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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9780375896866

Reviews for Black Gold

[ehwall · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want to start by talking about the illustration on the cover. I truly believe the one instance where the “don’t judge a book by its cover” rule does not apply is to actual books. I chose to read this book over another about oil mostly due to the fact that I was just so entranced by the amazing cover art. The very close-up, high definition photograph of the oil droplet sitting above a pool of oil is itself very appealing, but the image of planet Earth embedded within would indicate that oil has “got the whole world in its hands”. With the many conflicts caused, and the fortunes earned and lost over oil covered in this book, I would say that that is an accurate statement. This book actually makes use of the endpages, with an oil rig silhouetted by a beautiful dawn at the beginning, and a picture of rush hour interstate traffic under a bright sunset at the end. As disappointing as it is that this is the only color the book has, the imagery there is superb because it could be taken several ways. My first thought was that the oil pumped from the ocean at dawn could be powering your car at dusk, but I also was suddenly struck with the phrase “The sun never sets on the Oil Empire,” a fitting sentiment author Albert Marrin may very well be expressing in this overview of industrial oil. The aforementioned lack of color throughout the book may have been a stylistic choice since oil is black, but I doubt it and if it were, it would have been over-kill in my opinion.The table of contents shows a list of chapter titles, but the way they are named does not really give a very clear indication of what that chapter will be about in this context. They make sense as you read the book and give some opportunity for reflection and prediction, but at face value, they are a little unclear. Marrin uses an interesting font choice on chapter and section titles that looks oozy and sticky. This is fun, but I am glad the main text body is in a regular font because I think that it would be annoying to look at 181 pages of it. The book is organized primarily topically, but one of those topics is the history of the oil industry, taking up the majority of the book, so that large section is obviously chronological.Marrin writes in a very neutral tone throughout the text, except for the preface where he recounts a personal story of his father. He does not take a stance on any argument during the discussion of alternative energy sources; the currently known process for harvesting each source is explained with some pros, and then cons are also given for each. Marrin also mentions that there is some speculation in the population about global warming and even mentioning a speculative theory criticizing the War on Terror as being about oil, “The War in Iraq, said Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, ‘has nothing to do with oil,’ since ‘the oil wells belong to the Iraqi people.’ It was for self-defense, to overthrow a tyrant, and to bring democracy to the Middle East. But is the war on terror really the war for oil in disguise? Critics think so…. Critics also quote high U.S. government officials to prove their point. Take Alan Greenspan…In 2007, Greenspan declared Saddam Hussein’s removal ‘essential’ to secure the world’s oil supplies, ‘The Iraq War,’ he added, ‘is largely about oil.’”(p.115). Marrin never agrees or disagrees with the points he presents, just gives them to his readers for them to follow up on in their own time. The language is very straightforward and precise. Although the text is written very well with varying sentence structure and vocabulary as can be seen in the above quote, the neutral tone does prevent Marrin from bringing in too much emotion in the main text. The prologue does give him a chance to shine and display his ability to create an emotional response in the reader through vivid description, “One night, [Dad] did not come at eh time we expected. We were worried, until we heard the key turning in the lock. Dad was dirty, bruised, and shaken. Instead of the usual suitcase, he carried a clock, torn from the dashboard of the family car, with black wires dangling from it. A souvenir, he said, from ‘the Old Lady,’ as he called our beloved car.” (p.ix)I did not even realize there was a glossary until I had already finished the book because it is listed as “Some Words to Remember”, but it does give definitions to a lot of the specific vocabulary introduced in the text. The index is very handy as I would recommend this to a student to use as reference material. The source notes are very extensive and I’m glad that they are there because you can tell how thoroughly researched this book is. Not only does Marrin drop statistics such as, “Germany leads the world in generating electricity from solar energy. While still far behind Germany, America is beginning to take solar energy seriously. In 2007, about 1 percent of the nation’s electricity came from solar power; by 2025, it is expected to reach 10 percent. Twelve cities, among them Philadelphia, Dencer, and Houston, have major solar energy projects. Solar power plants in California provide electricity for a community of 350000 people for one year.” (p.156) He also covers a diverse range of subjects including chemistry, history, and politics. Honestly the fun facts about oil on the end cover were also a big reason why I selected to read the book. I found that to just be a welcome change from other end covers that are just superfluous with maybe some artwork or some snippets of critical reviews. From a science teacher’s perspective, I really love this book. It accomplishes its goal of bringing to light how critically important this chemical, once seen as at best an oddity, has become to modern civilization. I could use it directly in class when talking about dinosaurs and fossil formation, but where I really think this book belongs is summer reading. Because this book covers such a large range of academic disciplines, including some great launchpads for ethical discussions, it would be relevant to all students no matter what they are taking. The language is also accessible enough that all grade levels above 3rd can access the text, with higher grades having opportunities to dig into deeper issues.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[dustinb1983 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Black Gold” is the story of oil in human society. In this book aimed at young readers, Marrin tracks the use of oil in our world and its impact. It opens with the prehistoric origins of oil and describes the process that created it. It then tracks the evolution of the use of oil by humans, particularly as it related to the development of technology up to the proliferation of the automobile. Then the book turns to the geopolitical and historical consequences as oil and its byproducts become increasing important to modern society, making oil rich lands, such as the Middle East, correspondingly important. Finally, the book discusses the environmental consequences and the future of energy. It seems appropriate that such a book would come about in 2012, and this is an important topic for understanding our world today. This is a well-balanced account. The author both notes the contributions of oil, such as technological innovations and economic developments, and the drawbacks, such as the environmental effects and the international conflicts brought about by oil. This book is surprisingly deep for one this brief and is written in accessible language. While the history does get dry and is a threat to bore readers, particularly at the younger end of the spectrum, I highly recommend this book for its content, depth, and relevance. It would be a mistake to tell the story of the modern world without oil playing a lead role, and this book fills that void.