New York TimesāBestselling Author:āShould be ready by anyone who owns a microwave, or an iPod, or a table lamp, which is to say everyone.ā āElizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prizeāwinning author of The Sixth Extinction
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
Coal is still a significant source of power in the United Statesāand coal mining is still a deadly and environmentally destructive industry. Much of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from coal-fired power plants, and in recent decades air pollution from coal plants has killed more than half a million Americans. In this eye-opening call to action, Jeff Goodell explains the costs and consequences of Americaās addiction to coal and discusses how we can kick the habit.
ā[A] compelling indictment . . . powerful.ā āThe New York Times Book Review
āGoodellās description of the mining-related deaths, the widespread health consequences of burning coal and the impact on our planetās increasingly fragile ecosystem make for compelling reading, but . . . are not what lift this book out of the ordinary. That distinction belongs to Goodellās fieldwork, which takes him to Atlanta, West Virginia, Wyoming, China and beyond.ā āPublishers Weekly (starred review)
āGoodell does a first-rate job of balancing environmental concerns with interviews from the human faces associated with āBig Coalā.ā āLibrary Journal