Blowout
Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth
4 of 4 copies available
4 of 4 copies available
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠Big Oil and Gas Versus DemocracyâWinner Take All
âA rollickingly well-written book, filled with fascinating, exciting, and alarming stories about the impact of the oil and gas industry on the world today.ââThe New York Times Book Review
In 2010, the words âearthquake swarmâ entered the lexicon in Oklahoma. That same year, a trove of Michael Jackson memorabiliaâincluding his iconic crystal-encrusted white gloveâwas sold at auction for over $1 million to a guy who was, officially, just the lowly forestry minister of the tiny nation of Equatorial Guinea. And in 2014, Ukrainian revolutionaries raided the palace of their ousted president and found a zoo of peacocks, gilded toilets, and a floating restaurant modeled after a Spanish galleon. Unlikely as it might seem, there is a thread connecting these events, and Rachel Maddow follows it to its crooked source: the unimaginably lucrative and equally corrupting oil and gas industry.
With her trademark black humor, Maddow takes us on a switchback journey around the globe, revealing the greed and incompetence of Big Oil and Gas along the way, and drawing a surprising conclusion about why the Russian government hacked the 2016 U.S. election. She deftly shows how Russiaâs rich reserves of crude have, paradoxically, stunted its growth, forcing Putin to maintain his power by spreading Russiaâs rot into its rivals, its neighbors, the Westâs most important alliances, and the United States. Chevron, BP, and a host of other industry players get their star turn, most notably ExxonMobil and the deceptively well-behaved Rex Tillerson. The oil and gas industry has weakened democracies in developed and developing countries, fouled oceans and rivers, and propped up authoritarian thieves and killers. But being outraged at it is, according to Maddow, âlike being indignant when a lion takes down and eats a gazelle. You canât really blame the lion. Itâs in her nature.â
Blowout is a call to contain the lion: to stop subsidizing the wealthiest businesses on earth, to fight for transparency, and to check the influence of the worldâs most destructive industry and its enablers. The stakes have never been higher. As Maddow writes, âDemocracy either wins this one or disappears.â
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 1, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781984846754
- File size: 447925 KB
- Duration: 15:33:10
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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