FICTION

Black Gold

The Story of Oil in Our Lives
by Albert MARRIN
Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives. 182p. charts. diags. maps. photos. glossary. index. notes. CIP. Knopf. 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86673-9; PLB $22.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96673-6. LC 2011013175.
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Gr 8 Up—Marrin weaves chemical, historical, industrial, and military information together to create a cohesive explanation of something that has changed our world, for good or ill. The summary of oil's importance in modern military efforts from World War I onward is particularly enlightening. The detail regarding the chaotic and complex history of the modern Middle East is comprehensive but not overwhelming. The negative environmental impacts of oil extraction, transportation, and consumption are summarized and current, e.g., the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion/spill is included. Energy dependence in the developed world is outlined, as is the search for alternative fuels and renewable energy. The author strikes a hopeful tone when discussing renewable technologies but is realistic in relating the many obstacles to weaning our modern world from its insatiable thirst for more oil. Black-and-white charts, graphs, and reproductions bring immediacy to the text. Meticulously researched and noted, this volume will serve to introduce readers to the ticking time bomb of the depletion of fossil fuels. Marrin's dedication is "For today's young people, who will be confronted by the problem of black gold tomorrow." May his target audience read and heed his words. An extremely readable guide to a very important subject.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI
Opening with a geology primer on the formation of oil and a brief overview of oil in ancient times, the narrative is most successful in describing the cycle of greed, wealth, politics, and war that drove modern civilization throughout the twentieth century and into the present. Marrin offers challenging insights and difficult questions that eschew simplistic explanations. Glos., ind.
Covers a wealth of oil-related topics, from the environment, energy dependence, and power struggles over crude oil to the geological events that created fossil fuels, the birth of drilling, and the process of refining. The text is accessible and lively. Frequent anecdotes, quotes, photos, and surprising statistics will keep readers engaged. (“Refiners cut corners in making kerosene. Lamps filled with impure kerosene exploded, killing scores of people each year. In 1880, kerosene lamps caused 39 percent of New York City fires.”) A timely book, given that environmental and energy concerns caused by the reliance on oil are only increasing. A useful jumping-off point for students to learn more about the oil crisis. By highlighting how oil has affected or caused various wars—WWI, WWII, and the Six-Day War, for example—Albert Marrin gives readers a thought-provoking way of looking at global conflicts, past or future.
"Our country has 5 percent of the world’s population but uses 26 percent of its energy." And most of that energy -- fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas -- is nonrenewable. Before Marrin discusses the current state of affairs, the somewhat bleak outlook for the future, and alternative sources of energy (nuclear, solar, wind, and water), he gives readers a geology primer on the formation of oil and a brief overview of oil in ancient times. But the narrative is most successful once it reaches the Industrial Revolution, when the discovery and refinement of oil leads to a cycle of greed, wealth, politics, and war that drives modern civilization throughout the twentieth century and into the present one, including the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. If the ambitious scope and disparate elements do not always cohere, and if the narrative is overstuffed with numbers and dates, Black Gold provokes readers with challenging insights and difficult questions, always eschewing simplistic explanations. Black-and-white photographs with accompanying captions illustrate the text, while notes, a glossary, and an index are appended. jonathan hunt

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