Crude World The Violent Twilight of Oil

Powerfully written. . . . Evocative. . . . Despite much hue and cry today, Maass argues, we seem unable to move beyond an oil-based global economy, and we are going to hit a wall soon.
The New York Times Book Review

Perpetually informative. . . . Maass s book is in a class by itself, as he constructs his relentless indictment on a foundation of first-rate reporting and superb writing.
USA Today

Maass is a keen observer, a fine storyteller and forceful writer, and his book is a readable gem for anyone seeking a primer on the history of oil and its geopolitical ramifications.
San Francisco Chronicle
 
Authentic, persuasive, and damning. . . . The narrative argument that brings these stories together is persuasive, intelligent, and passionate.
The Christian Science Monitor

Sharp. . . . Maass succeeds in portraying an energy crisis mostly ignored or misunderstood in the developed world.
Financial Times
 
Riveting and illuminating. . . . The book is not about oil policy or the energy crisis, at least not primarily; it is a moral reckoning with basic instincts.
The Nation
 
A nice primer on the history of oil and its geopolitical ramifications.
The Houston Chronicle
 
A fascinating, nightmarish journey to the far end of the pipeline. If you want to know the true cost of America s oil addiction and if even you don t you should read this book.
Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe
 
A spare, engaging work of reporting.
Robert D. Kaplan, The Wall Street Journal
 
A disturbing catalogue of the underside of the international oil industry. . . . This is not a dispassionate exploration of sticky business issues; it s an indictment and a conviction wrapped in one.
The Washington Post
 
The strength of Crude World, filled with vivid reporting, is that it leaves you no option but to care.
The Observer (London)
 
A fascinating if alarming book. . . . Nightmare scenarios and grim reality checks are scary stuff, but Maass delivers the bad news in prose that teems with keen observations and well-reported, unforgettable details.
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Crude World gets its energy from Peter Maass s exhaustive investigation and first-hand experience and results in an illuminating narrative of the true impact of the global dependence on oil. . . . Essential reading for these times and for anyone interested in making the right decisions about our energy future.
Robert Redford
 
What s compelling [about Crude World] is the reporting Maass has done from places ruined by dependence on a substance that, he argues convincingly, kills more than it liberates.
The Boston Globe
 
Unflinching. . . . Engrossing. . . . Equal parts Heart of Darkness and Mad Max.
Washington Monthly
 
With the clarity of a hard-boiled investigator and the grace of a fine writer, Peter Maass reveals how oil has cursed the countries that possess it, corrupted those who want it, and wrought havoc on a world addicted to it. Brilliant and compelling.
Robert B. Reich, author of Supercapitalism
 
A lucid account that places readers in the big picture. . . . [Maass s] truths are painful and unavoidable. . . . He has written a very brave book.
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
 
Well argued and illustrated. . . . [Maass s] descriptions of the rape of countries as diverse as Nigeria and Ecuador are all the more devastating for being unpreachy.
The Telegraph (London)
 
Getting off oil is a great idea for a lot of reasons, like saving the planet s climate. But Peter Maass gives us another set of bonuses. If you think drug dealing is a dirty business, then meet the biggest drug of all.
Bill McKibben, author Deep Economy