The Oil Road has been getting an incredible response from the press, blogs and activists alike. We’ve cobbled together a selection of the best quotes from reviews with links to the full articles.
“An elegantly written travel book…a distinctive blend of travelogue, reportage and history…will make you think the next time you fill the tank” – Financial Times
‘The Oil Road opens the lid on the often-shady energy economy, weaving absorbing travel reportage into powerful investigative journalism…If you want to know why oil matters read this book…★★★★★” – Time Out (book of the week)
“Marriott and Minio‑Paluello seamlessly weave an engaging personal story into the current geopolitics of oil aggression and the volatile recent history of the region. Central to the story is BP, which promised a pipeline that would represent a new era of social and environmental responsibility….The story ends in London, the financial capital that feeds much of our oil habit. The Oil Road is a vital tool in understanding – and breaking – the complex web of that addiction. It is a rich, rewarding read.” – Red Pepper
“Part-travelogue, part-reportage, the Oil Road is a powerful…account of how a valuable natural resource can turn a tiny elite into plutocrats, destabilise nations and ruin the lives of ordinary people… This is no dry historiography… Irish politicians, and citizens, would do well to heed the OilRoad’s cautionary lesson: without proper social and environmental oversight, oil can be a boon for a powerful few and a disaster for everyone else.” – Sunday Business Post (Ireland)
“The authors do not just travel through the tangled geography where the Caucasus meets Anatolia, but also through the still more tangled history of the oil industry itself….elegant…verges on the psychogeographical” – Literary Review
“A glimpse of the reality behind the security fences and corporate greenwash….a fascinating opportunity to see the filthy entrails of the world economy up close and personal.”- Socialist Worker
“A stunningly powerful book … which brings to life the story of the BTC pipeline… a must-read for anyone who cares about oil and the stranglehold it has on our society.” Oil Change International
“Marriott and Minio‑Paluello seamlessly weave an engaging personal story into the current geopolitics of oil aggression and the volatile recent history of the region. Central to the story is BP, which promised a pipeline that would represent a new era of social and environmental responsibility….The story ends in London, the financial capital that feeds much of our oil habit. The Oil Road is a vital tool in understanding – and breaking – the complex web of that addiction. It is a rich, rewarding read.” – Red Pepper
“This is reportage of the highest calibre. As PLATFORM’s Marriot and Minio–Paluello relate their shadowing of the BTC pipeline’s marker posts in the ground, they lay down their own vital markers: not only for western consumers and BTC communities but for other people facing up to fossil fuel fantasies in the name of development, fantasies that continue to be bankrolled by western capital’s finest public and private financiers.” – CEE Bankwatch
There have also been several interviews about the book. You can listen to Mika on the BBC World Service Newshour here and read an indepth interview with the New Left Project here. Azeri speakers can an interview with James on BBC Azeri here, and for Italian speakers there’s an interview in il manifesto here.
