| Title | : | BOOM: Oil, Money, Cowboys, Strippers, and the Energy Rush That Could Change America Forever. A Long, Strange Journey Along the Keystone XL Pipeline (Kindle Single) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1614520976 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781614520979 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 116 |
| Publication | : | First published January 31, 2014 |
In this lively story, evocative of bestselling road-trip classics such as William Least Heat Moon’s “Blue Highways” and Bill Bryson’s “The Lost Continent,” Pulitzer Prize–winning author Tony Horwitz takes an epic journey along one of the most hotly debated stretches of land in North the route of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. Armed with maps and cheerful curiosity, he travels from the oil-drunk boomtown of Fort McMurray, Alberta (a.k.a. Fort McMoney), down through the plains and prairie of the United States, where mountains of pipe lie in wait for the torrent of crude that could soon flow if the White House approves the controversial plan to turn on the spigots that will deliver oil from Canada directly to the Gulf of Mexico.
Along the way, Horwitz meets a cavalcade of characters, including ranchers who either love or loathe the idea of oil flowing beneath their land, “rig pigs” and “cement heads” who are eager to make a buck in the tar sands, and strippers and other local entrepreneurs who are ready to help them spend it. He drives miles of lonesome road in his quest to understand what this pipeline means to everyone involved—from Native Americans to environmentalists to industry bureaucrats. He sees firsthand not only how an oil spill can devastate acres of rich farmland, but how opportunity in the oil patch can enrich lives and towns. Over homemade farm dinners and countless tavern beers, Horwitz realizes that the questions surrounding the XL debate go beyond pat declarations about independence from foreign oil or the damage wrought by one pipeline. They go to the heart of an energy revolution that is transforming North America, with enormous consequences for its economy, environment, and foreign policy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tony Horwitz is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who spent a decade as a foreign correspondent, mainly covering wars and conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe for the “Wall Street Journal.” His books include the bestsellers “Confederates in the Attic,” “Blue Latitudes,” “Baghdad Without a Map,” and “A Voyage Long and Strange.” His most recent, “Midnight Rising,” was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2011 and one of the year’s ten best books by Library Journal and won the 2012 William Henry Seward Award for excellence in Civil War biography. Horwitz has also written for “The New Yorker” and “Smithsonian” and has been a fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute. He lives with his wife, Geraldine Brooks, and their sons, Nathaniel and Bizu, on Martha’s Vineyard.
PRAISE FOR TONY HORWITZ
“Horwitz wears himself lightly, and is extraordinarily good at drawing out strangers. Cheerfully energetic, he goes where a less intrepid reporter would not.” —Roy Blount, Jr., The New York Times
“Like travel writer Bill Bryson, Horwitz has a penchant for meeting colorful characters and getting himself into bizarre situations.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Horwitz has an ear for a good yarn and an instinct for the trail leading to an entertaining anecdote.” —The Washington Post
“A trip with Horwitz is as good as it gets.” —The Charlotte Observer
BOOM: Oil, Money, Cowboys, Strippers, and the Energy Rush That Could Change America Forever. A Long, Strange Journey Along the Keystone XL Pipeline (Kindle Single) Reviews
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Before Tony Horwitz died suddenly, in 2019 at the age of 60, he wrote about things that mattered. He brought a sense of humor to interesting and sometimes difficult subjects. He wrote this stand-alone short book about the XL pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, a subject which is/was dear to my heart. It seemed there was no length the petroleum companies would not go to persist in this outdated fuel.
Horwitz showed what it was like to work for the pipeline, to be exploited by pipeline and to be opposed by the pipeline. For those who always thought the XL pipeline is "probably the stupidist thing mankind has thought up," this book's for you. -
Horowitz tackled the Keystone pipeline with his method-acting approach to journalism: reporting on the controversial topic by living in the midst of it. The result is a balanced report that shows the human side of the topic and offers no easy solutions or firm conclusions. I wish more authors/journalists would write like this: compelling, intelligent coverage contained to 100 pages so you get the depth you need to understand without excess. Certainly the world needs longer books too, but I'd be better informed about the world if more writers adopted this approach.
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An excellent work of journalism from the proposed path of the Keystone XL pipeline, all the small towns it would affect, and the people who support and oppose it. The XL seems dead at the moment, after it was rejected by Obama in 2015, but this story is relevant to all such projects, and connects to two of the largest issues of our time: The dilemmas of attaching your town to a boom/bust industry, and the conflict between money and climate. Horwitz sides with the latter, and approvingly quotes pipeline opponents who think we should see ourselves as stewards of the land, not reckless, short-term profit maximizers, but that doesn't stop him from having sympathy with oil workers who just want to make a living, and ordinary people who feel confused about the whole issue.
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Crappy title - ok book. This book read like a long magazine article without the pictures (which really would have been a nice addition). Worth the cost on Amazon Kindle.
The story was fun at times, kept your attention, and never really took a position.
A story about possibly one of the biggest cross border projects between Canada and the United States.
My only negative comments would be that the author seemed to take urban-rural pokes several times throughout the book at small communities, through which the pipeline will travel. -
Horwitz does not write memoirs. The man is a journalist (and an award winning one too): research, travel, interview, write...he's an observer only. And this book's the nonfiction equivalent of a novella, but it is perfect. He's not ranting about the Keystone XL pipeline. He's not going without fossil fuels for a year. He's just reporting with nuance/thought. It's not a book for people who have made up their minds; it's a book for people who want to learn. I did.
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A fascinating read in signature Horwitz style, funny, arch and insightful. It's long-form journalism or a short form book and definitely worth the time it will take you to digest it.
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A short, engaging look at the oil boom in the North American Midwest. A balanced look at the issues that discusses the socio-economic impacts on towns and people along the proposed Keystone XL pipeline path. While Horwitz does discuss the environment at times, this isn't a book about climate change or environmentalism. While I found that disappointing, most people would probably applaud his even-handed perspective here.
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Wow.
This is only my second book by Tony Horowitz, but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. He has an amazing ability to capture people's essence to tell a story, allowing the "characters" to speak for themselves. I knew very little about the Keystone XL Pipeline before reading this, but Horowitz does a great job explaining it from an often-overlooked yet important viewpoint: that of the people who actually have to live with it in their own backyard. I think he did a particularly good job of being respectful in his depiction of every single person interviewed, regardless of their opinion or attitude. To me one of the most striking aspects uncovered by Horowitz is the fact that many of the most vocal opponent are not what you expect. I don't recall him speaking to a single liberal or environmentalist, or to any "big city folks" coming in and telling "country folk" what to do with their land. Instead, people speaking out tend to be conservative farmers or ranchers who for whatever reason started doing their own research, and then realizing the Pipeline is not something they believe in, despite the wrath that this opinion may bring from neighbors. The most powerful example of this phenomenon was when Horowitz visited a high school club that was practicing for a presentation on the pipeline and thus were some of the most-informed and most-rational thinkers from Horowitz's entire journey.
The one thing I felt was missing was an explanation of the government's role in the Pipeline. Perhaps Horowitz assumes that we've all been following along in the news, and is just providing this human element as supplement to what we all already know from being informed members of society, but I still could have used a bit more background. The House passed a piece of Keystone Pipeline legislation on the very day that I finished reading, and I realized that I had no clue how the federal government figures into all this. But, again, I can figure that part out by reading a newspaper, I guess, so it wasn't too big a deal.
Sidenotes:
- I'm still not sure why Horowitz visited so many strip clubs on this trip. I guess just to show that they were the only entertainment in some towns? Hmm...
-This book was eerily similar to Wingfield, a fiction/comedy about a small town of misfits living in an environmental disaster zone. Complete with strip club references. Kinda scary stuff...
Well worth a read, especially because it is so short/quick and so very relevant to current events. I was trying to decide whether it will hold up down the road when this issue is no longer in the spotlight, and I think it will because it is a solid reminder to consider all the people involved in any major debate, and how our actions and our legislators' decisions can affect others so directly. It is a reminder to us all to think through and make informed decisions on our own instead of feeding every line told to us. These lessons are timeless and worthwhile no matter who we are and no matter what issue we are considering.
Kudos to Tony Horowitz. He's kinda my new idol. -
Mr. Horwitz traveled the entire length of TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline and reported on the people, places and events that he encountered.
The journey began in Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada)with a desire to explore the oil sands. Mr. Horwitz interviewed oil field workers, truckers, managers and local people who have lived in the area for many years. The author was interested in meeting people who promoted the pipeline as well as environmentalist who were vehemently against it. The book is illustrated with color photos of some of the people and places along the way.
The oil field workers make good money but the boom towns are also prospering.
The owners of restaurants, bars, hotels, motels and even the strippers are making big bucks as a result of the pipeline.
The Keystone XL begins in Hardisty, Alberta Canada, and ends in Steele City, Nebraska. Mr. Horwitz drove over 3,700 hundred miles along the path of the Keystone XL.
Is the Keystone XL a good thing or bad thing for the economy, environment and the overall well-being of our country?
This book provides facts from the author's research and opinions from many people who were interviewed. You make the decision.
This book is a good overview of the entire pipeline situation. It gives accounts of the financial considerations, the environmental concerns and the emotional opinions of people both in favor and against the Keystone XL.
I think the author went out of his way to talk to farmers, ranchers and local people who have been impacted by the building of this pipeline. The American people need to put politics aside and really educate themselves on what this pipeline means to the people.
Personally, I take the environmental concerns very seriously and I am glad that President Obama is taking a cautious stand on this issue. The environmental activists have been gaining national support and continue to fight the pipeline through the courts.
This book was an informative and entertaining read. Recommended! -
"Boom" is a sometimes interesting look at the politics and people behind the much maligned Keystone Pipeline that is still, after five years, not approved by the U.S. government. The pipeline has become little more than a political football that is likely to be kicked around for at least as long as the current president remains in office.
In the meantime, oil producers in Canada and the American West are forced to use means of transportation for their oil (rail and trucks) that are more risky to the environment and to the safety of ordinary Americans than moving the new production by pipeline is likely ever to be. The oil is going to be produced and moved; it is only a question of how that happens and how much of it makes its way to American refineries rather than to the dirtier Chinese ones.
Horwitz focuses almost exclusively on the anti-pipeline arguments put forth by environmentalists and a handful of landowners who simply do not want anyone to encroach upon their lands for any reason. Admittedly, these landowners and environmentalists make some legitimate points. And it is hard to disagree with their premise - especially when only one side of the story is being presented in detail. The author does interview many who believe in the pipeline's construction, but he usually "taints" their thoughts by his subtle/sometimes not so subtle implications that the arguments are being presented for selfish reasons on the parts of those expressing them.
"Boom" would have been a better book if the author had carried on his tour to where the pipeline will someday end, those refineries in Texas that are already preparing to produce the gasoline and other products that will run America for decades to come. There is much enthusiasm down there for the new jobs and higher wages that the pipeline will deliver to Southeast Texas along with all the shale oil.
As written, the scale tips a little to heavily to one side of the argument to make it very thought provoking. Rated at: 2.5 -
This is a brief but interesting and enjoyable trip with Tony Horwitz along the proposed route of the KXL pipeline, from its source in Canada, down to the counties in Nebraska fighting it ferociously. I can't remember if Horwitz explained why he didn't follow the route the whole way south. I think the story would have been more complete that way. However, as it was, he almost didn't finish on time (which seems to be a common theme in his travel narratives).
Catching glimpses of life in the places along the pipeline's route was fascinating, if depressing and sometimes horrifying. the scenes invoked by the tar sands mining descriptions and the giant work camps bring to mind Tolkein-esque worlds of nature-destroying industry. and hearing honest answers from people involved in the work of the pipeline along the way was also depressing, mostly for its uniform, "well, if the pipeline damages things, it won't be in my lifetime" or "I'm just one person making a living. What could I be expected to do?" mentality. I think the depressing nature of the story, which is recounted in quite a balanced manner, despite the author's self-admitted liberal views, is what made me take so very long to finish the book, reading in fits and starts of several pages.
The passage I found the most engaging was the Cowboys and Indians gatherings. Seeing how people could stand together for what was right and important for their family lands and for their descendants. There was hope in those passages, if nowhere else. It was uncanny timing, finishing this book as a protest stand-off occurs in the Dakotas again, gaining a small amount of attention on social media, if not the news, with Natives leading the protest blockade against yet another pipeline. These are serious issues, if only people were willing and able to step out of their own little worlds and needs and see what is happening.
Informative and engaging, if depressing, on a slightly higher-stakes topic than the usual Tony Horwitz jaunt. Worth checking out, though, especially as a short and fairly easy read, complete with photos. -
I'll read anything Horwitz writes-- he's excellent at capturing American voices and the American landscape. "BOOM" is no exception. While this book probably won't change your mind about the XL pipeline, it will add nuance and complexity to the arguments for and against the pipeline. I especially appreciated that Horwitz points out how and when political labels breakdown. His account of anti XL activists complicates the accepted understandings of Midwesterners as caring only for God, guns, and football. His own politics are clear, but I didn't find it distracting. He treats all the people in this book with compassion and fairness-- even if as a self-described MA-liberal and Jew he was very far removed from their lives and politics.
It's a short, easy read. If you want to start trying out the "kindle single" format, this is a great place to start. -
First, I love Horwitz's writing, and this is no let down . . .except for the fact that it's an extended article on a subject I think he could have really run with (although, it's a subject, fracking, that's momentary spotlighted in the news, and devastating our landscape, I don't know if it worthy of a Horwitz complete book. I found this through Horwitz's enlightening and must read article in the Times about contemporary publishing, (
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/20/opi...) Amazon, and what happens if you're dropped in the Amazon rankings.
If you write, read that article.
So, being a fan, I loaded the kindle single (the only way to get the article), read his story, liked it . ..then washed my hands of the Kindle single smudge.
Let's hope there's a Horwitz compilation coming soon. -
This book has everything I love about one of my favorite authors, Tony Horwitz. It is travel journalism filled with wit, self-deprecating humor, and most importantly a candid look at real people who live across the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline.
There is plenty of envrionmental messages to consider but the opinions of people Horwitz profiles are truly varied; you'll leave with an appreciation for local hopes, worries, and debates that would be impossible to get from major news headlines or opinion pieces. The only disappointing part about this book is that it's over too quickly! -
The author follows the existing and proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska, interviewing folks on both sides of the issue on the present and future effects of the project. A quick read, it probably won't change your mind about much of anything, but it does present a snapshot of the lives of some of the folks affected and the midwestern milieu through which the pipeline travels. Moderately entertaining. I liked his book retracing the voyages of Captain Cook (Blue Latitudes) better, but it's in the same vein as this one.
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Interesting read that has me thinking
Short read that is admitted written by a liberal in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. He makes no apologies about his feelings and thoughts. But he also clearly states the opinions of others and makes no judgements. Balanced in that way. He definitely let's one decide for themselves. Also a unique narrative about the people he met along the route. -
I do still prefer paper books but in his delightful case -I read a Tony Horwitz tweet on Twitter that lead me to an online version of his New York Times rant about the perils of electronic publishing that led me to an online source where I purchased a kindle version of Boom. Fun book and informative and I never touched paper - no paper book, no paper money.
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Horwitz does a good job of reaching out to people on both sides of the KXL debate. The conventional thought that it is a simple Republican vs. Democratic issue is challenged as the different lifestyles and incentives of the people he meets are examined. It is a good read, and highlights the more human aspects of the debate.
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Readable story of XL pipeline and the debates about energy development in general
Good account of the various impacts and perspectives on the XL pipeline. Told without yelling or vitriol. Although the story focuses on the XL, it's a reflection of the energy debate playing out all over the nation. Easy to read and understand. -
This another wonderful book by Horwitz. BOOM answered many of the questions I've had about the proposed Keystone XL Pipe line. Along with interesting anecdotal stories of characters he met along the way, this book is greatly entertaining as well as informative. This is the second of his books that I've read and I am looking forward to reading more of his work!
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Great Story Telling and Perspective
Mr. Horowitz puts a lot of faces on the issues of building the XL- faces that we won't otherwise see. And he gave me an appreciation for the people behind the faces, and their thoughts on how this project affects them. -
Boom a better understanding
An easy read about a very complicated subject. Tony Horowitz takes y o u on a journey of views both physical and philosophical. A good read if you have any interest in the oil industry and our world you will enjoy the book.
