in the beginning i really enjoyed the style, but eventually it got tedious and i found myself skipping forward and skimming for paragraphs with numbers and dates. rather informative. the bits about venezuela, chad, nigeria, and iran were all a bit long, but made it worth it to have continued reading. ( )

Great book. Depressing as all hell, but one that everyone on earth ought to read. ( )

The author sets out to trace the oil we use backwards from the gas tank to the point of production. She visits refineries, oil drilling sites, and gas stations along the way, then makes her way overseas to visit oil producing countries in the Third World. A good introduction to the subject, though the author tends to be a little naive at times, and might find her enthusiasm about BP a bit tempered by recent experiences. ( )

I have done much reading on the subject of oil and our society's seemingly insatiable desire for more of the stuff. This book does much to simplify the industry and at the same time make me shake my head in wonderment at the continuous collective hiding of our head in the sand in which our country indulges itself. We simply have to start doing something to curb our appetite. The recent economic crisis is only the latest manifestation of our oil dependency.

The author started out with her complaints about the price of gas at the pump and followed the product back to its source exploring the various explanations about why it costs so much. On the way she went to refineries and the NYMEX as well as to other countries. The NYMEX and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve turn out to be just as mysterious in their operations as does the governments of Nigeria and Iran. The author makes the connection between the modern petro-state and so many of the current instabilities in the world comprehensible and that is no mean feat.

This book is very readable and could provide valuable insights for the average reader. However, most American's don't want to see, hear, or read about anything that might make them feel bad about their love of SUV's and interfere with their current lifestyle. For that reason I suspect that this book has a limited audience. That is too bad as it is very illuminating. ( )

Lisa Margonelli has written a comprehensive account of the role petroleum plays in our lives, our economy, and our politics. Having worked in the petrochemical industry and being interested in world politics, I thought I was well-informed. Yet I learned something new in nearly every paragraph, often exclaiming and reading sections to anyone nearby.

Margonelli starts her journey at the local gas station, researching and directly observing how U.S. consumers interact with petroleum at the pump. She moves on to tankers that deliver the fuel and the refineries that supply it, then NYMEX, and finally to the sources of our petroleum around the world. Her travels take her from Venezuela to Africa and the Middle East and finally to China. It's a fascinating and troubling journey.

Says Mary Roach, the author of Stiff, on the cover, "If you drive a car, you must read this book, but please not at the same time." I would argue that, even if you don't drive a car, you must read this book. The politics of petroleum is touching every person on the planet, whether we know it or not. We should all be better informed. ( )