Coal: A Human History

Rating:
Summary: Coal... a slightly different perspective
Review: This is a truly insightful and fluid book. The story line is very well written and highly informative. It brings out the history of the black rock and weaves it quite compellingly into the history of modern western civilization. The differentiation between anthracite and bituminous coal serves to illustrate the differences between the East and the Midwest of the US.
The book takes an odd turn, however, when it turns into political commentary and develops the themes espoused at Kyoto. There is no mention of all of the big coal towns that have sprung up over the last few decdades in the modern American West. Places like Gillette, Kemmerer, Craig or Rock Springs where truly world-class, state-of-the-art technology has come to the fore to mine the rock as economically and sensitively as possible. Similarly, there is no mention of the state-of-the-art rail systems that serve these hubs to bring coal to major metropolitan communities. And to, there is no discussion of new fluidized bed systems designed to burn the pulverized coal as cleanly as possible.
When I finished the book, I felt somewhat diasappointed that the theme of "A Human History" was truncated after Kyoto. If I had wanted to read a natural resources poli sci book, I would have bought one.
Nonetheless, the author is to be commended for her first attempt here and this reader looks forward to reading her next work.

Rating:
Summary: Who would have thought?
Review: Who would have thought that something as dreary as coal, could be converted into interesting reading? Well Freese manages to do so, in an efficient, easy to understand manner. Even for the biologically and chemically knowledge hampered like myself, I found the explanations delivered well enough to get the drift of the problem. The History parts are well done and engaging, and Freese, who was former Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota, and involved in environmental lawsuits, judiciously brings her experience to bear on the discussion.
Many of the issues that affect the current environment are treated in a logical, non-hysterical manner. There is also the excellent tidbit about West Virginia Coal Association throwing their support behind Bush in the 2000 Election, and swinging a traditional Democratic state into the column for Bush, and thus altering the election. Bush, of course, reciprocated by dismantling CO2 and mining regulations, and panning the Kyoto Agreements.
Whether one agrees with the conclusions and recommendations for a cleaner air world, Freese certainly causes one to go on the alert about the dangerous Global Warming trend, and what is at stake for out future. That alone makes it worth the read.