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Private Empire: ExxonMobil And American Power (2012)

by Steve Coll(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1594203350 (ISBN13: 9781594203350)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Penguin Press HC, The

review 1: The further I read through Steve Coll's impressive book, I kept thinking how hard it must have been to put together. We all "know" about XOM, and we all probably have a reflexive opinion about them. Writing a serious thematic work about Exxon and corporate power? Thats not an easy thing to so and Coll has written a first rate corporate history. Without being an angry leftist he paints a clear picture of the increasing power and reach of the company, even after it's Republican godfathers have left the scene. There is no such thing as Peak Oil, and this very rich company is only getting richer and more powerful. It is a powerful warning about how quickly one large company can amass power and deploy that power ruthlessly. Courts, governments, what are those when you're XOM? A... more good book to read alongside Piketty's 'Capital'.
review 2: Good, not great book about ExxonMobil's giant presence in America and the world and its resulting impact is often larger than and sometimes in conflict with US's policy. It's an interesting presence and well researched, but the book isn't well structured. It jumps around from location to location and bounces between presidential administrations, which matters a lot considering how differently Dems and Republicans have approached Big Oil. Finally, both fracking and the Deepwater Horizon were game changing events that feel like they emerged as Coll was finishing the book and so their huge impact on oil companies isn't fully addressed in the book. less

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