Your audiobook is waiting…
Private Empire
People who bought this also bought...
-
Kochland
- The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America
- By: Christopher Leonard
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just as Steve Coll told the story of globalization through ExxonMobil and Andrew Ross Sorkin told the story of Wall Street excess through Too Big to Fail, Christopher Leonard’s Kochland uses the extraordinary account of how the biggest private company in the world grew to be that big to tell the story of modern corporate America.
-
-
A must read
- By kevin alexander on 11-05-19
-
The Taking of Getty Oil
- The Full Story of the Most Spectacular - and Catastrophic - Takeover of All
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Steven Cooper
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A true story of family, ambition, and greed in the most bitter and controversial takeover struggle in business history. The high-stakes fight between Texaco and Pennzoil to take over Getty Oil is a startling and intriguing case involving family infighting, courtroom drama, and corporate intrigue that ends in bankruptcy and the largest damages award in American history.
-
-
Incredible research
- By Jesse on 01-24-15
-
Directorate S
- The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 28 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Resuming the narrative of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars, best-selling author Steve Coll tells for the first time the epic and enthralling story of America's intelligence, military, and diplomatic efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 9/11.
-
-
All the detail you could want
- By Louis Macareo on 03-06-18
-
The Quest
- Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 29 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change. It is a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them. From the jammed streets of Beijing to the shores of the Caspian Sea, from the conflicts in the Mideast to Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley, Yergin takes us into the decisions that are shaping our future.
-
-
Best nonfiction book of 2011
- By Joshua Kim on 05-06-12
-
Ghost Wars
- The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 26 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan. With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
-
-
A PAINFUL RELIVING OF THE RUN-UP TO 9/11
- By DS on 03-06-13
-
The Prize
- The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Bob Jamieson
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Prize recounts the panoramic history of oil, and the struggle for wealth and power that has always surrounded oil. This struggle has shaken the world economy, dictated the outcome of wars, and transformed the destiny of men and nations. The Prize is as much a history of the 20th-century as of the oil industry itself.
-
-
major let down
- By Randol on 06-18-10
-
Kochland
- The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America
- By: Christopher Leonard
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just as Steve Coll told the story of globalization through ExxonMobil and Andrew Ross Sorkin told the story of Wall Street excess through Too Big to Fail, Christopher Leonard’s Kochland uses the extraordinary account of how the biggest private company in the world grew to be that big to tell the story of modern corporate America.
-
-
A must read
- By kevin alexander on 11-05-19
-
The Taking of Getty Oil
- The Full Story of the Most Spectacular - and Catastrophic - Takeover of All
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Steven Cooper
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A true story of family, ambition, and greed in the most bitter and controversial takeover struggle in business history. The high-stakes fight between Texaco and Pennzoil to take over Getty Oil is a startling and intriguing case involving family infighting, courtroom drama, and corporate intrigue that ends in bankruptcy and the largest damages award in American history.
-
-
Incredible research
- By Jesse on 01-24-15
-
Directorate S
- The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 28 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Resuming the narrative of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars, best-selling author Steve Coll tells for the first time the epic and enthralling story of America's intelligence, military, and diplomatic efforts to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 9/11.
-
-
All the detail you could want
- By Louis Macareo on 03-06-18
-
The Quest
- Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 29 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change. It is a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them. From the jammed streets of Beijing to the shores of the Caspian Sea, from the conflicts in the Mideast to Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley, Yergin takes us into the decisions that are shaping our future.
-
-
Best nonfiction book of 2011
- By Joshua Kim on 05-06-12
-
Ghost Wars
- The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 26 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in Afghanistan. With the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
-
-
A PAINFUL RELIVING OF THE RUN-UP TO 9/11
- By DS on 03-06-13
-
The Prize
- The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Bob Jamieson
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Prize recounts the panoramic history of oil, and the struggle for wealth and power that has always surrounded oil. This struggle has shaken the world economy, dictated the outcome of wars, and transformed the destiny of men and nations. The Prize is as much a history of the 20th-century as of the oil industry itself.
-
-
major let down
- By Randol on 06-18-10
-
The Frackers
- The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters
- By: Gregory Zuckerman
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone knew it was crazy to try to extract oil and natural gas buried in shale rock deep below the ground. Everyone, that is, except a few reckless wildcatters - who risked their careers to prove the world wrong. Things looked grim for American energy in 2006. Oil production was in steep decline and natural gas was hard to find. The Iraq War threatened the nation’s already tenuous relations with the Middle East. China was rapidly industrializing and competing for resources.
-
-
Balanced approach on controversial topic
- By Chris on 01-02-14
-
The Big Rich
- The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes
- By: Bryan Burrough
- Narrated by: James Jenner
- Length: 22 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Bryan Burrough reveals how four Texas oil tycoons transformed America. Rising from humble beginnings through hard work and shrewd dealings, they shifted the balance of power in American politics. While hobnobbing with movie stars and presidents, the Big Rich also created the legend of the swaggering Texas oilman with island hideaways and sprawling ranches.
-
-
Houston Oilman
- By Andrew on 10-12-09
-
The Man Who Solved the Market
- How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution
- By: Gregory Zuckerman
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jim Simons is the greatest money maker in modern financial history. No other investor can touch his record. Since 1988, Renaissance's signature Medallion fund has generated average annual returns of 66 percent. The firm has earned profits of more than $100 billion; Simons is worth 23 billion dollars. Drawing on unprecedented access to Simons and dozens of current and former employees, Zuckerman, a veteran Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, tells the gripping story of how a world-class mathematician and former code breaker mastered the market.
-
-
Good general history, some personal overtones but easily teased out
- By Luc on 11-18-19
-
The Triumph of Injustice
- How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay
- By: Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman
- Narrated by: Steve Menasche
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blending history and cutting-edge economic analysis, and writing in lively and jargon-free prose, Saez and Zucman dissect the deliberate choices (and sins of indecision) that have brought us to today: the gradual exemption of capital owners; the surge of a new tax avoidance industry; and the spiral of tax competition among nations. With clarity and concision, they explain how America turned away from the most progressive tax system in history to embrace policies that only serve to compound the wealth of a few.
-
The Boom
- How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World
- By: Russell Gold
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Russell Gold, a brilliant and dogged investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, has spent more than a decade reporting on one of the biggest stories of our time: the spectacular, world-changing rise of "fracking". Recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a recipient of the Gerald Loeb Award for his work, Gold has traveled along the pipelines and into the hubs of this country’s energy infrastructure; he has visited frack sites from Texas to North Dakota; and he has conducted thousands of interviews with engineers and wildcatters, CEOs and roughnecks, environmentalists and politicians.
-
-
Somehow the author manages to stay balanced
- By Emily C on 05-28-14
-
Billion Dollar Fantasy
- The High-Stakes Game Between FanDuel and DraftKings That Upended Sports in America
- By: Albert Chen
- Narrated by: Chris Abell
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The inside story of the rise, fall, and rise of FanDuel and DraftKings - two companies that began as obscure startups and, seemingly overnight, became billion dollar companies, and just as quickly found themselves the target of the FBI and Department of Justice and the center of a national scandal.
-
-
Fascinating insight into a disruptive new industry
- By Amazon Customer on 10-25-19
-
Moneyland
- The Inside Story of the Crooks and Kleptocrats Who Rule the World
- By: Oliver Bullough
- Narrated by: Oliver Bullough
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An investigative journalist's deep dive into the corrupt workings of the world's kleptocrats. Learn how the institutions of Europe and the US have become money-laundering operations, attacking the foundations of many of the world's most stable countries. Meet the kleptocrats. Meet their awful children. And find out how heroic activists around the world are fighting back.
-
-
very enlightening
- By Taylor on 05-10-19
-
Saudi, Inc.
- The Arabian Kingdom's Pursuit of Profit and Power
- By: Ellen R. Wald PhD
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over more than a century, fed by ambition and oil wealth, al Saud (as the royal family is known) has come from having next to nothing to ruling as absolute monarchs. Their story starts with Saudi Arabia's founder, the lowly refugee Abdul Aziz, embarking on a daring gambit to reconquer his family's ancestral home: the mud-walled city of Riyadh. And it ends with al Saud's most ambitious move yet: taking Aramco, the multinational business that has made them the wealthiest family in the world, public.
-
-
Excellent modern history of Saudi Arabia
- By Rob Hafen on 05-31-18
-
The Oil Kings
- How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East
- By: Andrew Scott Cooper
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 19 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Struggling with a recession... European nations at risk of defaulting on their loans... A possible global financial crisis. It happened before, in the 1970s. The Oil Kings is the story of how oil came to dominate U.S. domestic and international affairs. Brilliantly reported and filled with astonishing details about some of the key figures of the time, this is the history of an era that we thought we knew, an era whose momentous reverberations still influence events at home and abroad today.
-
-
Great story, but ignores the economic side
- By Walter on 04-15-12
-
The Wizard of Lies
- Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust
- By: Diana B. Henriques
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Bernie Madoff, and how did he pull off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history? These questions have fascinated people ever since the news broke about the respected New York financier who swindled his friends, relatives, and other investors out of $65 billion. Many have speculated about what must have happened, but no reporter has been able to get the full story - until now. Diana B. Henriques of the New York Times has written the definitive book on the man and his scheme.
-
-
The best of 3 madoff books
- By Angela willis on 03-18-13
-
The Anarchy
- The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
- By: William Dalrymple
- Narrated by: Sid Sagar
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Anarchy tells the remarkable story of how one of the world’s most magnificent empires disintegrated and came to be replaced by a dangerously unregulated private company, based thousands of miles overseas in one small office, five windows wide, and answerable only to its distant shareholders. In his most ambitious and riveting audiobook to date, William Dalrymple tells the story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power.
-
-
Abandoned
- By Stephen on 10-30-19
-
Money and Power
- How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World
- By: William D. Cohan
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 30 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling, prize-winning author of The Last Tycoons and House of Cards, a revelatory history of Goldman Sachs, the most dominant, feared, and controversial investment bank in the world. William D. Cohan has constructed a vivid narrative that looks behind the veil of secrecy to reveal how Goldman has become so profitable - and so powerful.
-
-
Much better than expected
- By Mark on 06-15-11
Publisher's Summary
Steve Coll investigates the largest and most powerful private corporation in the United States, revealing the true extent of its power. ExxonMobil’s annual revenues are larger than the economic activity in the great majority of countries. In many of the countries where it conducts business, ExxonMobil’s sway over politics and security is greater than that of the United States embassy. In Washington, ExxonMobil spends more money lobbying Congress and the White House than almost any other corporation. Yet despite its outsized influence, it is a black box.
Private Empire pulls back the curtain, tracking the corporation’s recent history and its central role on the world stage, beginning with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and leading to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The action spans the globe, moving from Moscow, to impoverished African capitals, Indonesia, and elsewhere in heart-stopping scenes that feature kidnapping cases, civil wars, and high-stakes struggles at the Kremlin.
At home, Coll goes inside ExxonMobil’s K Street office and corporation headquarters in Irving, Texas, where top executives in the “God Pod” (as employees call it) oversee an extraordinary corporate culture of discipline and secrecy.
The narrative is driven by larger-than-life characters, including corporate legend Lee “Iron Ass” Raymond, ExxonMobil’s chief executive until 2005. A close friend of Dick Cheney’s, Raymond was both the most successful and effective oil executive of his era and an unabashed skeptic about climate change and government regulation. This position proved difficult to maintain in the face of new science and political change, and Raymond’s successor, current ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, broke with Raymond’s programs in an effort to reset ExxonMobil’s public image. The larger cast includes countless world leaders, plutocrats, dictators, guerrillas, and corporate scientists who are part of ExxonMobil’s colossal story.
The first hard-hitting examination of ExxonMobil, Private Empire is the masterful result of Coll’s indefatigable reporting. He draws here on more than 400 interviews, field reporting from the halls of Congress to the oil-laden swamps of the Niger Delta, more than 1,000 pages of previously classified U.S. documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, heretofore unexamined court records, and many other sources. A penetrating, newsbreaking study, Private Empire is a defining portrait of ExxonMobil and the place of Big Oil in American politics and foreign policy.
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
-
5 Stars333
-
4 Stars196
-
3 Stars83
-
2 Stars15
-
1 Stars5
Performance
-
-
5 Stars303
-
4 Stars151
-
3 Stars63
-
2 Stars10
-
1 Stars4
Story
-
-
5 Stars266
-
4 Stars163
-
3 Stars78
-
2 Stars14
-
1 Stars6
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Zak
- Hartford, CT, United States
- 07-24-12
Please no more accents!
Private Empire is an excellent investigation of Exxon's (and more recently Exxon-Mobil's) corporate conduct and policies over the last two decades or so. Coll begins with the Valdez spill and offers more of a series of case studies than any continuous history. At times a more detailed backstory of Exxon's pre-1989 development would help, but on the whole Coll's more journalistic approach is effective and interesting.
My only complaint here is the narration - and really it's the trend represented here more than the specific performance I object to. Malcolm Hillgartner's voice is fine, and he generally reads in a clear, expressive manner. But I appeal to him, and to all audiobook producers, to enact a moratorium on foreign accents, at least in nonfiction works. Unless done extremely well, the use of accents to distinguish quotes from speakers of different nationalities is totally distracting - at best comical, at worst borderline offensive. Listening to Vladimir Putin's words (which were spoken in Russian to begin with!) recited in a Bela Lugosi-like "Russian" accent in no way enhances my listening pleasure. Maybe this kind of dramatization is necessary or desirable in narrating works of fiction (though I'd prefer not), but when it's actual historical figures in a work of journalistic reporting, it's just ridiculous. (Ditto w/male narrator's reading women's words in a semi-falsetto. Yuck!)
20 of 21 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JC
- 05-10-12
Great Fly on the Wall Perspective of ExxonMobil
If you like to feel like an insider, then this book is for you! I really like Steven Coll's pacing, as he was able to get my attention immediately as he starts with the tragedy surrounding the Exxon Valdez and all the characters involved in this historical event. From there he takes you through the ups and downs of this enormous private enterprise, which I found very insightful.
The key to the success of this book is the neutral perspective assumed by Coll, as I hate books that try to portray something that is simply big as also automatically bad. I am a businessman, and this book allowed me some keen insights into the thinking and doings of a major employer, energy producer, and endless source of speculation and controversy.
This book is not going to change your life by any means, but it is a great impartial look behind the curtain of a major global player.
I would highly recommend this book to any students of business or generally to anyone who likes to glimpse the inside.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alex Ford
- 01-20-16
Not Coll's Best
What did you like best about Private Empire? What did you like least?
Steve Coll is a fantastic writer and clearly takes no shortcuts in his research. I've read all his previous works (multiple times, actually) and each truly fascinating, memorable, and a pleasure to dive into. Not so much the case with Private Empire, however, as there is simply no "there, there." I have to assume that Coll formulated his theory about Exxon being this big bad corporate entity, started writing, and got too far along before realizing there wasn't really anything scandalous to be said. Anecdotes about Exxon's "obsession with safety" and commissioning of academic studies favorable to their business (a practice used by pretty much every company out there which has the money to do so) are treated as "revelations," made to seem more scandalous than they are. I suppose if you were to read/listen to this book in a judgmental tone it would have a greater impact, but otherwise don't expect more than a couple hundred pages of fluff and filler.
Would you ever listen to anything by Steve Coll again?
Yes, this is his one book that hasn't been truly excellent so I think he deserves another shot. I'm sure whatever he writes next will be great.
Which scene was your favorite?
The conservative culture, engendered by a top-down managerial approach, was interesting to learn about. The relationship between Lee Raymond and Dick Cheney is also fascinating.
What did you take away from Private Empire that you can apply to your work?
Some people view certain practices considered standard at companies as "evil," so be careful.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ELIZABETH
- 07-30-15
Fascinating
Where does Private Empire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
In the top ten percent
What did you like best about this story?
The amount of research that the author must have done, and his ability to present it all in an interesting fashion.
Which character – as performed by Malcolm Hillgartner – was your favorite?
Lee Raymond
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
twenty odd hours - you must be joking
Any additional comments?
Excellent narrator. Struggled a little with some of African and UK accents but overall a sterling performance.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Torrey Dupras
- 05-20-12
Informative and Concise
What made the experience of listening to Private Empire the most enjoyable?
My personal interest in the energy industry.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The creator of Exxon due to his eccentric behavior to conquer and control with his corporation at all costs.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. Eat this elephant in small bites.
Any additional comments?
If you're already interested in how corporate america controls government policy and how such corporations are born, then this is the book for you. To the average citizen, this may put them to sleep because of the depth of detail it goes into regarding Exxon Mobil's vast history.
Personally, this filled in a lot of holes with respect to a lot of other historical nonfiction books I've read on similar subjects so it was definitely worth the listen.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Management Consultant
- 10-27-17
Interesting, but focuses too much on the oil spill
Very interesting topic. Unfortunately, for my interests, there are too many pages spent on details of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and not enough on Exxon Mobiles Washington efforts, Middle East efforts and interesting early history since Rockefeller.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amrita
- 12-18-15
Learn how to pronounce oil industry terms
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The narrator should have spent some time looking up how to pronounce some of the frequently used oil industry terms/company names.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stuart
- 04-28-15
Interesting history
May have liked a bit more of the whole intrigue thing, but maybe it just is what it is! Overall a good read and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about the oil industry players.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christopher Shannon
- Houston, TX USA
- 01-31-13
Great book...but
If you could sum up Private Empire in three words, what would they be?
Comprehensive but biased
Any additional comments?
This comprehensive review of Exxon Mobil from the time of the Exxon Valdez spill to the present was an enjoyable listen to me as a professional in the oil and gas industry. While one can tell that the author attempted to present an unbiased review, his bias to the side of environmentalism is apparent at times.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Danny
- Argyle, TX
- 11-09-12
Disappointing work from Coll
After reading Steve Coll's Ghost Wars, I was anxious to listen to Private Empire. What a total disappointment. His objectivity in the former work was completely absent from Empire. The best description I can provide is "Hatchet Job." According to this work, oil companies, and Exxon in particular, are responsible for all the world's economic and social ills. Part of this impression stems from the performance of the reader. The sarcasm was pervasive. Where possible, Coll also tried to smear government involvement in the oil business, especially where Republican administrations were in play. I would recommend this for fans of Michael Moore. I got the impression Coll was trying to emulate Moore with this book.
7 of 11 people found this review helpful
-
Overall

- Neil
- 01-19-13
Dense. But enjoyable
This is a really good book but incredibly long and at times the detail get in the way of the narrative. I also find the chronology skips about as different issues and projects are discussed which can be confusing.
That said, the story is engaging and well read. I didn't know much about the oil industry and this was an eye opening account of the power players. At its best this is riveting stuff.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- R
- 12-26-13
Great book, butttt
This is a great book. More like a thriller than a work of non-fiction. That said I would recommend to Audible that they don't use character voices for this type of book. It is distracting and takes from the story.
Also the version I have has regular skipping noises in it. Not clear what the cause is. I reinstalled the app and redownloaded the book, but this did not improve it.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful