The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire WildcattersThe riveting, untold story of the men who are transforming global energy. In five years, the United States has seen a historic burst of oil and natural gas production, easing our insatiable hunger for energy. A new drilling process called fracking has made us the world's fastest growing energy power, on track to pass Saudi Arabia by 2020. But despite headlines and controversy, no previous book has shown how the revolution really happened. The Frackers tells the dramatic tale of how a group of ambitious and headstrong wildcatters ignored the ridicule of experts and derision of colleagues to pursue massive, long-overlooked deposits. Against all odds, they changed the world-and made astonishing fortunes in the process. Zuckerman's exclusive access enabled him to get close to men like George Mitchell, who developed a new way to drill for gas in shale rock; Harold Hamm, who discovered so much oil he's now worth more than the estate of Steve Jobs; and Aubrey McClendon, who lost more than $2 billion on a misguided gambit. Zuckerman shows how the frackers are now using their wealth to shake up Hollywood, education, politics, sports, and other fields, much like the Rockefellers and Gettys before them. He also explores the debate over the environmental risks of fracking, and whether those risks are worth it for the United States to achieve energy independence and for the rest of the world to follow. |
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User Review - mnicol - LibraryThingThis is not a technical book – very much a personality-focused, shock-horror the gas price has tanked, wow it works, lets buy some wine, succession of shot and cut narratives. The important ... Read full review
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User Review - LovingLit - LibraryThingI started this book nearly as soon as I had checked it out from the library, and it made great reading initially. The stories of several go-getters who struggled to make it big with the newly ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
acreage acres American Aubrey McClendon Bakken bankers Barnett Shale barrels became began Bowker called cash Charif Cheniere Cheniere's Chesapeake Energy Chesapeake shares Chesapeake's Chevron colleagues company's Continental Continental's Coshow crude deal debt dollars a share drillers Dvorin Eagle Ford early employees energy companies executives ExxonMobil field fracking fracturing friends gas production geologist George Mitchell going Hamm Hamm's Harold Hamm Hauptfuhrer hedge fund horizontal drilling huge Icahn industry investment investors knew land landmen later layer lease look Marcellus Mark Papa McClendon and Ward million Mitchell Energy Mitchell's nation natural gas prices North Dakota oil and gas oil companies Oklahoma City Oryx pany Papa percent Plotner Ray Galvin recalls region rivals rock SandRidge says seemed sell shale formations Souki spending Stark Steinsberger Stevens Texas thought told Tom Ward United Wall Street wanted Ward's wildcatters
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters |
| Author | Gregory Zuckerman |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2014 |
| ISBN | 1591847095, 9781591847090 |
| Length | 412 pages |
| Subjects | › › Business & Economics / Corporate & Business History Business & Economics / Industries / Energy Business & Economics / Infrastructure |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |