Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth

Rachel Maddow is a great storyteller. This gift combined with her skills as a reporter makes for a formidable entry into the current glut of new books about the Trump administration. Her book focuses on oil, hence the title, and traces the greed of individuals to build a case against the new robber barons. Her story about Teodoro Obiang from Equitorial Guinea and Rex Tillerson is chilling and well researched.

She begins the book with a story about a typical American family living on a tree-lined street in the suburbs and explodes it into an international three-ring circus. Daily, ninety million barrels of oil is demanded on a worldwide basis from one hundred countries. By focusing on the particulars of the delivery system, Ms. Maddow demonstrates the free for all taken by the new oil titans. She details the beginnings of industry protocols which began with the United States oil industry and takes us through the tragedies of the industry in Oklahoma, slickwater, production water and flow back water and their disastrous impact on climate change. She details how unprepared and unresponsive the oil industry is to environmental considerations and societal costs. This is a suspense story built up carefully about an industry that plays ball with dictators, thugs, and murderers. Her stories are artfully constructed. This book is highly readable, entertaining and brilliant in its compelling stories.