One of the best books ever written about how our world got this way. If more people would read this book, they would have a better understanding of big oil, world governments, other cultures, world economics, and would quit pointing fingers and spouting partisanship. Yergin writes this book in a very realistic tone without editorializing the issues. His incredible amount of research becomes apparent before the second chapter. I wish I had read the first edition twenty years ago. However, I plan on reading his next installment when it is released next month. Read this book! And then share it with family & friends!