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From Booklist ( /gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801 ) ---------------------------------------------------- *Starred Review* Fracking is a colloquialism that has entered everyday conversation only in the last dozen years, as the drilling operation it refers to, fracturing underground shale deposits to extract oil and , has literally and figuratively burst onto the American energy-production landscape. Tagging along with it are all the ideas the word evokes, both good and bad, from energy independence to possible contamination of underground water aquifers. Gold, an award-winning senior energy reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has the ideal background for creating an engrossing history of fracking, while weighing its benefits against its potential hazards. He describes the scene at a typical fracking operation in North Dakota near a well surrounded by water tanks and monitoring hardware. He profiles Aubrey McLendon, one of fracking’s most enthusiastic champions, whose star fell quickly when he mismanaged company funds. Gold also adds a more personal touch to his report when he describes the unpleasant impact drilling companies had on his parents when they sold the mining rights to their rural Pennsylvania property. Combining lucid explanations of fracking’s technical aspects with the practice’s more dramatic backstory, Gold’s work is a tour de force of contemporary journalism that will captivate anyone concerned with the future of energy consumption and our rapidly changing climate. --Carl Hays Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) Review ------ "Russell Gold’s The Boom is a double quest. He tells the story of the biggest innovation in energy so far in this century—the shale revolution. He captures the personalities, and the drama and surprises, and brings clarity to the debate about the environmental impact—and what it means for the U.S. economy and “energy independence.” But it’s also a more personal story – about “The Farm” in rural Pennsylvania where he spent time as a child, and his quest to understand what is happening in this new age of shale ." Author: Daniel Yergin, author of The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World and of The Prize “In The Boom, Russell Gold provides a compelling account of the last half century of natural technology development. Driven by hunches, large ambitions and even larger personalities, the story of fracking is the story of innovation, American style. Gold delves into the growing conflict between economic development and concerns over environmental damage, and explains why fracking is seen by some as a vital bridge to a sustainable energy future and feared by others as another excuse to postpone addressing the risks of climate change…. The Boom puts a human face on the unfinished story of our struggle to transition to a sustainable world.” Author: Steven Chu, Former United States Secretary of Energy "Gold's book is an early must-read for 2014: it is both a thorough and fascinating examination of the fracking economy and the technological innovations that have made these new riches accessible (including the often catastrophic damage done in the process of obtaining them)." Source: Gizmodo "An insider’s guide to the most controversial energy-production technique in the United States." Source: Kirkus Reviews “Gold delivers an engaging and expansive education on the promise and risks involved with the sudden rise of fracking for oil and natural in the United States… Gold delivers a balanced analysis weighing the benefits (the reduced use of dirtier coal, an end to the reliance on foreign oil and foreign entanglements, and sudden and reliable abundance of energy supply) against the pitfalls (the impacts on the environment and quality of life as energy companies stampede to secure leases and rush to drill, often in populated areas). Worthy of the attention of both fracking’s boosters and nents, Gold’s inful reportage supplies a well-rounded view of a polarizing subject.” Source: Publishers Weekly (starred) “Whether you think fracking is our salvation or an agent of environmental destruction, The Boom is worth your time.” Source: Forbes.com "Combining lucid explanations of fracking’s technical aspects with the practice’s more dramatic backstory, Gold’s work is a tour de force of contemporary journalism that will captivate anyone concerned with the future of energy consumption and our rapidly changing climate.” Source: Booklist (starred) “This deftly handled account of the shale revolution provides a sobering assessment of the current limits of alternative energy, making for a nuanced of an issue too many would prefer to see in black and white…Mr. Gold performs a valuable service by looking at it from a historical, economic, political and environmental perspective…his clear, thorough of the subject is the starting point for a more informed discussion of energy and environmental policy.” Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “[The Boom] brings new clarity to a subject awash in hype from all sides… a thoughtful, well-written and carefully researched book that provides the best overview yet of the pros and cons of fracking. Gold quietly leads both supporters and critics of drilling to consider other views.” Source: Associated Press "Russell Gold's The Boom, authoritative and fairly balanced, is a welcome guide - the best all-around book yet on fracking." Source: San Francisco Chronicle Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) See all Editorial Reviews ( /dp/product-description/1451692285/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&isInIframe=0 )