran on oil. This gave them a big advantage over the German navy. The era of industrial warfare had arrived. Nations with tanks, trucks, and planes could easily smash horse-powered enemies.

America joined the war in 1917, and brought lots of oil. German ports were blockaded, their war machine ran out of fuel, and they were defeated. In this new era, for the first time, oil became essential for military success. Young Hitler grasped this, and so did the British. A primary objective of the Brits was to seize control of Middle Eastern oil, a yet-to-be developed treasure that made greedy gits giddy. They succeeded, invented new nations, and found obedient puppets to rule them (and loot them).

Of course, wealth and power frequently turns decent people into obnoxious monsters. Troublesome puppets were replaced with new ones, Britain got very rich, and the Arabs and Persians developed an intense hatred of Brits. In World War Two, Hitler launched his oil-powered blitzkrieg, made a beeline for oily Baku, and planned to grab the Persian Gulf. In this war, American oil once again came to the rescue.

Germany and Japan learned the hard way that running out of oil is for losers. Everyone knows this today. U.S. presidents have poured trillions of dollars into maintaining control of oil, whilst jabbering about freedom, democracy, and weapons of mass destruction. For some mysterious reason, millions of Middle Eastern folks now loath and detest the U.S.

In Saudi Arabia, the Wahhabis are a sect that perceives most of modernity as pure evil. They don’t look fondly on the lavish lifestyles of the ruling Saud family. Marrin asserts that the government agreed to subsidize the spread of Wahhabi schools into other regions. In exchange for this funding, the Wahhabis agreed not to make trouble in Arabia — but trouble anywhere else was OK. “In short, Saudi oil profits fueled terrorism.”

Russia now controls much of the natural gas that powers Europe, and Western powers are eager for an alternative, a pipeline from the Middle East that bypasses Russian control. It would be reasonable to conclude that the coming decades are not going to be a sweet celebration of love, peace, and happiness. Expect big drama as the age of hydrocarbons swirls the drain, climate change pounds the luckless, and Big Mama Nature hurls overshoot overboard.

The rear end of Marrin’s book was annoying. The book is intended for use in schools. He recommends that the U.S. should become energy independent as soon as possible. The best solution, he says, is a combination of fossil fuels and alternative energy — solar, wind, biomass, hydro, geothermal, nuclear (no mention of sharply reducing consumption). The assumption is that independence is possible, and that the consumer way of life will be free to continue down the path of mindless self-destruction.

Teachers, librarians, and parents should have an above average understanding of energy issues before selecting books on the subject. These issues are going to have a staggering impact on the lives of the target audience, young readers. It’s long past time to sit down with youngsters and have a highly embarrassing birds-and-bees discussion about the fact that the abundant energy bubble is going to turn into a pumpkin during the lifetimes. Preserving their ignorance seems cruel.

In the book, readers learn that nuclear reactors can generate lots of electricity, but they occasionally barf large amounts of radiation all over the place. Therefore, it’s very important to properly dispose of spent fuel because it’s extremely toxic. Great idea! How? William and Rosemary Alley discussed this issue in Too Hot to Touch. They note that today “there are some 440 nuclear power plants in 31 countries. More are on the way. Yet, no country on Earth has an operating high-level waste disposal facility.”

Obama cancelled plans for the Yucca Mountain site, which was as close to perfect as is possible — after 25 years of research at a cost of $10 billion. Because it was cancelled, spent fuel rods continue building up, many of them temporarily stored in cooling ponds. If the circulating pumps for the cooling ponds stop, the water boils, the pool evaporates, and the rods are exposed to air, melt, and release radioactive gasses. The meltdowns at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima were triggered by overheated fuel rods.

Readers also learn that the U.S. has huge coal reserves, enough for 250 years at the current rate of consumption. To understand why this is a meaningless statement, watch one of the many versions of Albert Bartlett’s famous lecture, Arithmetic, Population, and Energy on YouTube. Every student and teacher should watch it.

Read Jeff Rubin’s book, The Big Flatline. You’ll learn that the production of top quality anthracite coal peaked in 1950, and grade B bituminous coal peaked in 1990. There is abundant grade C coal, lignite, which is especially filthy to burn. Since lignite is so low in energy, it cannot be shipped long distances profitably. It is absurd to use 100 calories of diesel to haul 100 calories of low quality coal.

This is an extremely important issue — energy returned on energy invested (EROEI). The book doesn’t mention this. EROEI is also highly relevant to oil. Rubin and others note that in the good old days of high-profit gushers, it was common to invest one calorie of energy to produce 100 calories of oil (100:1). By 2010, typical EROEI was about 17:1, and some are predicting 5:1 by 2020.

Rising prices enable the extraction of difficult and expensive non-conventional oil and gas. At some point, declining EROEI makes extraction pointless, regardless of market prices. Consequently, most of the oil in Canadian tar sands will be left where it is. The EROEI of tar sands now in production is about 3:1, and 5:1 for shale deposits.

Readers learn about renewable energy, like wind, solar, and hydro. See Ted Trainer’s book, Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society . Learn about the significant shortcomings of the various types of alternative energy. Discover why no combination of them will ever come anywhere close to replacing the energy now provided by fossil fuel. Discover why we will not enjoy a smooth and painless transition to a sustainable, renewable energy future.

The education system, from grade schools to universities, seems to be largely committed to a “don’t scare the children” strategy. We don’t want to fill kids with despair about their grisly inheritance. Also, publishers want to avoid discussions that piss off poorly informed parents, or the politically powerful titans of industry. The publisher did allow Marrin to drop hints that there might be some trouble in the future. It’s a touchy game. Sales can be harmed by too little reality, or too much. The book’s takeaway message is that we have the solutions for our energy challenges, but we don’t have a lot of time to fool around. Things will be OK, probably, maybe. Is that likely?

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie's Picks: BLACK GOLD: THE STORY OF OIL IN OUR LIVES by Albert Marrin, Knopf, January 2012, 192p., ISBN: 978-0-375-86673-9

"And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now
And she'll have fun, fun fun
'Till her daddy takes the T-Bird away"
-- Brian Wilson & Mike Love, "Fun Fun Fun"

"Asphalt also helped the dead 'live' forever. Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. But to gain eternal life, a corpse had to be mummified--that is, embalmed and dried to prevent decay. Asphalt was a key ingredient in turning a corpse into a mummy; the word comes from mumiyyah, Arabic for 'asphalt.' Since Egypt had little asphalt, merchants traveled to the Dead Sea, in what is today Israel, to trade with the local Arabs for it. The king of Syria, hoping to profit from the trade, sent an army to occupy the area. Furious that a foreign 'thief' should control the fate of their dead, the Egyptians sent an army in 312 BC, thus winning history's first war for oil."

As we learn from BLACK GOLD, there are over a quarter-billion registered motor vehicles in America today, one for every 1.1 people. No matter what belated efforts we as a society might someday finally undertake to both radically increase fuel efficiency and develop more convenient mass transit systems -- systems that will really take significant numbers of cars off the road -- those of us alive today will undoubtedly spend the rest of our days having our daily lives inexorably intertwined with fossil fuels.

And it sure as heck doesn't feel like we've seen the last of wars for oil.

So how did we get here?

Beginning with a geologic- and chemical-related exploration of how -- over millions of years -- coal, oil, and natural gas has come to be, Albert Marrin provides a mind-blowing scientific, economic, sociological, environmental, and geopolitical history of the petroleum-based energy resources that are the core of our modern civilization and the core of our civilization's most intractable problems and conflicts.

"The town buzzed with excitement, and smelled to high heaven, thanks to all that oil. 'The whole place,' a visitor said, 'smelled like a corps of soldiers when they have diarrhea.'"

This book is a gas.

We learn that it was because of the eighteenth century need for bright and safe lighting fuel, and because of the rapidly depleting supply of whales for whale oil, and because it was discovered that kerosene could be extracted from petroleum, that smart and ambitious "Colonel" Edwin L. Drake was hired by a business group to drill for oil on Oil Creek in Titusville, Pennsylvania (a stream known for its oil seeps).

After a few failed attempts at developing a technology for oil drilling:

"What Drake did next would make him famous as the father of the petroleum industry. His solution became the model for all future oil-well drilling. It popped into his mind suddenly, as if by magic. Drake bought sections of iron pipe; he called them drive pipe, because he would drive them into the ground with a battering ram made of an oak log. As the lower sections went deeper, he would attach a new section at the top and then run the drill string through the pipe. This way the pipe kept the water out while the drill attacked the rock below.

"On August 28, 1859, the drill broke into reservoir rock near the surface, at a depth of sixty-nine feet. Oil bubbled up, flowing at a rate of twenty-five gallons a day. At first, Drake stored it in wooden washtubs bought from farmers' wives. When these ran out, he bought up all the used whiskey barrels he could find, each holding forty-two gallons. That set the standard. A barrel of oil always has the same amount as an old-time whiskey barrel."

".19"
-- old gas station price sign I remember seeing, back in the late sixties, for gas at 19 cents per gallon

After taking us back through earlier days, covering topics like trust busting and discovering Texas's black gold, author Albert Marrin guides us through an outstanding examination of WWII from the perspective of petroleum. Then he tops that by unraveling a century of Middle Eastern oil and geopolitics. And then he dives into the environmental effects of our search for and use of petroleum. I cannot believe that the author fits everything I just learned, about arguably the most important issues in our world today, in a mere 152 pages plus backmatter.

"Damn this traffic jam
How I hate to be late
It hurts my motor to go so slow
Damn this traffic jam
Time I get home my supper'll be cold
Damn this traffic jam"
-- James Taylor

"The United States has an 'energy intensive' economy and society. The numbers speak for themselves:

Our country has 5 percent of the world's population but uses 26 percent of its energy.
As of 2008, Americans used seventeen million barrels of oil each day.
It takes seven gallons of gasoline per person -- man, woman, and child -- to run the country each day.
We burn one out of every seven barrels of oil produced in the world on our highways.
Drivers waste twelve million barrels of oil each year stalled in traffic jams."

Middle Eastern oil-producing countries disliking us. Escalating fuel costs and steadily decreasing supplies. Global warming and massive pollution. Are we all doomed, or what?

As Marrin points out, no solution will come easily or cheaply. He concludes the story of oil in our lives with a look at some of the options...and tough choices...we have.

BLACK GOLD is a truly significant work of youth literature.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_...
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[Rebecca Sofferman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives is a welcome addition to the middle or high school library. The book provides a concise yet thorough summary of both the scientific and political aspects of humans’ relationship with oil. While focused on the US, the book describes the development of oil dependence throughout the world over time, and highlights the contributions of key individuals in the process. Some chapters are more scientific in nature – describing the process of oil creation and refinement, or outlining alternative energy technologies. Other chapters focus on the politics and economics of oil, including entire chapters devoted to certain dictators’ obsessions with oil and the power it could bring, and how this quest for power helped shape wars and conflicts worldwide throughout history.

This book includes an index, glossary, bibliographical notes, and many black and white illustrations with captions and citations. Also embedded within the text are charts and diagrams to explain scientific and economic concepts, where needed.

Comments on how to use in a school setting:

This book has Common Core written all over it. The narrative is accessible, and would work well as a Common Core informational text for economics, earth science, or even history/global studies classes researching the relationship between humans and oil. I’m always looking for nonfiction titles that read like stories, in the hopes that students might just pick them up for independent reading. I could see that happening with this title. The book is fairly short, with a good glossary, appropriate for most middle school and high school students.

This book is essentially a cautionary tale about the history and the dangers of dependence on oil as an energy source and economic engine. It is clearly aimed at young adult readers, with chapter titles such as “A Freak of Geology,” and thorough explanations of concepts and kingpin individuals. More mature readers might find this title a bit too basic, although entertaining.

[Bethany Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Gold explores the significance of oil in the lives of humans. The author begins by explaining how fossil fuels were formed. He then traces the use of fossil fuels from antiquity to the present showing how humans have become increasingly dependent upon them over time. Marrin places special emphasis on the ways in which oil has played a role in political conflicts and wars throughout history. He goes on to describe the environmental consequences of fossil fuels as well as their increasing scarcity. The book concludes with a chapter describing the pros and cons of various alternative sources of energy.

Black Gold is a clearly written, up-to-date resource that will be useful for students who are researching the topic of fossil fuels. It will be especially useful for those who want to understand the social, political and historical context of oil. There are black and white photos and diagrams throughout the book, but most don’t add much to the text. This will be a useful resource for student reports but probably won’t have much of an audience for pleasure reading. Includes bibliographical references, a short glossary and an index. Recommended.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert Marrin's timely book starts out explaining what oil is and where is comes from, then moves into its impact on the world, particularly how it relates to warfare, both in the sense that more oil reserves make for a better army and in the sense that countries are willing to go to war to get more. The book also discusses the problems with oil--such as natural disasters and the dwindling supply and concludes by discussing some possible alternatives to relying on oil and the pros and cons of each.

The book starts out slowly--the explanation of how we get oil is a little dry--but then it picks up considerably. Readers who push through will be rewarded with an enlightening look at how oil impacts us--and will likely be worried that the dwindling oil supply will run out any minute. Despite striking fear into the heart of the reader (or maybe because of it), this is the type of book that really makes readers think about the world we live in. Another excellent piece of nonfiction from Marrin.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much of the science was incorrect. I'm sure if it was because the author didn't understand the subject, tried and failed to simplify concepts, or intentionally misconstrued the facts to make a point. The book left out important information when it didn't suit the conclusions although this may be from a lack of understanding/research rather than deliberate deceit.

While some of the history was interesting, I was disappointed by most of the book. The facts didn't support the conclusions (even when they were correct).

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin with this. Maybe I should start with the fact that I wouldn't have read this had it not been a Battle of the Books book, and even then, it was one I was forced to read because no one else wanted to. I really wish that I could have turned around and said that this book wasn't as bad as every thought, but, sadly, that is not the case.

Black Gold is about oil. 'Cause, you know, oil is just about the most interesting thing you can find on this planet. (No, no it is absolutely not. Maybe to some, but definitely not to me.) It's around a 150-ish page book. That should have taken me less than an hour. But no, this took me over *three* hours to finish. I am so glad that it's over now, even if I can't remember the majority of it.

I was reading some of the other reviews and noticed that a similar pattern followed them. Quite a few of the other reviews were saying that some of the information in this book is incorrect. I don't know much about oil, but I will believe that not all of the information is accurate.

I don't have much to say about this. I would say it was a disappointment, but I didn't have very high expectations going in. The book is about petroleum, for crying out loud. Already, I feel that this review has gone too long, and I would like to stop thinking about it as soon as possible. So, just, NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE I HATED THIS. NEVER WANT TO SEE THIS BOOK AGAIN IN MY LIFE.

[Amy Lignor · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we all know, oil has been a benefit to this world, while at the same time being the cause of some of the worst nightmares, wars, and agony that we’ve ever seen. In many ways, most people on this planet wish that oil had never been found; if so, perhaps we would not be in the situation economically or socially that we are in right now.

In this new work of nonfiction, the author has provided everything from the very beginnings of oil to how this substance has saved lives, taken lives, and how the future looks for the next generation as oil takes over as the hottest property anyone can possibly own. Deadly sins have come from oil - jealousy, envy, even hate - yet without this particular ‘find’ there are millions of machines and innovative devices that wouldn’t exist. So…what’s worse?

Uncovering myths and legends, such as the fact that oil did not come from decayed dinosaurs (which is a popular belief). In fact, this substance is what remains of life forms that lived in the ocean millions of years ago. To Gas-powered cars that were once called healthy and clean because they replaced the amazing amount of horse manure that covered the streets across the country. Above all, without oil, most of the items we take for granted nowadays would not be available. Therefore the good must be taken with the bad. Right?

An intriguing reference that truly coves all aspects - known and unknown - about the black gold that perhaps still will have a hand in the demise of the human race.

Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy

[Shaundell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! The title and picture on the cover really grabbed my attention from the very beginning: "Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives". Everything, absolutely everything, we do in this life is affected by energy and everyone could benefit from reading this book.

The author, Albert Marin, first started describing how oil is made. He titles chapter one as "a freak of geology"; from there he describes how drilling begin and how people, such as John D. Rockefeller, became wealthy from oil.

My favorite part of the book was the history of nations and wars over/with/because of oil. As a young child I remember the oil cruch in 1973, and in hearing about the Iran controversery with Ayatollah Khomeini coming into power, then the American hostages held for 444 days, their release shortly after Ronald Regean became president, and the Iran/Iraq War. At the time I was too young to understand much; but this book put it all into perspective. I understand more of the role of OPEC and Saudia Arabia and what we as citizens of this world need to do to find new energy sources.

Fasinating information! I would really like to read other books written by Albert Marrin.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sort of book I've been looking for and a perfect example of the use of YA nonfiction to explain a complex subject clearly even for adults. I learned a lot from this book. It talks about the physical origin of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal), the history of the usage of fossil fuels, how the modern industry started, how the history of the Middle East is all about oil (which I knew but had no idea how much of the history was impacted by oil) and finally, the issues with oil, such as it running out and dirtying the environment and how it has lead to issues with climate change. He then reviews all the currently possible sources of fuel, pointing out the benefits and problems of each type, such as nuclear, geothermal, wind and solar and concludes that we have to move to an alternative future without oil. This book should win some awards in January. We'll see if it does or if the conclusion is too controversial for ALA and related groups.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only hated one thing about this book: that it ended.

I learned so much and understand so much now. When it meandered, one learned so much more because of well-thought out illustration.

Loved the format (fonts, layout, designs, decorations) and various well-placed pictures throughout. My idea of perfect.

I had no idea. We hear bits and pieces but this kind of book, in summarized and illustrated form brings it all together. Good job. Very good read.

[Paul Deutschmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this is a very good book because it is the one book that clearly illustrates the worldwide importance of oil in a way that is interesting to all readers. It may not have the best topic, but it is written in such a good way that it is impossible not to enjoy it. 5 stars. And I am going to look for more books to read by this author.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent economic and social history of the imapct impact oil has had and continues to have upon human civilization.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Black Gold by Albert Marrin it shares the history and course oil has taken among-st the beginning years of mankind learning its benefits and uses. Black Gold goes into a lot of detail about the history of oil- it explains the bigger companies like Rockefeller and how he ran his company and the backstory of his life and how he got to the oil company. It really goes in depth on the top suppliers and the enemies and how oil works. The author also talks about how Rockefeller only cared about the money and had the correct knowledge of what it would do to the environment. In Black Gold the tone consist more of dry and academic because it is just simply giving you the information in less of a way that a textbook would have. It is harder to give and receive information that is just straight knowledge and raw facts. The book is a great read if you are truly interested and would like to be engaged with the history of the greatest contributor to global warming. I personally enjoyed this book very much because it goes into great detail about the job, company and the work it took to make oil happen and how it contributes to our everyday lives and to how we could not live without it. But also that it damages our ecosystem and its functions drastically. My favorite part is in the beginning when it talks about what oil really is and how we extract it from the ground and how the people just had to guess where it was whenever they wanted. I would 100% recommend this book if you really would like to experience and go into depth about mining and how the revolutionary companies came to be and what it took to make our everyday lives easier.

[belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not the book I was looking for. I thought that this book would detail the different types of oils and its uses, but it winded up being a long struggle between world powers for oil. Surely, oil made Japan and Germany lose the war, but it's not the ONLY factor. This book is trying to say that oil made a HUGE impact on WWI and WWII, which is quite narrow-minded. The section about renewable energy was nice. Also, it wasn't written in a professional tone, sigh.

[Mark Pinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books on the oil industry. One of the things that I liked about it, was that it talked about the transition from horse and buggy to gasoline cars. They felt that gasoline was going to be better for the environment (and in truth it probably was for a while). There was no more dead horses on the streets, or manure being stacked up.

Good read

[Sam Gaspar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little simplistic at times, but overall a very helpful overview of fossil fuels and why we need to shift towards renewables

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about the history of oil. I learned so many things—how oil is processed, how asphalt is made, all the different ways it’s extracted. Highly recommended.

[Zach Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent Book

It gives a big picture of how coal\oil has forever changed our lives for the better and worse. I had no idea before I read this book how important this resource is.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

U.S. petroleum history is linked to wars of the 20th century and now the 21st century. Relates this to nearly all areas of our lives.
Note & index are well done.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating history of oil. I didn’t think about how much oil and war go together. It got slightly political and the author used a bit of fear mongering at the end but point taken.

[Magical Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning and ending were good but this book was so boring I couldn't even tell you I read it without lying...

[Demigod 3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING and INFORMATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Win win for me. I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting info. too preachy for me. and a bit delusional on 'clean energy' being clean. once you've got your nice solar panel it may be clean, but it's a dirty process to make one. and ammonia isn't only made from oil, i guess he never mucked out a stall before. it's the little things that stick in the craw.

[Felecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a student who was weak in history, this timeline of the oil industry was exactly what I needed to understand all the players and how it affects my life today.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely readable history of oil, from how it formed over the millenia to the political up heaval and wars it has caused. I am not sure that all of Marrin's facts are straight, but he definitely touches on all the major points and he isn't afraid to show the ugly side of the oil business. I found it interesting and somewhat bothersome that he seemed to mention John D. Rockefeller's religious devotion. I wondered where he was going with this. Was he offering an argument that God meant Americans to control oil? But he then goes on to point out Rockefeller's cut-throat business and political dealings making it clear the man certainly didn't practice what he preached. He also pulls no punches in describing the steps the British empire took to maintain its hold on oil in the Middle East followed by the United States dealings with Saudia Arabia, Iran and Iraq. These are chapters every Americans should rightly be ashamed of. And he also makes clear that while the world is definitely moving toward finding alternative sources of energy, the tug-of-war over current oil reserves is unlikely to change anytime soon.

[Read Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this, but it comes across to me like a "History" channel telling of Oil and it's role and future in our world. For the target audience it is simply wonderful. Not too in depth in the details, yet it tosses out some interesting tidbits of information new to me, such as the origins of the words mummy and derrick (and my imagination just spun off thinking about the original invention). I never thought much about what actually happens while drilling for oil and you hit that "gusher". This book is not for the serious reader, but it does help add background to our modern use of oil. It also adds perspective to some of my understanding of the politics of the oil rich Middle East region. It ends in a kind of weak prediction of the future of energy in the world. It does not try to paint a horrible doomsday portrayal of an oil-less planet.

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining and informative GoodReads.

[Crispin Crispian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so filled with both historical and scientific inaccuracies I have a hard time understanding how it is in the non-fiction category. It gets basic facts of Rockefeller's life wrong, makes claims about chemical dispersants that run counter to EPA findings, makes claims about oil's calculated depletion date that are unsubstantiated (and grossly inaccurate based on all other publications) and fails to address known issues with alternatives (industrial ethanol pollutants, solar and wind unreliability for base load, wind's effect on birds, etc). Anyone who assigns this to their students to read is negligent.

[Riley Poston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very descriptive about the history of oil and the leading up to the use of oil. The book describe the times before oil when people had to use horses and that when the horses would die that people would just leave there houses on the side of the road to decay. Witch caused lots of sickness to the community. The book also goes a little into the struggle and the work henry ford went thought while trying to find power for his engine. It also talked about what the invention of the car pros and cons were like no more sickness but it caused pollution (witch they did not know about at the time but it was a factor).